Chapter 5
Hermione POV
Hermione lay in bed and stared absently across the room at Ginny who was still fast asleep, the rays of the late-rising winter sun falling upon her still form. They had briefly contemplated moving their beds together last night, but after the significant progress they had made with Ginny's parents, they had decided to not push their luck, not so much out of fear, but respect.
Hermione glanced at her watch that lay on the night table and saw that it was still very early. She leaned over in bed so that she could reach her bag and pulled out the book that Ginny gave her in the summer, along with a quill. She propped her pillow up against the wall and sat against it. With a sigh she continued her previous reading on the French Ministry. Her eyes were going across the page and some region of her mind was absorbing the information, but her conscious thoughts kept drifting back to how she still had to tell Ginny the full story about her talk with Mr. Noirent.
The more Hermione read on everything and everyone involved, the more she realized that she couldn't pass up this chance. She wasn't fully decided on applying just yet, but she was leaning heavily in that direction. This future talk with Ginny would determine where she fell though.
A while later, Hermione's ears perked up as she heard rustling coming from Ginny's side of the room. She looked over to see the younger girl stirring. Eventually, the redhead stretched out in bed with a wide yawn. Hermione giggled.
"Oh, blimey," Ginny muttered in surprise as she visibly startled.
"Sorry," Hermione whispered, not wanting to disrupt the quiet. "Did I wake you?"
Ginny rolled over onto her stomach with her head turned to Hermione, the younger girl's hair all messy and looking incredibly cute. "No," she yawned. She closed her eyes momentarily before opening them once more. "How long have you been up?" She asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"Not that long," Hermione answered, closing her book. The action must've drawn Ginny's attention because she perked up and spoke.
"Hey, the book," she smiled. "What were you looking up?"
Hermione shrugged. "Just some stuff on house-elves." It wasn't a total lie.
Ginny nodded and finally sat up in bed, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed and getting up to cross the room to join the brunette.
Hermione put the book away in what she hoped was a casual manner before leaning back against her pillow again. Ginny was now next to her and rest her head on Hermione's shoulder.
"Happy Christmas, Mione," Ginny said in a voice that was indicative of how drowsy she still was.
Hermione kissed the top of Ginny's head and grabbed her hand. "Happy Christmas, Gin."
The two sat like that for a while, the silence comfortable and easy, but something from yesterday's discussion with Ginny's parents came to mind.
"Hey, Gin," Hermione prompted, pulling her head off of Ginny's and tilting to look at her. The younger girl looked up at her, eyes curious, and Hermione went on. "Did you mean what you said last night? You know, about, well, marriage?"
"Oh," Ginny said, any trace of drowsiness quickly disappearing from her features as she sat up, her face growing red just as it had the night before.
"It's okay if you didn't," Hermione said quietly, hoping her words wouldn't push the girl in either direction. She just wanted the truth.
"Well, um," Ginny stumbled along. Hermione would've been more concerned, but Ginny still holding onto her hand eased her nerves. Finally, the redhead got a hold of her composure and continued. "I totally understand that it's too early, and I mean, in reality, we haven't even been together that long, but, um, yes, I really meant it."
Ginny looked up at Hermione with such an apprehensive, vulnerable look that Hermione couldn't help but feel bad for her. She leaned in and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek. When she pulled back, Ginny looked hurt, and the brunette repressed a laugh, knowing that Ginny had just misinterpreted the kiss, likely as one of sympathy or gentle rejection.
Hermione cupped Ginny's face with her hand and pulled the girl in for a soft kiss on the lips. When she pulled back once more, Ginny was giving her a shy smile and she smirked back.
"I didn't say 'yes'," she said, in reference to Ginny's choice of words last night, "not that I wouldn't, though."
The younger girl let out a relieved sigh and leaned back against the pillow. "Gosh, don't scare me."
"Sorry," Hermione giggled, earning a sceptical look from her girlfriend.
A moment later, Ginny spoke up.
"Hermione Brocklehurst," she pondered with evident distaste.
