Chapter 9
Hermione POV
"Mom, we need to go, Ginny will be there soon."
Hermione stood by the door, shoes on and ready to go. She didn't want to seem over-eager, but she knew her anticipation didn't stand much of a chance of going unnoticed under her parents' watchful eyes. She spotted her mom and dad leisurely cleaning up in the kitchen and she sighed impatiently before calling out again, this time more curtly, "Mom, Dad!"
"We're coming, Hermione, take it easy," her dad responded in a placating manner as he emerged from the kitchen and gave her a mild look.
Hermione sighed under her breath and averted her gaze, squaring her shoulders. She realized that she was acting quite juvenile and even a bit bratty, but she was anxious to see Ginny again. Though Hermione had stopped by the Burrow for a couple of days right after leaving Hogwarts, it had been a couple of weeks since then. Add on to that the fact that she was worried that Ginny would arrive in the middle of London without anyone there to meet her. Sure, Ginny was very capable, but she had never really spent much time in the muggle world and London was far different than the Burrow - she might be scared.
"Did you get the spare bedroom ready?" Hermione's mother asked as she fetched her shoes out of the closet in the entryway.
"No," Hermione replied as her heart raced in her chest and she struggled to appear casual. "I didn't get a chance to, but it's okay, we only have a couple of days before going to Paris and her and I are used to sharing a room anyway," she reasoned.
"Doesn't make a difference to me," her mother replied, grabbing her purse off of the table and she began to walk towards the front door. "Whatever works best for you two."
"Finally," Hermione muttered quietly as she led the way out of the house and to their car that was parked in the driveway, her parents in tow. She had offered to just pick Ginny up herself by apparating over, but her parents insisted on being there to pick Ginny up.
Their drive from the suburbs to the heart of London was quiet, though Hermione felt like her parents had something on their mind.
"Thanks for taking the day off," she said from the backseat, feeling rather like a small child again.
"Not a problem," her dad answered, who sat behind the wheel, navigating them through the increasingly busy roads.
"We've been waiting a while to truly meet this Ginny," her mother added. "Is she nervous about coming to stay with us? Us being muggles and all?"
Hermione smirked. "Yes, she's quite nervous," she informed them, though she was well aware that Ginny was nervous for other reasons - none of which had much to do with Hermione's parents being muggles.
Just the other day, in fact, Hermione had sent a letter off to Ginny, trying to reassure her about her upcoming visit. Ginny was uncharacteristically anxious, rambling off all the things that could go wrong and how Hermione's parents might not like her and how that could ruin things, and, and, and - Hermione had to admit that she hadn't seen the redhead act that way very often.
Hermione could understand where the younger girl was coming from though. It had been nerve-racking coming out to Ginny's parents at Christmas, and Hermione had known the Weasleys for years and had always been treated warmly by them. Ginny was coming into this with really no prior relationship with the Grangers and that had to be scary. Hermione, herself, wasn't entirely sure how her parents would take it. She knew they had high expectations for her, she just hoped that this development went well with what they had envisioned for her, and if it didn't, then they'd just have to agree to disagree.
"Aw, poor girl," her mother cut in, interrupting Hermione's musings. "I hope you told her that we're not so scary," she laughed lightly.
"Yes, I did, but she just wants you to like her," Hermione replied after deciding it wouldn't hurt to drop a bit of a hint.
"If you like her, then we like her," her mother assured.
"Thanks, Mom."
The car grew quiet again with the exception of the quiet murmur of news over the radio. Hermione leaned forward slightly as she peered out the window at the surroundings that went by. They were only about a minute or two from their destination and she felt butterflies stirring in her stomach. A short while later her father parked along the street and Hermione told her parents to wait while she went to look for Ginny.
It was mid-day, so parking had been a terrible task and they ended up a couple of blocks from where Ginny would be arriving. The brunette walked swiftly among the sea of pedestrians, only looking down once to check her watch.
"A few minutes late, I hope Ginny's okay," she thought to herself as she quickened her pace.
Hermione rounded the corner and spotted a series of phone booths lined along the sidewalk. She quickly scanned the surrounding area for any sign of the younger girl and felt herself begin to grow anxious just before she finally spotted a head of flaming red hair a short ways past the booths. Hermione closed in on Ginny quickly, and soon noticed that the girl was engaged in conversation with a young woman who looked like she could have been plucked off of a fashion runway in Milan.
Hermione wordlessly came up beside her girlfriend, tentatively glancing between the redhead and the woman.
