Written In The Body
Poetheather
A/N: Happy Valentine's Day!
Still not mine. Still owned by JKR. Still interesting if this is your life.
Twelve
Hermione awoke slowly, coming to consciousness slowly, held comfortably in Ginny's strong, slender arms and she sighed in contentment. Waking up like this was a good thing a something she cherished even if there were other reason for it. Last night's nightmare had been one of the worse she had had in a while, almost a month, just like Ginny had predicted. It had started out like most of them had, back at Malfoy Manor, with a crazy woman screaming at her about stealing the sword from her vaults. The pain of the Cruciatus had been there, flaying her nerves anew several times over and she could still feel the slight echoes of things. Then after the psycho carved mudblood in her left arm, she continued on, carving the word dyke on her right, humming that damn tune the whole time. What was worse than the pain that she felt and her inability to escape, was the look of absolute pleasure on the madwoman's face as she did these things. Bellatrix had then gleefully moved on to singing softly "Mudblood, mudblood, filthy filthy mudblood" as she carved the word whore on Hermione's forehead, checking the spelling with the 'smartest witch'. Hermione could feel the tip of the blade moving through her flesh and the burn of her skin splitting. She had woke screaming, fighting against Ginny's embrace.
It had taken Ginny a while to calm her down enough to take one of her calming draughts and one of her treatment potions for the curse so she could go back to sleep. It had been horrific and disturbing and she had trembled like a leaf for quite a while. Ginny had just sat there calmly, holding Hermione comfortingly in her arms, whispering soothing words and brushing her fingers through Hermione's sweat dampened hair. That had worked to calm her down and allowed Hermione eyes to grow heavy, letting her fall back to sleep, in the position she found herself in now. That was nice. She had to admit that at least it had not been the dream of her making love to Ginny that had awakened them as that one and the state she usually found herself in might be a bit more difficult to explain.
She shifted a little and made a happy sound. To be held in the arms of the girl she so desired, that right there was bliss. It made her feel deeply contented and this memory would certainly help fuel a very powerful patronus if she ever needed one. There was no doubt in her mind at all that she could stay like this all day. She sighed, if only that were possible. But no, at some point Ginny was going to wake up and this perfect fantasy she was enjoying would fade, but until then she was determined to simply enjoy it.
After a bit of enjoying this for a while she was drifting back to sleep with a slight smile on her face when Ginny shifted a little and began to make noises, tightening her grip some and pulling Hermione closer to her. "Mmmm morning 'mione."
"Morning Gin. Sleep well?" asked Hermione, her voice soft to avoid disturbing the mood.
Ginny chuckled slightly and Hermione liked how that moved both of their chests. The sensation was quite enjoyable. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Hermione blushed at that and she was glad that Ginny could not see her face. It would be a lot harder to explain why she was all red over that comment than would normally be necessary. She was able to keep her embarrassment out of her voice. "Well, I slept a lot better after you calmed me down and helped me take the potions."
"That's good. You still slept a bit fitfully for a little bit afterwards but you did drift off to sleep after a while." said Ginny, passing on that extra bit of information. "Apparently, running my fingers through your hair really helped."
"You watched me sleep?" asked Hermione, startled by that one fact. It was sweet but also a bit surprising. That was not something she would have expected the girl to do.
"Well, I was worried about you. Waking up to you screaming and thrashing is still unnerving." Ginny defended herself, sounding somewhat affronted.
"I am not saying anything bad about that Gin. On the contrary, thank you for looking out for me. It means a lot to me to know that you do that. I… you let me sleep safer this way. When you are here, I sleep better." said Hermione softly, a bit embarrassed to admit that fact, feeling that it made her weak. While one part of her was loathe to admit it another part felt warm and supported by the presence of the girl. And then there was how she felt about Ginny adding to the mess.
"Well then, I guess we will have to see what we can do in order to make sure you can sleep soundly from now on." Ginny tightened her grip again for one last hug before she got up and then headed off to the bathroom.
Hermione lay in the bed and rolled partially up, her eyes following the departing young woman. She blinked a few times trying to process the last bit of conversation. What had just happened? Had Ginny just said what she had just thought she had said? She rubbed her temples and wasn't sure she was even awake for all of this. Was she still dreaming or had Ginny actually implied that she was going to keep sleeping with her, not that she minded? That idea sounded very appealing and she would never argue with being able to share a bed with the redhead. She could hear the toilet flush and that reminded her own bladder of its needs, driving her out of the still warm bed.
Once dressed and in the kitchen, Hermione saw that Ginny was busy helping her mother finish cooking breakfast. Knowing that there was not enough room in there to help with that, she quickly set the table and got the tea service ready, hoping to save them at least one step. Soon all four of them were sitting around the table enjoying a nice breakfast of egg in the hole and tea. Mr. Granger had some of his tea and then asked, "So what sort of excitement do you girls have planned for today?"