"Ginny," Hermione warned in a teasing manner. Ginny's continued dislike of Mandy was no big mystery and Hermione had to curb it every now and then.
"Hermione Weasley," Ginny brightened up. "Much better."
"Oh, really?" Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Ginny Granger. There's a sense of alliteration going on there that's quite nice. And Ginevra Granger," Hermione tapped her chin. "I like the sound of that. It has an eloquent kind of sound, doesn't it?"
Hermione spied the smile that Ginny was trying to hide beneath her unimpressed look.
"Weasley-Granger?" Ginny ventured.
"Granger-Weasley."
Both girls looked at each other for a second before shaking their heads decidedly. "No, neither."
Ginny POV
"I see you haven't totally lost your touch," Ginny winked at Katie as they landed in the field behind the Burrow. Since the Burrow was bustling with people, almost all quidditch-fanatics, it made sense to have an impromptu game. It was great to be on the 'pitch' with Katie once more. Ginny had invited Hermione outside to watch, but even the promise of Luna keeping her company wasn't enough to lure the brunette outside. Instead, the Head Girl opted to stay inside and read. And Percy, well, of course he never joined in on the quidditch-fun.
"Excuse me?" Katie retorted in mock offense. "I made regional! What'll be real fun is if we end up on opposite teams after you get scouted." Ginny chuckled and grinned at the girl over the prospect.
Ginny listened intently as Katie told her about her experiences on the Chudley Cannons, and the stories only served to make Ginny even more excited at the idea of going professional.
"I'm still hoping for the Holyhead Harpies," Ginny told Katie as they entered the Burrow. "But I can't exactly be choosey, I'll play for whatever team wants me-" Ginny went on, before smirking, "-initially at least."
Katie was joking with her when Percy's voice cut in.
"So you won't mind playing for the Quafflepunchers, then," he said as he made eye contact with her, an odd glint in his eyes.
"What are you going on about?" Ginny asked with a bit of a stern frown as she took a step towards him. Everyone had been great about her and Hermione coming out as a couple - except for Percy. He hadn't actually said anything to her - he knew better than that - but she could tell he was put off.
Only when Ginny stepped forward did she notice Hermione sitting in the chair opposite Percy, as the back of the tall chair was facing the front door. "Hi, Mione," she said in a lighter tone coupled with a quiet smile that instantly faded away as soon as her mind registered the anxious look on the brunette's face.
"What's wrong?" Ginny reiterated as she glanced between Percy and Hermione, a glare eventually settling on Percy. If that prat had done something to upset Hermione-
"You didn't tell her?" Percy asked bemused. Ginny was puzzled furthermore when she saw the question was directed to Hermione who suddenly looked both skittish and furious.
The young redhead didn't have a good feeling about where this was going. She looked closely at Hermione and the nearly remorseful look the girl was now giving Ginny only sent her defenses shooting up.
"What's going on? Is someone going to actually tell me or do I just have to guess," she snapped, as she varied her scrutinizing look between her brother and Hermione. They took just a second too long to respond and Ginny sniped, "Why the Hell would I go play for the Quafflepunchers, I hate that team. And I know you're daft when it comes to quidditch, Percy, but surely even you know they're all the way in bloody France."
"Gin," Hermione started in a tone that immediately put Ginny even further on the alert. The brunette rose from her chair, not breaking eye contact with the young redhead and Ginny instinctively took a step back. "Gin," Hermione repeated patiently, "can we go upstairs?"
"No," Ginny snapped, though she knew it was very juvenile. In fact, she spat out the response before she even really knew what Hermione had been asking, she just didn't like the way the brunette was acting and felt like she had to be...defiant.
"Ginny, please," Hermione implored, still not breaking their gaze, "can we go upstairs." It was more of a statement than a question.
The redhead frowned as a momentary internal debate raged, and eventually gave a reluctant nod. She didn't let Hermione hold her hand as they went upstairs to the bedroom. They walked in silence and even after the door had closed, there was a moment of tense quiet before Hermione spoke up.