"'Mione!" Ginny exclaimed - startling the other woman - before throwing her arms around Hermione, completely ignorant of how her outburst had unnerved the stranger.
Hermione felt most of her unease melt away and she eagerly returned the hug, pulling back a few moments later and smiling. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too," Ginny reciprocated, still looking excited. She must have eventually noticed the woman deliberating whether to walk away or not and spoke up. "Hey, this is Gabrielle," she said as she gestured to the woman who gave a short nod. "She's visiting from out of town. She says she needs directions," she explained brightly while looking to the brunette for assistance.
"I'll bet she does," Hermione thought as she eyed Ginny in all her innocence before turning a doubtful eye to the woman in question.
Admittedly, Hermione was a little less than chummy as she asked the girl where she was headed and consequently rattled off some directions. But soon enough, the girl was gone.
"Bye! Have fun!" Ginny called, waving, before turning to Hermione. The redhead still looked completely clueless about what just happened.
"Ginny," the brunette chided, though she gave the younger girl an affectionate look. "Leave it to you to be in London for two seconds and to have a girl from 'out of town' asking for your much needed help." Ginny just gave her a befuddled look. Hermione rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated laugh. "She was hitting on you, Gin!"
"Huh?" Ginny asked, looking further confused and reminding Hermione a bit too much of Ron.
"Honestly," Hermione laughed further as they approached her parents' car. "You're lucky you're cute," she whispered as she hurriedly leaned in to her girlfriend's ear before pulling away, putting a few strides between them.
She walked to the opposite side of the car and looked across the roof of it to see Ginny tensely standing at the door, the expression on her face half lost and half pleading.
"It's okay, Gin," Hermione said softly, flashing Ginny a smile of reassurance. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "They're going to love you." Not giving Ginny a chance to respond, Hermione opened her door and gave her girlfriend a nod of encouragement. "Come on, then."
The brunette repressed a laugh as she heard Ginny let out a sound somewhere between a groan and a whimper.
Hermione settled into her seat and reached for her seatbelt, watching Ginny get in. She winced, along with her parents, as the redhead knocked her head on the car's frame as she got in.
"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" Hermione's mother asked as she turned in her seat to examine Ginny.
"I'm fine," Ginny said quietly as her face grew crimson and she gently closed the door.
"You sure?" Hermione asked gently as her hand came to rest on the younger girl's leg.
"Uh," Ginny paused, "Yeah, I'm fine, really." Her eyes came to meet Hermione's in an exaggerated look of warning as she glanced down deliberately at her lap. The brunette was momentarily confused until she realized that her hand was still upon Ginny's leg and promptly pulled back. She was certain that her mother saw, but she refused to get worked up over it since the secret would be out in a short while anyway.
Their drive home wasn't half bad. Ginny had eventually regained her confidence and entered into an easy conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Granger. The topics ranged from school, to family, and Hermione's parents had even ventured onto the topic of quidditch. They didn't know a thing about quidditch other than the fact that Ginny was obsessed with it. Hermione had been content to remain quiet during the drive, allowing the other three to acquaint themselves with one another and without her involvement. However, she did speak up eventually.
"It really is great to finally meet you," Hermione's mother reiterated her earlier sentiments as she turned in her seat to face Ginny. "We had heard so much about you and we're so glad you could make it this year. We asked Hermione to invite you last year, but I guess it didn't work o-"
"Instead, she just moped around all summer!" Mr. Granger chimed in with a bit of a laugh.
"Dad!" Hermione exclaimed adamantly.
"There we were," he went on calmly, "up in the Alps, most beautiful sight you'd ever see, and there was Hermione, lost in her thoughts, looking forlorn," he said with a quiet chuckle.
"Oh my god," Hermione moaned as she hung her head in her hands, refusing to meet Ginny's gaze, knowing the girl's eyes were on her.
"Well, we're here now," Hermione dad announced as they pulled into the drive and he put the car into park.
Hermione groaned once more and slowly exited the vehicle. Her mother eyed her sympathetically, but with an irritating hint of amusement.
"Mom," Hermione said in a low grumble, "please don't let Dad do that," she quietly pleaded. "It's embarrassing."
Her mother simply gave her a small smile before ushering her into the house. "This way, Ginny," her mother called back.
"Wow," Ginny breathed as they approached the doorstep. "You're house is so nice - the whole neighbourhood!"
"Oh, thank you," Mrs. Granger replied with a warm smile. She opened the door and they went inside; Ginny's eyes grew wider. "It's not much, really, but it's home. It's awfully quiet without Hermione around during the school year."
