Ok, so… I'm sorry the last chapter was a lil' short… but this one'll make up for it!

Thanks to: rowellylovesgryffindor, Adora81, ForeverTeamEdward13, Oogie, Sam (x2), the anonyms reviewer, who didn't leave their name and Kukaburry (x2) for your reviews. And, Sam, I changed the spelling… I can't believe I got that wrong!

Disclaimer: Who do I own? Mia! Yup… just her…

Chapter 17: The Grounds

The morning of the Hogsmeade trip, George slowly trudged downstairs, the voices of shrieking first and second years flowing up to him. He groaned as he heard a girl laugh shrilly. He stepped off the last stair and ran his hand through his hair, thinking of how he would pass the day. Alone. Instead of being in Hogsmeade.

His eyes skimmed the room, taking in the group of first year girls giggling over a copy of Witch Weekly, there was a couple of second year boys doing some homework and a group of kids playing Gobstones by the fire. And then his eyes stopped moving.

Curled up in a chair, dressed in a tight black tank-top and light blue skinny jeans, with the boots Katie had gotten her for her birthday lying on the floor in front of the chair, was Mia. She was flicking through Medicine Magic: a Guide to the World of Magical Medicine, and chewing on a peace of toast from the stack sitting on the table in front of her.

She looked up as he walked towards her and smiled. "Finally," she said, "though I was gunna be stuck in here with this lot," she gestured to the first and second years, "all day."

"Why aren't you in Hogsmeade?" George asked.

"Why are you complaining? Thought I'd give ya some company. Tried to get Fred to stay as well, but he wouldn't, said he'd bring us back some stuff though," she told him, then pointed to the stack of toast, "I brought you breakfast! Even though I ate a couple slices… most of it's still there!"

"…Thanks… but you shoulda gone…" he said, pulling up a chair and sitting down, taking a bit of toast.

"Meh," Mia shrugged, "'sides, you don't look that bad if your alone in Hogsmeade, and he'll probably meet up with Angelina, Alicia and Katie anyway. But when you're alone here… well, you just look like a downer." George just took another bite of his toast.

When there was one slice of toast left, Mia picked it up off the plate and ripped it in half, handing one half to George and taking a bite out of the other and standing up. "Right, lets go somewhere, I don't wanna be stuck in here all day," she said, slipping on her boots. George rolled her eyes and followed her out of the common room.

"Shouldn't you children be out in Hogsmeade?" the Fat Lady called to them as they went down the hallway. They didn't answer and turned a corner.

"Right… so where are we going?" George asked.

"Well, weather's nice outside, so let's go there!" she said brightly.

They ended up under a tree in the far part of the grounds, with Mia looking up into its leaves. "How many trees have we climbed, George?" she asked.

"Five," he replied, absentmindedly. She looked at him.

"Oh, c'mon! We've climbed more then five!" she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"No, we've climbed trees more then five times, we always climb the same ones."

"Have we climbed this one?" George looked at the tree, and then shrugged.

"Don't think so," he replied. Mia smiled and hoisted herself up onto the tree, pulling herself up. As she reached the first branches, she looked back down to see George pulling himself up after her.

"George, stop looking at my ass!" she said as she swung up onto another branch.

"Oh, and you think I enjoy this view?" he replied teasingly.

"You love it and you know it."

"Yeah, you're right… it is a nice view," he replied.

"UH!" she screeched, looking back down at him indignantly.

"Would you rather me say you have a nice ass or a horrible one?" he asked. She blinked down at him for a moment, before sticking her tongue out and hauling herself up onto the last branch, sitting down on it and swinging her legs as George climbed up next to her.

"Ooooo!"

"What?" George asked.

"I can see the Durmstrang ship from here!" she pointed to the ship.

"Mia, you could see it from the ground!"

"Yeah, but it's always better to see things from the tops of trees," she replied, and George just rolled his eyes.

They sat up there for another five minutes, before Mia said, "Is it just me, or does that cloud look like a fish?"

"Um…" George looked up to wear she was pointing, "I guess?"

"Oh, well you're a lot of help, aren't y- AHH!" she yelled, as she almost fell off the branch. She clenched a fist over the branch next to her and George grabbed onto her other arm. Breathing heavily and eyes wider then normal, she slowly sat up, "I think imma get down now… before I die…" she slowly climbed back down the tree. As George started to follow her down, she grinned.

"So what would you rather me say?" she asked.

"Huh?" he looked down at her.

"Weather you've got a nice ass or a horrible one," she said. George pretended to think for a minute.

"Well, I think you'd have to tell the truth, seeing as we both know you can't resist my ass," he replied.

"Always so sure of yourself," she teased.

Finally, with their feet firmly on the ground, Mia hummed. "So… we've killed 'bout half an hour… what do we do know?"

Checking his watch, George replied with, "it's half eleven…"

"I didn't ask what time it was."

"Ok, so it'll be lunch in half an hour, why don't we go to the Great Hall? Is that what you asked for?"

"Yes it was and great suggestion!" Mia replied.

As they walked through the courtyard, their conversation fell silent, and George looked down at her. He'd known her for six years, and liked her for three of them. She was half a step in front of him. Fred had figured it out after a couple of months, and teased him ever since. Since Angelina had found out, they'd been plotting together. She was one step in front of him now. There had been so many opportunities, and but he had failed to catch at least of them. One and a half steps in front if him.

He grabbed her wrist, tugging it slightly. She turned around to face him, and he caught her other wrist with his free hand. Their eyes locked, light brown onto dark brown and Mia's stomach flipped. George's hands slipped off her fingers and fell lightly onto her waist as he swallowed.

George saw her eyes drop to his hands, and when she placed hers own over his, he thought she was going to lift them off, but she didn't. Instead, she slowly ran her hands up his arms, her eyes following them, relishing the feeling of dancing fire between their skin.

Mia lifted her eyes back to George's as her hands rested on his shoulders, her thumb lightly brushing the skin just above his collar. She licked her lips nervously. Why did she have to do that? It really didn't help him in any way.

They stood there for a few seconds, though it seemed longer. In the still, silent courtyard, time didn't seem to exist, and even if it did, it was so slow nobody bothered to acknowledge it. There was no sound, except their breathing. There was no movement, except their slightly shaking hands.

George moved his head slowly towards hers, but he hesitated just before their lips touched. She hadn't pulled away yet, right? Why would she do it now? George drew in a breath just before he closed the space between their lips.

Mia's heartbeat picked up speed, flying in her chest. She leaned forward, sliding her hands around his neck, thumb drawing circles just above his spine. George smiled into the kiss, slipping his arms around her and interlocking his fingers, gently pulling her towards him, so she could feel his heart beating as heavy as hers.

George pulled away, and both of them breathed in deeply. George smiled, happy and relived. He pecked her lips, again and again, and each time, flames burned between them and in their stomachs. Every time he kissed her, it lasted a little longer.

He lifted one of his hands from around her and ran it through her hair, twisting the ends around his fingers. He did again and again, and then rested his hand gently on her cheek, feeling the heat of her skin flare even more, or it could have just been his imagination.

For once, their moment wasn't interrupted. No one ran in on them, and they didn't jump guiltily apart. It was just Mia and George, in their small, timeless corner of the courtyard…

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