"Gin, please, this seems worse than it is," she insisted as she began to reach out for the younger girl. Ginny just pulled away with a frown and crossed her arms - refusing to be cuddled into compliance though she didn't quite know what she was fighting just yet.
"Tell me what's going on," Ginny stated as she stared hard at the brunette and tried to decipher what to expect.
"I didn't want you to find out this way," Hermione started as her shoulders slouched and her gaze dropped to the ground for a defeated second. "I was going to tell you tonight, I swear," she declared as she eyed Ginny in earnest.
"Tell me what?" Ginny asked, her voice shocking herself with how soft and vulnerable it seemed. She hardly noticed that her arms that had been tightly folded across her chest were now slack and fell slowly to her sides.
Hermione's forehead creased furthermore in upset and she seemed to struggle with how to start, but eventually she spoke.
"Um, Ginny," Hermione started, glancing back nervously at her bag that lay beside her bed, "remember when I met with Mr. Noirent?" Ginny nodded. "Well, I wasn't entirely honest with you about what was discussed."
Subdued alarm rippled through Ginny and it must have been obvious, because suddenly Hermione was trying to appease her.
"I didn't lie," the brunette proclaimed, "exactly. I just didn't tell you that more was said."
Ginny huffed and gestured impatiently for the girl to go on.
"Okay," Hermione nodded. "Well, he did tell me that I should work for the Ministry, but he actually told me about a specific opportunity and advised me to apply."
The feeling of alarm hadn't left Ginny, but it was swiftly accompanied by confusion as she tried to determine where Hermione was going with this. Though, 'job opportunity' and Percy's earlier reference to the Quafflepunchers had the redhead's cogs turning. After a moment's hesitation, she reminded herself that Hermione had just told her good news and she stated it.
"Isn't that good news?" She asked Hermione with lingering impatience.
"Well, yes, but the problem is that the job is in France," Hermione finished in a regretful tone.
Ginny could easily see that Hermione was watching her very intently for some sort of reaction and the redhead knew she had to be particular in her response. The only thing she was truly sure about right now is that her mind was racing in conjunction with her heart. France? The idea of Hermione going anywhere other than London for work had never crossed her mind, though now she berated herself for ignoring the possibility. Considering Hermione's academic achievements and impressive reputation, it shouldn't have been a surprise at all that she would be scouted or stationed elsewhere. However, Ginny had been foolish and just assumed that Hermione would stay conveniently close.
Before the younger girl could get too wrapped up in her own disappointment, a part of her quickly pointed out that this was Hermione's moment, her opportunity, and that Ginny had no right to take that away from her.
"That's great news, Mione! Ministry officials don't normally approach graduates like that, so that's a huge compliment," she said in as bright a voice as she could muster, a broad smile on her face and praying that it didn't seem insincere. She really was proud of Hermione, but right now that small selfish part of herself was crying out and she had to try to ignore it.
"So," Ginny said with continued enthusiasm, "what's the job?"
Hermione sighed unsteadily. "The position is Junior Policy Analyst," she said with a small shrug. "And essentially, what's happening is that the French Ministry is giving their staff the opportunity to create legislature that will liberate the house-elves. It would be a task, as that's a huge move, as such they're requesting Britain be a part of this. Mr. Noirent and the Junior Policy Analyst would be part of the British Ministry's team," she explained.
Ginny gave a nod of understanding. "Percy knew? Dad didn't say anything to me either...," she trailed off as hurt seeped in. The fact that she had been kept in the dark about this just added insult to injury. Again, she was the youngest, the one who wouldn't understand, who had to be protected, who had to be kept on the outside.
"I swear to God, Gin," Hermione said earnestly, "I didn't speak with anyone about this. I just found out that Percy knows. He heard it from the Minister, and outside of that I haven't spoken with anyone on the topic. I'm not sure if your dad has heard about it at the Ministry, or at least about me. If he has heard, he hasn't indicated anything to me."
Ginny averted her gaze, crossing her arms once more and gave a moody nod. "Yeah."
