Ginerva Weasley stood at precisely 5 feet and 2 inches, her fiery red hair, which often announced her lineage before her name, was almost a match for the temper that brewed beneath her calm demeanor. Being the only Weasley daughter, a slight sense of entitlement had been bestowed upon her character since birth, and though she never though herself as above others, she couldn't help feeling as if she always deserved the things she wanted and desired.
And for 6 years, there had only been one thing that had evaded her grasp. And now, she intended to fix that.
That drive and determination was what found her in her current … predicament. Though soaked to the bone and freezing, she confidently threw her shoulders back, placed a single hand on her hip and casually looked about the tent.
Harry took his glasses off, wiping the lens with his shirt and hoping that when he put them back he wouldn't see the petite ginger witch standing before them. But alas, when his sight was restored – she was still there, calm and collected, seemingly indifferent to the fact that she had almost walked in on him and Hermione.
Hermione, his mind flashed to the sight of her bare skin, he remembered the taste of her lips and soon realized that someone had been speaking. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and spoke.
"Um, Ginny."
Her eyes flashed to the dark hair wizard, making a point to ignore the fact that Hermione, who was standing behind him, was currently wearing his shirt and focused on him.
"Yes Harry?" She tried to make her voice soft and demure as possible, looking at him through her lashes.
"What in Merlin's beard are you doing here?" Hermione spoke up, voicing her and Harry's question as she eyed the woman in front of her. "I mean, how did you even find us here?"
Ginny bristled at the sound of Hermione's voice, accusing and hostile, and remained silent. The sound of the rain peppering the tension as Harry sighed. He turned towards the small sitting area, his hand instinctively reaching for Hermione's and the feel of her skin on his calmed him instantly.
"Let's just sit down, have some tea and figure out what the hell is going on." His voice, weary and resigned, broke the silence as the two witches stared each other down.
Moving first, Hermione followed Harry, squeezing his hand gently as she released it and sat down. Ginny, not to be outdone, flicked her wand; igniting the tiny stove and adjusting the flame. Silently she moved the kettle onto the stove top, lifting its lid and pulling a stream of water from a nearby canteen into it.
Hermione shook her head and waited for the spectacle to be over. Harry grabbed three cups and set them on the table. He looked into Hermione's eyes and gave her a small smile, a subtle reminder that they were a team, and he would always be beside her.
The trio was now situated around a small table, the tent now illuminated and silence thick in the air. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly silenced as Ginny began to weave her tale.
"Well, as we returned to Hogwarts, it'd been apparent that everything in the school was under the influence of the Death Eaters and no Dumbledore or Anti-Voldemort sympathizers would be permitted to roam free." She floated the now steaming kettle over as the tea was finally poured and continued her story. "We, the remaining members of the D.A., devised a plan to steal the Sword of Gryffindor; it was the only weapon we could think of to use to fight back. Everyone believed it was in Snape's office, but I overheard a rumor about it being in a Gringott's vault."
At Ginny's mentioning of the sword Harry and Hermione's eyes met and they shared a smile. At least they had a small lead about the whereabouts of the weapon.
Ignoring them, Ginny continued on, "So imagine my surprise when we're walking along Diagon Alley and I hear the 'crack' of someone Apparating. And that someone turns out to be my brother; thought to be hunting Horcruxes with his two best friends."
"What?" Hermione's cry broke into Ginny's narrative. "I can't believe he was so stupid as to disapparate to somewhere as public as that!"
"Hey! He only left because of you!" Ginny's face flushed red as she defended her brother. Harry, refusing to get in the middle sat back mildly amused at the witches fighting in front of him.
"Oh he left because he couldn't deal with the responsibility of what our task truly entails!" Hermione's voice transformed into her 'no nonsense' tone as she looked Ginny directly in the eye. "He left because he refused to help us figure out the other locations. He left because it was 'too much for him' to deal with. He LEFT US because he was too SELFISH to think about anything other than how this was affecting HIM!"