"Cause she's so loud," Ginny quipped before she could stop herself. She looked embarrassed before both Mr. and Mrs. Granger broke out into laughter.
"Okay, I think you guys have had enough laughs at my expense," Hermione stated dryly. "Ginny?" She prompted. "Should we take your bags upstairs?"
Once upstairs, Ginny was astounded at the size of Hermione's room, expressed by the way she examined it in an almost star-struck way.
"Your house is amazing," Ginny sighed dreamily.
Hermione laughed. "Well, for the next two days it's your house, too."
"Where am I sleeping?" The redhead asked as she looked around, eventually checking out the floor.
"Silly," Hermione chuckled. "We're sharing the bed."
Ginny's forehead creased in a frown. "Oh. Your parent's don't care?"
They had shared Hermione's bed a handful of times while at school; nothing too provocative happened during those nights, it was just nice to have that quiet time together every now and then. Thus, sharing a bed wasn't the issue, it was more a matter of parental restrictions.
"Nope," Hermione replied brightly with a shrug of her shoulders. "I get you all to myself tonight."
The redhead gave Hermione a devilish look. "Careful with those words, Mione."
Later that evening, the four of them sat around the fireplace in the living room, engaged in idle conversation.
"Well, Crookshanks certainly likes you," Hermione's dad chuckled as Ginny rolled a small ball across the floor between her hands, the ball's tiny bell ringing and Crookshanks hopping across the floor pawing at it.
Hermione dropped down next to the two and reached over to pet Crookshanks behind his ear. "You've always liked Ginny, haven't you little Crookshanks?" She cooed.
She nearly missed the look her parents exchanged. Suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable, she rose from her spot on the floor while clearing her throat.
"Well, it's late. Ginny and I are going to go to the park in the morning after breakfast, so we want to get an early start," she told them.
"Not a problem. Thanks for staying out here and chatting with us," her mother said. "Have a good night, girls."
"Yes, good night," her dad added.
The girls were heading up the stairs when Hermione's mom called her back for a second. She looked to Ginny momentarily before telling her to go on and promising to catch up. Hermione trotted back to her parents and asked what was going on.
"Nothing, just wanted to let you know that we're heading into work early tomorrow to partially make up for today, so you very likely won't see us until late afternoon," her dad explained.
"Okay," she nodded. "I hope work isn't too busy - not too many big procedures."
They laughed. "Thanks."
Hermione was surprised when they simultaneously pulled her into a hug. The Grangers were loving parents, but they had never been a touchy-feely kind of family. Needless to say, the sudden display of affection caught Hermione off guard.
"Wha-" Hermione began.
"Ginny's a lovely girl," her mother cut in, pulling back and giving her a warm, kind smile.
Hermione began to stumble through another question when her dad stepped in this time.
"Whatever happened last year, I'm glad it all worked out. We can see she makes you very happy, and vice-versa."
Hermione's mouth dropped open slightly and she stared at her parents perplexed.
Her mother's gentle smile steadily transformed into a smirk and she spoke. "What we're saying, dear, is that we like your girlfriend."
Ginny POV
After a short flight to Paris with the Grangers - well, at least they said it was a short flight, Ginny couldn't believe how long it took to go that distance when a portkey could've gotten them there in seconds - they traveled to a few different neighbourhoods and checked out a flat in each. Ginny felt kind of useless on this excursion; she didn't know about rent rates or other things that Hermione had to consider, so she just kind of hung back and followed along.
They had ended up in this quiet, yet trendy neighbourhood with coffee shops and even a little bookstore down at the end of the block and Ginny didn't need to look over at Hermione to know that this was the place she'd end up. The flat was gorgeous. It had hardwood floors, a nice fireplace, cozy bedroom, a kitchen with marble countertops, and a living room with plenty of natural light. It was the perfect size for Hermione, it wasn't exactly spacious, but it would give her enough room for a desk and such for work without becoming cramped. To top it off, the landlord was a witch herself.
Hermione took possession of the flat at the beginning of the following month, giving her a couple of weeks to prepare for the move. Thanks to magic, the process of moving was a cinch. As Ginny and Hermione went around her London bedroom waving their wands to stow away the brunette's things, she had informed Ginny that this way was significantly less painful than the muggle way of moving. Ginny nodded in understanding, all the while thanking Merlin that she was a witch.
Since Hermione's parents weren't coming this time to Paris, they were able to use a portkey, and once more, Ginny was grateful to have magic on her side.