"Please believe me, Gin," Hermione beseeched as she came forward and laid her hand on Ginny's forearm. "I didn't tell you sooner because I wasn't - still - not sure if I want to apply."
Ginny's cross features softened as she heard the hesitation in Hermione's voice. "How could you not pursue this?" She asked in quiet disbelief. "You've been working to get the house-elves rights for years now, this is the perfect opportunity," Ginny said in complete sincerity. Hermione shrugged solemnly once more. "I don't get it, Hermione, why the long face? You should be ecstatic," the redhead insisted as she offered her a small smile.
"It's complicated, you know that," Hermione said, shooting the younger girl a look. Ginny shook her head, unfazed. She knew exactly what Hermione was referring to, but she refused to let it be a factor - it shouldn't be.
"No, it's not. You have to take this opportunity, Hermione. How often is something like this going to come around?"
"Gin, please," the brunette pleaded as she took a step back. "I know those things, but," she sighed exasperatedly and her shoulders fell forward, "what about us?" She looked imploringly at Ginny.
"What about us?" Ginny retorted with an easy shrug, pulling an insulted look from Hermione that the redhead had to admit she was pleased to see. Still, she went on. "This is a huge opportunity, you know you can't pass this up."
Hermione sighed. "You really want me to go?"
"Absolutely," Ginny said decidedly. "He chose you out of all the witches and wizards in Britain. This is your dream! I won't stand in the way of that."
"I don't know if I was the only one he spoke to," Hermione quickly reasoned and Ginny just gave her a doubtful look. "Even so," the older girl relented. "What about us?"
Ginny shrugged and couldn't help dropping her gaze as she absently kicked at the ground like she so normally did during times like this. She could feel Hermione's gaze on her.
"I don't know," she shrugged once more and chanced a brief glance upward at the other girl. "What do you want?" She asked as casually as she could despite the tightness that was building in her throat.
"Well, I can't make a decision for you. You need to pursue your dreams, too," Hermione answered. Ginny nearly scoffed, but bit back the response.
"Don't side-step the question. What do you want?" She repeated. A few moments of heavy silence passed as Ginny stared at the brunette who seemed much more comfortable looking across the room instead.
"I want the Ministry, and I want to work towards liberating the house-elves-" Ginny felt her breath hitch and she was very still. "-but I don't want to do it without you."
Ginny let out a giant sigh of relief. "Don't do that. You scared me," she grumbled before abruptly reaching out and pulling an unsuspecting Hermione into a hug. Though the brunette relaxed into the embrace, it was only temporary as she pulled away and stared purposefully at the younger girl.
"So, what does this mean, Gin? What about you?" Hermione asked looking a bit apprehensive.
"I can't exactly do much. I'm stuck at Hogwarts for another year anyway," she answered a bit flatly. "Is this job...permanent?"
Hermione readily shook her head. "No. It's an internship. The assignment is supposed to be a year, but the contract could be cancelled early if either Ministry deems the project a failure. On the flip side, if things are going well, but they haven't wrapped up in the year, a contract extension would be offered, granted they want to keep me onboard."
"Okay," Ginny nodded. "Well, if the latter situation comes up, we'll talk about it then. For now, let's just get past the first year."
"Sounds reasonable," Hermione assented. "Are you sure though?" She questioned again. "I mean, me being in France is quite different than me being in London, even with the advantages of magic."
Ginny heaved yet another sigh. "Mione, come on, this is the beginning of your career. I'm really proud of you. I support you no matter what, and that includes supporting you even if you go to France, that doesn't change anything." She paused deliberately. "And if you do stay out there, I guess I could cope with the Quiberon Quafflepunchers - temporarily anyhow."
The brunette smiled and Ginny let herself be pulled into a hug. They stayed that way for a while until Ginny stepped back to catch Hermione's eye.
"So, you'll apply?" Ginny asked and gave her girlfriend a stern look that drew a light chuckle out of her.
"Yes. I will."
Ginny smiled back, though knowing that she'd miss Hermione so much.
A bit of an uneasy silence filtered in and Ginny's gaze wandered for a short while before speaking again, the brightness in her voice a lot less forced than she had anticipated.