Hermione took a deep breath and calmed herself down. It would do no good to get worked up over this again. Starting again, her voice quieter and calmer than before, she continued on. "He couldn't care less what happened to us when he left. The horcrux made him paranoid and he refused to see reason. But please, continue with your story Ginerva."
Having gained the upper hand, Hermione leaned back and took a sip of her tea as she waited to hear the rest of the story.
"Well then," Ginny started, taking a deep breath. "After we reunited, I spoke with my brother and he filled me in on what had happened. He stated his story and then refused to go back to you both, even though I explained to him the importance of doing so. He said, quote 'If you're so bloody worried here – you go back!' and threw his Deluminator at me and growled out the last place he remembered being."
"Yes, but how did you find us here?" Harry wondered aloud.
Ginny threw her shoulders back in a small act of defiance. "You sound like you're not happy to see me Harry." A tiny pout graced her lips as she locked eyes with him.
"Er…" his hand went to the back of his neck as he tried to figure out a way not to offend her. "I mean, it's not that I'm not happy but…"
"We're just curious how. I mean if you could track us here," Hermione said quickly finishing his sentence, "then anyone could!"
With a toss of her hair over her should, Ginny scoffed slightly. "Not likely, I mean, not everyone has a Deluminator." She stared at the befuddle duo, the meaning of her words obviously not sinking in as she'd like. "Honestly, do you two know what a Deluminator does – besides taking a light source?"
Hermione glared at her, obviously angry that Ginny knew something that she didn't as Harry just looked on with impatience.
Huffing, she continued, "it leads the holder to where their heart's desire, its treasure, lies, using a small ball of light. After I apparated to the last spot Ron knew of, I simply followed the light. And it's true," she said smiling, "it brought me to my heart's treasure – you." She looked up at Harry, smiling.
"Well isn't that bloody fantastic." Hermione muttered, not caring who heard. She stood up, abandoning her cup of tea and looked pointedly at Harry. "Thanks for the concern Ginerva but Harry and I are just fine here on our own."
Unwilling to be brushed off so quickly, Ginny leaned forward and placed a hand on Harry's forearm. Harry looked at her hand, simply noting that her skin felt no where near as nice as Hermione's did when she touched him; which got him to thinking about the touching they had been doing earlier and a small smile pulled at his mouth.
Misinterpreting the smile for her, she threw herself in his arms.
"I'm so glad you're safe Harry! I was just, so worried about you!" Her voice was an unwelcomed sound in the tent and Harry couldn't wait for her to leave. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you. I knew Ronald was spouting lies again when he said he caught you two kissing!" Her laughter rang through the tent as Harry and Hermione stiffened visibly. "I mean, how absurd would that be?"
Harry untangled her from his arm, putting a much more comfortable distance between them as he struggled to respond.
"Oh, why would that be Ginerva?" Hermione asked off handedly while crossing her arms, resting slightly against the back of Harry's chair.
"Because, Hermione," she spat her name at the girl, she hated the way Hermione always insisted on using her real name. "You and Ron are destined to be together, just as Harry and I are. I've loved him for years now!"
Harry sat stiff as a board. Knowing that the wrong move would set either of the women off at this point, so being a smart man, he simply kept his mouth shut.
On the other hand, Hermione's anger bubbled and threatened to spill out if she wasn't careful. Standing, she chose her next words calmly and simply said, "You aren't in love with Harry. You're in love with 'The Boy Who Lived', the idea of Harry. But you never loved Harry."
A teacup whizzed by her head as Ginny reacted in the only way she knew how. Words wouldn't be enough and she had enough confidence in herself to think she could at least beat Hermione in a fight. She gripped her wand tightly and drew it out slowly, "LIAR! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MY FEELINGS ARE! I LOVE HIM!" Her chest heaved as she stood up to meet her adversary on equal footing.
Hermione's eyes bugged out when she realized Ginny had drawn her wand. Harry jumped up quickly, putting himself between the two and making sure Hermione was tucked safely behind him.