"I was thinking of going to Diagon Alley today to get some shopping done. I have had the wrong wand for too long now and I am tired of it. It just keeps reminding me of Her verytime I use it. Ollivander has opened up his shop again and I can get a new wand from there easily enough. Might as well pick up some school supplies while I am there so I won't have to rush about at the end of the month." answered Hermione, a slight grin on her face.
Ginny grinned and nodded. "That sounds good to me. I can get some money from the vaults, as I have my key and I might even be able to get a new pair of gloves for Quidditch. Mine are seriously worn. I know Mum won't mind as it will save her some work."
"Oh, could you get me a book on the game? After listening to your description, I am interested on how it is played. It really does sound fascinating." said Mr. Granger excitedly. Hermione knew her Dad liked all sorts of sports and the talk about Quidditch seemed to entrance him. He seemed to have become a fan without ever having seen a single game.
"Sure. I can think of several good books that explain the basics of the game and some of the tactics as well as the history. I'm surprised that Ron never told you about them Hermione, as he was never that keen on reading about the game, just watching and learning." said Ginny, clearly happy to be of some help to Mr. Granger.
Hermione rolled her eyes. This was not a topic that she was a fan of as years of putting up with a lot of this nonsense. "Your brother prefers to blather on about Quidditch rather than actually let anyone learn about it in a useful manner."
"Yeah, that's Ron for you. You know… if you want, you could read those books as well, and actually get a better understanding for the game. Maybe try to learn something about the game without having the bias of having Ron's obsession making things worse. Please… for me?" Ginny seemed excited by that prospect.
"I might do that. We'll see." Hermione gave Ginny a soft smile. It was so difficult for her to just flat out deny the girl anything. Was she really going to give Quidditch another chance just because Ginny asked her to? She was aware that it might be a good way to grow closer to her so maybe this might not be a bad idea. She really had it bad.
"Well, you girls be safe. Don't do anything crazy." said her mother.
Once the meal was over and the dishes were clear, the girls got ready to head into Diagon Alley to take care of their shopping. They grabbed up their stuff and Hermione disapparated them into the Leaky Cauldron. There were not a lot of people hanging out around there this early in the morning, which was nice and it was far enough from the start of the new school year that the stores should not be overly crowded. Glad that no one seemed to notice their appearance all that much the two of them moved into the little back courtyard of the pub and tapped the bricks, creating the entrance to the Alley proper.
Various people were shopping, including a few families out buying school supplies but only a few. The sight made the girls smile, happy to see that things were returning to normal after all of the insanity that had gone on over the last few years. The scars of war were still evident in a number of places but there were a few new stores in what were once burned out storefronts. Nothing had replaced Fortescue's yet, but they were hoping. Instead of dwelling on this, they made a beeline straight for Olivander's, not wanting to get distracted anywhere else before this primary task was completed, though a quick run through Flourish and Blots was mighty tempting.
The store seemed the same as it had before, somewhat dark with shelves filled with the long narrow boxes, with the same unique scent that both associated with the wand shop. It was a comforting scene and both girls relaxed ever so slightly because of it. That made them realize that they had been ready for attacks the whole time they had been walking here and it made them both sigh in annoyance. They walked to the counter trying to move past that lingering relic of war and from the back of the store a familiar face appeared, smiling happily when he saw who was there, "Ah, Miss Granger, I was wondering when I was going to see you again. I am glad to see you as well Miss Weasley."
"Hello Mr. Olivander. I have been having a little trouble with this wand, as it isn't mine and has not been responding quite right with my magic. I can still use it, but it takes a bit more more work and effort to do anything." explained Hermione as she laid Bellatrix's wand on the counter.
"Yes, walnut, twelve and three quarters inches with a dragon heartstring core, the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange. I can imagine that it did not work for you, as you did not win this wand and thus could not truly become its master." He said with a slight twitch of his lips, almost a failed smile, pain still behind his eyes. "That you were able to make it work at all says a great deal about you."
"Thank you. Well, that is why I am here. I absolutely need a new wand. No one has found my old one anywhere, neither in Malfoy Manor nor on any of the Death Eaters. That means that I need a new one as this one… the more I use it, the more I can't really stand to look at it." Hermione shuddered, closing her eyes, trying not to think about the nightmare she had had just last night which had featured this self-same wand cursing her over and over. Ginny reached out and rested an arm comfortingly on her shoulder, helping to settle her growing nerves. She turned her head and smiled at Ginny thankfully.
"That is a wise choice Miss Granger, very wise indeed. A witch cannot do their best work with an improper wand or a wand that might fight against them. Well, let of correct this problem. Shall we get to work?" He went in back and brought out a box. He opened it and carefully laid the wand down in front of her. "Vine, ten and a quarter inches, dragon heartstring. It is the closest I have to your old wand."
