A/N: I am on a roll with new fics. It's a bit weird actually. I actually hand wrote this one while waiting on laundry. Once I started I couldn't seem to stop; it was 12 pages long and I have decently small writing.
Harry/Hermione with a bit of bitchy Ginny and scheming twins.
"If you want me to drink the potion, you have to do it too. Though I don't know why you want to do such a hare-brained thing in the first place." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, eyes daring the red-headed girl to refuse.
Ginny smirked. "Fine. I bet it's going to be Harry anyway." She looked down at the two vials of pale pink potion on the table between them, missing the look of hurt that flashed across the older witch's face. Ginny picked up one vial and handed the other to Hermione. "On three. One…two…three!" Both witches downed the vials quickly.
"How do we know?" Hermione asked as she set the vial aside in favor of her tea.
"The directions said an image of the person will appear in your head. If you don't know them, a name will come along as well. I have to remember to tell the twins what happens."
Hermione sputtered and choked on her drink. "This is a Fred and George concoction?"
Another smirk appeared on the Weasley girl's lips. "Any other twins you know that would do this kind of thing? They asked for an honest opinion and I told them you and I would do it."
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"You need a life outside of work."
The curly-haired witch stood, nearly knocking her chair over. "I do have a life! I—" Her voice suddenly halted. The potion had finally kicked in. Something on her face must have given it away.
"Ooh! Is it anyone we know? I wonder when mine will kick in. Wait…" Hermione had closed her eyes to the other witch, waiting for the person to come into focus.
Even though they hadn't come completely in focus yet, Hermione noticed several things. One, they were most definitely male. Their skin was a bit on the pale side, not sickly so, but pale still. Dark hair topped his head, short and messy. He was tall; not overly so like Ron or his brother Charlie, but not short like Lee or Seamus. He was roughly Harry's height, actually. Hermione's mind ground to a halt as the person finally came into focus. Emerald green eyes stared at her from behind round black glasses, a small smile on his lips, one she know was reserved just for her.
Her eyes opened in time to see Ginny's face go scarlet with anger. "Something wrong, Gin?"
The other woman adopted an obviously fake smile. "Not at all. I was right is all. It was Harry." Brown eyes watched her; Hermione thought she was lying, but Ginny was a really good actress. "Who'd you get?"
Hermione leaned on the table. "Is it…is it possible for two witches to see the same person?"
"Absolutely—"
"—positively—"
"Not." The girls looked up at the new voices. Fred and George stood to one side of the table, identical grins on their faces.
"The potion shows the one person who matches an individual completely," Fred explained.
George picked up the line. "Since no two people are completely alike—"
"—not even twins like us—"
"No two people will see the same person."
"So," Hermione started, "how would one tell if two people supposedly saw the same person?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ginny flush red again.
Fred smirked. "Easy. All you have to do—"
"—is make sure both are telling the truth—"
"—or—"
"—kiss the person in question." George's smirk mirrored his brother's, as if knowing exactly what was going on. "We happen to know—"
"—Harry is a Grimmauld Place—"
"—all by himself."
"Have fun!" they chorused before disappearing with a pop.
There was venom in her voice when Ginny spoke. "He's mine."
Hermione was slightly taken aback. And then she had an idea. "Why don't we go over and do a test? I'm sure if we explain it to Harry he'll be more than willing to help. We can blindfold him, so he doesn't know who is who, and then kiss him. It will be up to him to pick." Somewhere in the back of her mind, she couldn't believe she just made that plan.
The smirk that reappeared was beginning to grate on her nerves. "Fine." The two women paid for their drinks and apparated away.
Grimmauld Place was quiet for the first time in a while. They had effectively removed the portrait of Sirius' mother, silencing her taunts and disdain for good. Remus and Sirius were at Hogwarts preparing for the new school year. Ron was at the Burrow, 'resting' before the new Quidditch season. And Harry, well, Harry was laying on the couch, marveling at the silence before he joined his godfather and Remus to work on his preparations for this year's defense classes. The front door opened and slammed shut, jolting him from his peace.
His wand was in his hand before he realized it was Hermione and Ginny causing the noise. He smiled before realizing there was discord between them, primarily on Ginny's part. "Hello girls. What seems to be the problem? Anything I can do?" He put his wand aside and let his eyes wander between the two.
Hermione spoke first. "Yes, actually, since this is over you." His eyes widened a bit and one brow rose in question. "Ginny thought it would be a good idea to volunteer us as guinea pigs for one of Fred and George's true love finding potions. The potion was supposed to show us an image and a name, if we didn't know the person, of our perfect match. Someone who completes us like no one else."
Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "And this has to do with me how?"