"That was so much better," Ginny commented as she walked from the portkey arrival site to the floo network a short ways away. "No wretched uniformed people touching me all over to see if I'm hiding anything. Honestly, what would I be hiding?" She ranted.
Hermione gave her a weary look. "They have to be sure that no one is carrying anything dangerous. It's a pain for everyone to go through the clearance process, but it's for safety purposes."
Ginny turned her nose up at the notion, a resemblance between herself and Percy flashing through her mind for a frightful second. "I'd rather use a portkey...but, going by airplane was slightly more relaxing...after security at least."
Hermione shot her another look as they came to a stop in front of a row of fireplaces.
"Okay, so my floo is set up as 'Granger residence', alright?" She instructed as she stepped in.
"Got it. See you there," Ginny nodded. A flash of green later, Hermione was gone and Ginny followed suit.
After a cascade of fireplaces flew past Ginny's peripheral vision, she came to a stop in the empty flat that now belonged to her girlfriend. Ginny stepped out to see that Hermione was already walking around the room and flourishing her wand, various pieces of furniture and other possessions popping into place.
"Where do you want the dining table?" Ginny asked as she wandered over to an empty area near the kitchen.
Hermione looked over and pushed a lock of stray hair out of her face. "Over there in the middle," Hermione pointed. "Can you put it length-wise, about four feet from the wall?"
"Sure," Ginny replied with a nod. She examined the area Hermione just gestured to and gave a flick of her wand. The table appeared along with a set of chairs.
"When is Crookshanks supposed to get here?" Ginny asked.
"Mom and Dad are sending him over tomorrow. I'm supposed to go to the airport to retrieve him. Poor Crookshanks...I really hope he'll be okay. I didn't think it'd be wise to bring him over by portkey, so the muggle way will just have to do," the brunette said regretfully.
"I'm sure he'll be okay. I feel worse for the airport employees who have to handle him," Ginny joked. She gave a few more swishes of her wand to readjust the seats.
"Done," Ginny announced, only to notice that Hermione was no longer in the living room. Turning around absently, Ginny realized that Hermione must be in the bedroom and headed down the hall. Sure enough, the brunette was there and had already set up her bed, dresser, night side table, and was currently magicking her clothes into the closet.
"You work fast," Ginny mumbled as she took in the arrangement of the newly furnished room.
"Not really, I just know how I wanted it to be set up, so it was just a matter of putting things in their place," Hermione said easily as she gave one more swish of her wand and joined Ginny in the doorway, kissing her briefly on the lips, hands grazing the redhead's hip before walking back to the kitchen.
A shiver ran through Ginny's body as she trailed behind the brunette - a bit too distracted now to care that she was being less than useful.
"Ginny, can you please put the dishes in the cupboard?" Hermione called.
"Sure," Ginny said as she came up beside the curly-haired witch. Hermione had insisted on taking most of the possessions herself, but Ginny had still been determined to help move a few things at least.
"Thanks," Hermione smiled. Soon, the older witch was rattling off detailed directions on where everything needed to go, what way, what order, and other things that Ginny herself wouldn't have been quite so concerned about - regardless, she complied.
"Yes, Love," Ginny chuckled as she went along and deposited the various items where indicated.
Ginny repressed another laugh as Hermione gave her a slow, simmering stare; apparently not liking the redhead's tone.
"Where would you like your pictures?" Ginny asked lightly as she looked around, still readily ignoring Hermione's gaze. A moment passed and Ginny walked into the living room, a small smirk playing across her face as she could feel Hermione's eyes following her.
"Above the mantle, please," Hermione said.
"Sure thing," Ginny responded as she pointed her wand and made a large sweeping motion with her arm. As she did so, a number of framed photographs appeared on the wall above the fireplace - high enough so that the flames wouldn't catch them. Despite the flames being heatless, it was still a concern.
Hermione was silent and Ginny looked over to see the brunette staring at the wall, her lips pursed. Ginny was about to ask her what was wrong when Hermione brought her wand up and pointed it at the wall, moving her hand just a fraction. A movement out of the corner of her eye caught Ginny's attention and she saw one of the photos rotate a tad. She bit back a laugh and rolled her eyes.
"What?" Hermione snapped as she frowned at Ginny, the brunette's wand still pointed at the wall.
"Nothing, Love," Ginny laughed.
Hermione eyed Ginny further before protesting, "It was crooked."
The redhead turned to face her girlfriend completely with a sly grin. "I love you, you know." She took a step towards Hermione.
"Well, it was," Hermione protested once more with greater conviction.