"So who else from the Ministry will be going?"
"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest," Hermione said as she furrowed her brows in thought. "The Department of International Magical Cooperation will be involved, and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as a whole would have to overlook it, so I imagine that Miss Blake would be involved as well, even if only serving a minor role."
Ginny nodded. She was about to get swallowed up in her own thoughts when she saw the twinge of worry on her girlfriend's face. Ginny furrowed her brows and looked on in scrutiny, further concerned as Hermione continued to stare into space.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked. "Come on, Mione," she stressed. "You know you should apply."
"No, no," Hermione shook her head quickly, frowning deeper. "That's not what's bothering me..." Her eyes flitted about for a second before settling on the redhead, worry now thinly veiled. "Before you came in with Katie and the boys..."
"...Yeah?"
"Well, Percy was sort of, I don't know, warning me," her voice emphasizing the word and making eye contact.
Ginny's confusion was swiftly stomped out by a rush of indignation, and she automatically set her shoulders and glared harshly at the door as though her look could be seen by him. "What did he say?" She asked hurriedly.
With some minor hesitation, Hermione explained, "Well, he just said some things that made me wonder what happens when someone comes out at the Ministry." Ginny bristled as Hermione's words set in and the brunette quickly placed a hand on her arm. "Don't be mad, Ginny, please. I think he was just trying to let me know, I don't think it was malicious," she stressed.
"He's just trying to get you worked up," Ginny argued. "I should release a bludger on him for doing that to you."
"Gin, please," Hermione pressed.
With a frustrated sigh, the younger girl crossed her arms in defeat. "Fine. But promise me you won't listen to him. He's full of it," she rambled on before sighing once more, looking visibly calmer after. "He's probably feeling threatened by you, knows you'll be very successful at the Ministry."
"Please, Gin. I don't even know if I'll get the job."
"Mione, stop that. Don't let him influence you. It'll be fine," Ginny responded earnestly.
Hermione shrugged and offered a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I looked it up in my Referencia book - there's really no information on gay or lesbian Ministry workers. That's a big warning right there," she relayed in a regretful tone. "We've been really lucky at Hogwarts - things have been good there. However, the Ministry is very conservative and it's a whole other generation of people. I'm not sure why I never really thought about it sooner..."
Ginny racked her mind for a strong argument and while she didn't have a great amount of luck, she settled with, "Things are different now. And really, you don't have to come out at work. It's none of their business, anyway."
The brunette sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. "Let's not talk about it right now," she pleaded. "If I get the job, then we'll talk about it more."
Though Ginny didn't want to let the subject rest, she also knew that pushing Hermione right now would just start a fight. Hermione was right; they could wait to discuss it further. Ginny swallowed her conviction and gave her girlfriend a nod of acceptance, which earned her a grateful smile.
"Are we okay?" Hermione asked with a bit of a vulnerable look that Ginny found so endearing on the girl everyone was used to seeing so confident and sure.
The redhead gave her a lopsided grin. "Course," she nearly laughed. "And if," she dragged out the word, lathering it in sarcasm, "you get the job, know that I'll miss you - a bit." She bit back a broad grin, and managed to restrain it to a smirk as Hermione eyed her with humoured severity.
"You really know how to charm a girl, you know that?" The older girl stated sardonically.
The redhead gave a soft laugh. "Well, I guess I've had plenty of practice." Hermione's eyes widened in alarm and Ginny quickly threw her hands up in defence, laughing furthermore. "Kidding! I'm kidding!"
"I would hope so," the brunette grumbled, still eyeing her girlfriend, displeased. "On that note," she continued, with an ounce of warning in her voice, "don't think I won't hear about it if you go sneaking off with another girl to the Room of Requirement."
"Yeah, that'll happen," Ginny replied dryly while rolling her eyes.
"You're just as aware as I am about how much some of the girls around Hogwarts want you," Hermione stated. "They might find themselves being a bit more...confident, when I'm not hanging around you." Ginny smirked, still eyeing her girlfriend as though she were being foolish. Undeterred, Hermione went on. "If you keep to yourself...," she said slowly, "you will be highly rewarded," she finished quickly with a curt nod.