Ginny remained silent so Hermione continued. "Both of us claim to have seen you." Her face turned a scarlet to rival Ginny's hair and trained her eyes on the ground. "We…" she paused to lick her lips, "we asked the twins if it was possible for two people to see the same person. They said absolutely not. The only way to know for sure—"
The red-head suddenly took interest. "—was to kiss the person in question." She looked up at him and fluttered her lashes. "In this case, that means you."
"So you want me to kiss you both and tell you what I think?" he asked, slightly amused.
Ginny nodded but Hermione spoke. "Not that simply. We were going to blindfold you so you could pick without having to worry about reactions."
He seemed to think for a minute and then shrugged. "Alright. But if you want this to be truly anonymous, you both have to pull your hair back." Ginny narrowed her eyes briefly while Hermione nodded. "Gin, there is a big difference in your hair. I'd be able to tell who was who from that alone." She huffed before using a tie on her wrist to sweep her hair into a low ponytail. Hermione had already braided hers. "So," he held up a hand and counted his fingers, "one, I'll be blindfolded so I can't see who is kissing me. Two, I can't touch either of you. You can touch me, but I can't touch you. And three, since the twins are really good at what they do and this is probably a sure thing no fighting if the outcome isn't what you wanted." Harry made a point to look at Ginny, knowing her temper.
"What will you do afterward?" she asked.
"That depends," he said, "on who it is. We will decide, together."
"I thought you didn't believe in this kind of 'fate' or 'destiny' thing after the prophecy." Hermione's eyes searched his face, curious.
He laughed shortly. "I don't by the way you described it makes me curious. And it doesn't guarantee anything. You could find your match, but if you fight anyway, what is the point." He shrugged again. "Let's get this over with." He plopped down on the coffee table and closed his eyes as Hermione tied a conjured blindfold over his eyes.
There was silence before a pair of hands pulled his face up and kissed him roughly. Harry kissed her back, slightly surprised when a tongue began asking for entrance. He allowed it and explored the other's mouth with equal fervor. There was spiciness and a hint of orange. Slowly they drew back, breathing hard for air. He knew without a doubt as to who it was.
More silence followed as he regained his regular breathing pattern and lowered his head again. "That's one," he said, his voice slightly rough.
There were a few more seconds of silence before there were fingers gently tilting his chin up. The touch was light, hesitant even. Lips brushed his, unsure and gentle. It was a major change from the first. A second kiss was a bit firmer, but no less unsure. He captured the bottom lip and pressed a firmer kiss yet to her lips. After a few moments, he licked her lip gently, asking to be let in. The answer was hesitant by he eventually coaxed her tongue to dance with his. Chocolate and cinnamon invaded his taste buds, neither overpowering the other. Underneath was a hint of the tea she last drank. Slow kisses brought them back to the real world. It had taken everything he had not to bury his hands in her hair. Again he knew exactly who it was (not that there was much other choice) and, since they were making him choose, he knew who to pick.
There was a tension filled moment of silence before the blindfold fell away. He used the opportunity to look them both over. Hermione stood stiffly, her eyes on the floor and fingers intertwined in front of her. He could see pink tingeing her cheeks, the tips of her ears that were bright red, and the lip she was biting out of sheer nerves and embarrassment. She was wearing a dark green cap-sleeved polo and dark denim jeans with white sneakers rounding out her casual Saturday afternoon wear. He turned his attention to Ginny. She looked about ready to go out for a night on the town. A sleeveless black dress hugged her body like a second skin, ending at mid-thigh. Black stilettos rounded out her outfit, making her legs look miles long. She was made up for a date while Hermione looked ready to curl up with her favorite book.
"So," Ginny said, her voice low and sensual, "which is it? Kiss one or two."
Harry grinned. "Well, as nice as the first one was, I have to pick the second. The first was fast, rough, and spicy. But the second one," he sighed, his eyes locked on his best friend, "it was slow and as natural as breathing. It was perfect." There was a silly grin on his face, he knew.
Ginny's face matched her hair. "This isn't what was supposed to happen." She whirled on Hermione, her wand drawn before either could react. Hermione took an involuntary step back. "You little bitch!" The spell was out of her wand before the other woman could do more than raise her arms. The angry witch turned to Harry only to find his wand centimeters from her nose.
"Out of my house," he seethed between clenched teeth, "now. Don't come back. You're not welcome." Ginny looked like she was going to respond. "I suggest you leave or you will be spending the night at St. Mungo's." Her response was to stomp out of the room and slam the front door on the way out. Harry let out a heavy sigh before lowering his wand and turning.
"Mione!" He dropped to his knees beside her unconscious form. The stunning charm had knocked her out and her body had collapsed to the floor. A brief thought had Harry thankful that he was sitting on the table and they were far enough from the fire place that she hit her head on neither the mantle nor the hearthstones. Gently he scooped her up and laid her out on the couch. A quick 'Rennervate' had her waking.