"Put it away Ginny." His tone was firm and unrelenting, "now. Before you do something stupid." He turned to Hermione and asked her silently if she was alright. Hermione smiled at the gesture and nodded, never taking her eyes off Ginny's hand which was still grasping her wand.
"She doesn't know what she's talking about, I love you Harry!" Ginny's voice cracked with desperation slightly and her face flushed.
Harry's mind was spinning, he knew that things could get out of hand fast and wasn't sure how to diffuse the situation. He could try to persuade Ginny to leave, let her down gently and tell her that he never felt for her that way; he could simply snog the hell out of Hermione and let Ginny reach her own conclusions – or he could just stare awkwardly at the two facing off against each other and let the chips fall where they may.
Hermione, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do. Taking a step forward she reached for Harry's hand, entwining their fingers, and spun his body towards her. She reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, licking her bottom lip she looked at Ginny, who was staring at the scene, perplexed. Hermione let out a small laugh, shook her head and pulled Harry's face towards her own, their lips crashing together as she kissed him thoroughly, a base need in her to mark her territory.
Her mouth parted slightly as she took Harry's bottom lip between her teeth, biting down and eliciting a small moan from him. A satisfied smile crept on her face as she slowly released his lip, her fingers tugged at his hair and she turned to face Ginny.
"I'm sure you that you do … 'love' him." Hermione began, using air quotes around the word love. "But as you can plainly see, you're not the only one. And at least I have the decency to be in love with Harry the man, not the boy who lived. I know his heart. I've been by his side before you ever noticed him – and I'll be here long after you're gone. So go ahead, 'love' him. But you'll never have him." With a tilt of her chin, Hermione turned and walked back to the sleeping area of the tent, leaving the ball in Ginny's court – daring her to do or say something.
Harry simply stood there with a dopey grin on his face. He most definitely enjoyed possessive Hermione and wanted nothing more that to kick Ginny out of their tent and get back to exploring the curves of Hermione's body.
"Well, I see you're slumming it Harry. Pity," Ginny's voice was venomous, with an edge of danger to it. "You'd just better hope I'll still be around when you're done playing around with her and come to your senses. But make it quick Harry - I may not wait for you."
"Then don't. Don't wait." Harry simply stated with a shrug of his shoulders. "Leave Ginny, just leave - while you have some dignity left. Because Ginny – I don't love you. Never have, never will. Sorry."
He turned away from the shaking ginger, grabbing his wand from the table and took a step towards Hermione. He turned around once more to face the angry girl.
"And so you know, I'm not 'slumming' it. Hermione is more than I could have ever asked for. She's had more faith in me than anyone I've ever met and that's what matters. I can't imagine her not in my life, and if you can't get that through your thick skull, well I don't know what to tell you." Satisfied with saying his final piece, he turned his back on Ginny.
"You can't do this." Ginny muttered. "Not to me. No. I won't allow it." She began rambling incoherently as she watched Harry's retreating form. "No. No… NO!" Her voice grew louder and echoed through the tent.
Before she realized what she was doing her wand was out and pointing at Harry. Her arm, shaking from rage, wavered slightly before a crazed look appeared on her face. "You are MINE!"
She opened her mouth, a curse on the tip of her tongue but was thrown back into the tent before uttering a sound. Hermione stood, poised and confident, her own wand drawn and aimed at the unconscious witch lying on the ground.
"Bitch." She muttered before walking up to Harry. "You alright?"
He nodded, slightly in awe of the creature standing in front of him. "You know you're brilliant right? I mean, just…"
"Oh Harry, shut up." She teased, leaning up to kiss him. "Now, what'll we do with her?"
Thinking for a minute, Harry decided the best action would be to Obliviate her memories after they deposited her in a safe place. Hermione remembered that Fleur had spoken about a place called Shell Cottage – the home her and Bill were going to use on their Honeymoon, but was also to be used as a meeting place if anything happened.