Ginny stared at her for a moment, then it seemed to suddenly click and she felt her jaw drop just slightly and her eyes nearly sparkled. Hermione choked out a laugh.
"Oh, um," Ginny stuttered as she began trying to regain her composure. "Right. Uh, you know, I...I entirely forget what I was going to say," she said simply.
Hermione doubled over in laughter for a moment and tried desperately to pull herself together. Ginny shook her head softly and chuckled as their eyes met. The older girl moved in and wrapped her arms around Ginny's waist and kissed the hollow of her neck before resting her head on the redhead's shoulder.
"Keep kissing me there and a year from now will be way, way, too far away," Ginny responded, painfully aware of how short of breath she sounded, no matter how slight it was.
Hermione smirked what Ginny deemed a bit of a wicked grin and tilted her head to kiss the younger girl's exposed neck once more, this time much slower and gave a small nip at the skin there before pulling back. Ginny couldn't help but jump in her arms at the action.
"Are you trying to drive me crazy?"
Hermione brought her hand up to caress the back of Ginny's neck as she began to kiss, suck, and nip at the skin she found there. Ginny groaned involuntarily and pulled back enough to give herself room to find Hermione's lips with her own, bringing them into a fervent kiss. One of Ginny's hands began to rub the small of the brunette's back, while the other came up and soon she was running her fingers through Hermione's soft, yet unruly hair. Their kisses had turned fiery, but when Ginny pushed Hermione onto her back, she used what little cognitive thought she had left to order herself to manoeuvre the brunette gently. Ginny pinned Hermione to the bed and was astounded by the amount of energy and excitement that sparked through her body at the way their exchange was proceeding. The feelings surged as Ginny pulled back momentarily to look into Hermione's eyes, the urge to see her was irresistible for some reason, and Hermione consequently tightened her grip on the younger girl. Much to Ginny's surprise, and pleasure, she felt the brunette's nails dig into her back.
Ginny quickly leaned down and captured Hermione's lips in a hard kiss - all prior gentleness gone - she nearly felt possessed.
As Ginny lay kisses along Hermione's neck, what felt like a wave of electricity shot through her as she felt Hermione entwine one leg around Ginny's and ran her foot along it, pulling up the redhead's pant leg as she went along. Ginny could feel Hermione's toes trailing along the newly exposed skin and a wave of goosebumps formed on Ginny's skin. She moaned in approval and traced her hand along Hermione's abdomen before sneaking it under her top. The redhead grinned as she felt Hermione tighten her hold on her.
"Wait."
The younger girl stiffened as her girlfriend's breathless voice filled her ears and the girl's hands came to rest on Ginny's shoulders, pushing slightly.
"Ginny, I'm sorry," Hermione breathed, sounding remorseful.
The redhead snorted out a laugh as she let her head fall against Hermione's shoulder and she let her body grow limp before rolling off of the brunette. Almost instantly, Hermione rolled over so that she was now wrapped around Ginny, with her head resting upon the younger girl's shoulder.
"Are you mad?" Hermione asked, her voice sounding uncharacteristically meek.
"No," Ginny laughed. "It's fine, though I might need a cold shower."
Hermione laughed softly and shifted her head to bury her face in the blankets that were crumpled beneath them. She eventually looked up and Ginny met her gaze with a lopsided grin. Ginny sighed.
"You really know how to keep a girl wanting more, you know that?"
AN: I probably should've put a warning in at the beginning of this chapter to indicate that it was going to get a bit racy, but I didn't want to spoil the 'surprise'...so, apologies to anyone who was caught off guard and offended. I realize the story is rated 'T' at this point - I don't intend to get too crazy with this sort of thing, but if any of you believe I should change the rating, please let me know. Anyhow, I'm back to my super long chapters lol. Thanks again to everyone for the incredible support - it is truly appreciated :) Hope everyone is enjoying their week!