Ginny held the brunette's gaze and reached out, putting her hand on top of Hermione's still outreached arm, and gently pushed it down towards the girl's side. Leaning in, Ginny captured Hermione's lips. Entangling their fingers together, Ginny removed Hermione's wand from her hand and tucked it into her own back pocket for now, making sure to not break the kiss. Hands now unoccupied, Hermione wrapped her arms around the back of Ginny's neck while the redhead pulled Hermione closer to her. Their kisses slowly became more fervent, and the urgency in them began to become apparent. Ginny practically groaned as she felt Hermione move her hips against her own, whether subconsciously or not. Ginny soon found herself pulling Hermione towards her, closer still and began running her hands along the brunette's lower back - desperately wanting to let her hands roam further down the back of Hermione's jeans.
Just then, Hermione pulled out of their kiss. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing a bit uneven and her eyes heavy-lidded. She half sighed, half laughed and pulled back a hand to place it on the front of Ginny's shoulder. Her gaze fell to the ground briefly before coming up to meet Ginny's once more. The brunette gave her a faint smile and leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek.
Ginny did her best to not groan in frustration. She had wanted to take things with Hermione to the next level for months now, well, honestly, from the start practically. However, Hermione was a bit more reluctant and wanted to wait, for what, Ginny wasn't exactly sure yet. She shouldn't have been surprised that the brunette would take her time with this, and the younger girl respected her for it, but it didn't prevent her from feeling very frustrated at times. It always ended this way - they'd have a very charged moment and then Hermione would pull away and give her a chaste kiss. She knew it was both an apology for making her wait and a promise that things would someday change.
Ginny chuckled inwardly at the irony of it all. She was well aware that there were a number of girls at Hogwarts who would gladly let themselves be pulled into the Room of Requirement by the young Weasley, yet Ginny didn't want any of them. Ginny wasn't unhappy with her relationship with Hermione, far from it, it just...could be slightly better at times. However, this was part of who Hermione was, and the redhead did love her for it - even if it left her a bit unsatisfied at times. Her mind sighed. Patience truly was a virtue.
"Thanks...for your help with all of this," Hermione said softly as she gestured around the room.
Ginny gave a small chuckle. "You're welcome."
Hermione gave Ginny an apologetic look that bordered on regretful before she leaned in once more to give the redhead a peck on the lips.
"I love you," the brunette said quietly, but with such earnest that Ginny just had to melt at least a bit. She gave the older girl a smirk.
"I know."
Not giving Hermione a chance to say or do anything, Ginny quickly picked up the smaller girl in a large hug - actually lifting her off the ground and spinning her around once before setting her down. Ginny laughed heartily at the screech Hermione let out as she was spun around.
"Happy house warming, Hermione," Ginny smiled broadly as she side stepped the half-hearted swat that Hermione was trying to hit her with.
"Gin," Hermione laughed as she tried again to land a playful hit - a truly sad attempt at scolding the redhead. "My neighbours are going to think I'm crazy."
"Hey, you're the one who screamed, not me," Ginny replied cheekily.
"Ginny," Hermione said more forcefully as she gave a scandalized look.
"Terribly sorry, Miss Prefect," Ginny teased.
"That's Head Girl to you," the brunette retorted, now with a straight face and a righteous finger pointed at the redhead.
Ginny grinned wickedly and abruptly stopped trying to evade the brunette, only to close the space between them. She reached out and tugged Hermione forward by the front of her shirt and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Come here." She planted a hard, passionate kiss on Hermione's unsuspecting lips. She felt the brunette relax into her arms, and just as quickly as the kiss started, Ginny ended it, though staying dangerously close to the brunette.
Ginny gazed into Hermione's eyes which now looked hazy, and she reached into her back pocket where she had stored Hermione's wand and pulled it out. Not breaking their gaze or making any erratic movements, Ginny wordlessly and faintly trailed the tip of the wand down Hermione's spine before slowly sliding it into the brunette's back pocket. Ginny smirked at how the older girl's eyes closed and her muscles tensed.
"Your wand," Ginny whispered before releasing Hermione from the embrace.
The redhead struggled to keep a straight face as Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she steadied herself.
Yes, patience was a virtue - but there was no reason she couldn't tempt the brunette every now and then.
"So," Ginny said lightly as she walked towards the kitchen. "What's for lunch?"
AN: Don't worry...drama will eventually rear its ugly head - someday, somehow. For now, let's just let the girls enjoy their happy time :p Jk. I hope everyone has had a good weekend.