As they continued discussing their plan of action, Ginny stirred, waking slowly. She rubbed the back of her head, confused at the throbbing before remembering what Hermione had done to her. She let out a small whimper as she recalled seeing Harry kissing Hermione, the look of passion that flashed between their eyes, a look she'd always desired to see from Harry.
Ginny's ears perked up as she realized the two hadn't noticed her waking, she began seething when she caught the end of Hermione's sentence, "…wipe her memory first, or take her to Shell Cottage and do it there?"
"You're not getting anywhere near my memories!" She snapped, breaking the two out of their conversation and drawing the attention back on herself. "This isn't over yet!" Ginny stood, tilting slightly before righting herself completely. She took one last look at the pair before closing her eyes and disapparating.
Harry and Hermione stared at the empty space which seconds ago Ginny had occupied. Scratching his head, Harry turned towards Hermione and shrugged, "Now what?"
Finally glad to be rid of Ginny, and pushing away all thoughts of what could happen now that Ginny had found out their secret and where they were and how to proceed, Hermione smile, arching her eyebrow and cocking her head towards the bed.
She took a step back from Harry, her fingertips going to the edge of her shirt, lifting it slightly and exposing a tiny sliver of skin. A devious look crossed her face and with one fluid motion, she lifted the shirt off her body and threw it in Harry's direction.
"I don't know about you," she said, faking a yawn, "but I'm exhausted, and there's a big, empty bed calling my name." She looked back over her shoulder at Harry, eyes filled with mischief and waited for his reaction.
Harry felt frozen to the spot, his mind completely blank as they tried to process the words "bed" and "Hermione" with the image of her half naked body. His eyes traveled from her sparkling brown eyes to her newly exposed skin. His tongue darted out of his mouth, licking his bottom lip as his brain began functioning again.
He knocked over a chair, and stumbled over his shoes as he hurried towards their bed.
Their bed.
The grin on his face couldn't have been wider as the thought crossed his mind. Letting out a small growl, he gently tackled Hermione onto the bed, burying his face in her neck. Smiling, he skimmed his nose along her neck, letting his lips gently brush against her skin as he whispered, "So you're tired?"
"Mhm…" she sighed, enjoying the warmth of his body on hers.
"Are you sure?" His breath tickled her ear as he placed a small kiss on her neck.
"Uhh…" her brain fritzed out as Harry continued distracting her. She leaned her head back onto his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Um, what?"
Harry's laugh was muffled against her skin and he kissed a small freckle on her shoulder. "Then let's get you to bed, love."
"Well, if I'm shirtless in this bed, it's only fair you are too." Hermione said, grinning as she turned around to face him again. Without waiting for a response, she lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head and sending his glasses flying. She turned to look for them and was met with Harry's piercing stare.
"Leave them." He muttered against her lips, kissing her softly. "I'll get them tomorrow. And Hermione, did you mean what you said?"
"What'd I say?" She asked while running her fingertips along his jaw line.
"About… Ginny not being the only person to love me." He said quietly. His heart was pounding and he reflexively held his breath, bracing for her answer.
She smiled. "Harry, you want to know if I love you?"
He nodded.
Leaning down she placed a soft kiss on his chest, above his heart. She looked up at him, a soft smile playing on her lips as she answered, her voice barely a whisper, "Yes, Harry… I love you."
Harry placed a finger until her chin, bringing her face closer to his as he placed a soft kiss on her bottom lip. "Good, because I love you too Hermione. Always have, always will."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his body flush against hers as she kissed him. She knew that she could never tire of feeling his slightly chapped lips against her soft ones, the small rush of lust that always ran through her veins when she felt his tongue trace her bottom lip and the way they moved together, like they'd been made to fit each other.
Harry pulled back, smiling at his girl and admired the slight flush that came over her face, staining her cheeks pink.
"So, you still tired?" He asked, resting his hand on her hip, making small circles on her skin as he looked into her eyes.
"Oh, I don't think there's going to be much sleeping going on in this tent tonight." She replied her hand tugging his hair slightly.
He grinned, kissing the soft spot on her neck under her ear, whispering in her ear, "Brilliant."