Her eyes fluttered open, one hand going to her head. "Ow." She tried sitting up quickly, but hands on her shoulders slowed her, moving her gently.
"Easy there, Mione."
"Harry?"
His smile was easy and genuine, the one he only used on her. "The one and only."
"Where's Ginny? Didn't you pick her?"
He laughed. "Were you not listening?" Her blush answered his question; she hadn't. He gently brushed a loose piece of hair behind her ear, aware of her chocolate eyes following him intently. "I chose you. I've wanted to ask you out for a while; this was the perfect opportunity."
"Oh." Her eyes dropped away from him. She stood slowly, her arms wrapping around her waist. "You wanted to know what it is like to date boring, bookish, plain Hermione Granger."
"Merlin, Mione, no." Harry strode over to her and cupped her elbows. "I wanted to date my brilliant, beautiful, amazing best friend." One hand moved to tip her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "I didn't think you would want me, not the other way around. I've wanted you since fourth year, at least."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because by the time I realized it you were pining after Ron. I couldn't risk losing you both. I love you, Mione, and you know I don't say it lightly." His thumb brushed at a tear. "Why do you cry?"
Her eyes slid closed as more tears escaped. "No one's said they loved me since Mum and Dad…"
Realization dawned on Harry and he pulled her into an embrace, his lips lightly kissing her hair. He hugged her as she sobbed and her fingers curled in the back of his shirt. He lowered them to the couch and held her as her sobs quieted and her breathing evened out. She had fallen asleep.
The floo roared to life and Harry threw up a silencing charm just in case. It turned out to be a good thing as Ron proceeded to yell silently. The twins appeared behind him, grins on their faces when their eyes landed on the couple on the couch. A hand stopped his silent tirade. Harry slipped out of Hermione's arms, laying her on her side, before leading the others to the kitchen.
Another silencing charm went up before Harry removed the first. "Ron," he said sternly, "listen to me before you start. Ginny and Mione showed up here about an hour ago, needing me to solve a problem partially caused by Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum behind you." The twins' smiles never faltered. "Apparently they were being used as test subjects for a true love potion. They were supposed to have a vision of their perfect match, their soul mate if you will. By what Mione said, they claimed to both see me. Since it was impossible, these two jokers claim, for two people to see the same person, the only way for them to know truly was me. They both had to kiss me and I picked based on that. I was blindfolded and not allowed to touch either person. I made my choice. I picked Hermione. Your sister got pissed and stunned Hermione. I told her she was not welcome and to leave my house. She did just that. I don't know what happened on your end, but I do know what happened here.
"I told Mione I've wanted to ask her out for a while and this was the perfect chance. She thought, even with that damn potion, that she was an experiment, someone for me to try and then cast aside. I told her how I feel, how I've felt for years. I told her I love her. Did you know no one, not a single person, has said that they loved her since her parents were killed? It's been nearly five years, Ron! You know her as well as I do. You know something like that would hurt her more that she'd ever let anyone know."
He rounded on the twins. "Not that I'm not grateful that Mione is mine now, for I have no intentions of letting her go, but what were you thinking? If I had picked your sister, do you know what would have happened? Because I do. She would have shattered inside. Not that she would have let anyone know, always putting others first she is, but it would have killed her to know the person she loved most wanted her as nothing more than a friend. She would have said she was happy for us; she would have smiled like nothing was wrong. She would have carried on, still our brilliant, hardworking Hermione, but she would have been dead on the inside.
"I don't care what Ginny said. I stand by my decision. I love Mione more than anything and I'm not giving that up. Gin can throw all the fits she wants. My heart belongs to Mione; it always has and always will."
"You done, mate?" Ron asked, smirking.
That bloody Weasley smirk was getting on his nerves. He took a deep breath, though, and said, "Yeah."
Ron said nothing, opting instead to point at the door.
Hermione stood just inside the sound barrier, having caught most of his rant. Her brown eyes were bright with tears and one hand covered her mouth. Her hair and come out of its hasty braid, wild curls spilling over her shoulders. One tear trailed down her face and he was at her side, wiping it away with the pad of his thumb. Her hand dropped away as she spoke, her voice low and soft.
"Did you mean that?"
An easy smile graced his lips. "Every word, love." The hand on her cheek slid into her hair and tilted her head up. His lips descended on hers, his mind briefly recognizing the floo as the boys left. He pulled away, but only a hairs width. "I'll prove it to you as many times you need." They sank into each other's kisses, blissfully ignoring the rest of the world.
A/N: You can stop here or go on to the bit of Epilogue. And for those who are curious - Chapter 3 is about Ginny's match.
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