She picked it up and gave it a flick but it did not quite work right. The reaction was okay but not that great as she could feel her magic not quite meshing with the wand. She frowned and shook her head, setting the wand down but off to the side. "I guess if we can't find anything better we can go with this, as it works a lot better than the wand I have now, but can we keep looking?"
With a nod and a smile he turned and went back into his stacks, muttering to himself as he usually did when he was searching for wands. He came back a short while later with another box, "Alder, ten and a half inches, dragon heartstring."
That one was better but still not quite right. It got put to the side and the other one boxed up.
"Cyprus, nine and seven eighths, dragon heartstring."
It was only okay but the Alder had been better. Back in the box.
"Hazel, eleven and a quarter, dragon heartstring."
She barely picked this one up before a mug of tea across the room exploded. The girls eeped and Hermione quickly set the wand down. She was blushing in embarrassment. This prompted Ginny to start giggling earning her a quick elbow in her side to shush her.
Mr. Olivander looked thoughtful and then nodded, clearly making a determination. "It was as I thought. Just a moment."
He turned and headed deeper into his shop, lost amongst the stacks, deeper than he had gone before. He returned with a dust free box, held carefully in both hands. It was held gently, as if the wand inside were delicate or something, making both girls look at each other questioningly. Mr. Olivander twitched a slight smile at them before he hesitantly said, "I was unsure if this would be appropriate and so I wanted to see if anything else would suit before trying this particular wand."
"If what would?" Hermione was looking from the box to Mr. Olivander in deepening confusion. What exactly was going on?
"After you and your friends rescued me and I learned of what had happened to you, learning in addition to everything else you had lost your wand, I realized that you would indeed need a new one, no matter what wand you had picked up to use in the interim. Knowing this, I undertook the challenge of making a wand that would suit one as brave and as fearless as you." He lay the box down and pulled the cover off. The pale wood was almost lustrous, richly hued, the way it had been treated almost made the wood glow. There was nothing fancy about the wand, no carved vines like her last wand, just an elegant simplicity that was attractive with this wood, making it even more beautiful than her last one had been with its simple form. "This is an eleven inch, beech wood wand with a dragon heartstring taken from a Chinese Fireball, the cleverest of all the dragons. This is a wand that will be nearly impossible to find a master and the only person that I believe who can fit this particular wand, Miss Granger, is you. Please."
Hermione and Ginny shared a wide eyed look and Hermione reached out her hand to lift the wand from the box, trying to control the slight tremor as she did so. The idea that he had made a wand for her was overwhelming. Her hand closed on the smooth wood and she slid the wand into place. The wand felt warm in her hand, sitting in the crease of her palm as if it had no other purpose in life. As she had done with the others, she gave it a slight swish and a golden glow emanated from it surrounding her hand, tingling her skin. Hermione just stared at the wand in surprise, feeling a very different connection to this wand than she had had with her other. Her mouth went dry in shock.
Mr. Olivander let out the breath he had been holding. "Wonderful. I am so glad that the wand chose you. I was very worried that it might not. You should know that Beech is a very choosy wood Miss Granger. Many witches and wizards who demand beech wands are often found wanting. This wand will allow you a range of subtlety and artistry that is rarely seen in any other wood. It is a powerful wand Miss Granger for a singularly powerful witch."
"How… how much do I owe you?" Hermione was rather in awe of her new wand, as even her old wand had not quite felt like this one, so perfectly aligned with her. She could not take her eyes off it, just staring at the near luminous wood. This felt like an extension of herself and it was a strange feeling.
"You and your friends gave me my life, which is a debt that I will never be able to repay. The wand is yours." He said simply.
"Mr. Olivander, no." protested Hermione, finally able to look away from the wand due to how wrong that felt.
"My dear Miss Granger, think of all you have endured and striven against for the greater good of the wizarding world. The least this one old man can do is give you a new wand in thanks for saving his life. You cannot begrudge me that." The look in his eyes made it clear that he would brook no argument from her. It was clear that it would be easier getting Molly Weasley to change her mind than to make Mr. Olivander let her pay.
Hermione swallowed heavily, happy tears wetting her eyes. She smiled, trying to hold in the torrent of emotion that this gesture was bringing up. "No, I cannot. Thank you very much, Mr. Olivander. I will cherish this wand always."
He smiled at her, clearly understanding something of what she was going through. "I know you shall Miss Granger and I shall cherish the fact that you have one of the finest wands I have ever created to help you accomplish whatever you strive for. Thank you. Good day to you both."
Leaving Bellatrix's wand there, Ginny and Hermione walked out of his shop and stood on the street a moment, both of them rather dazed. Ginny turned to Hermione and asked, "Did that really happen?"
Hermione pulled out her beech wand and stared at it, blinked a few times and put it back. She nodded absently and replied, "I guess it did."
The two girls then smiled at each other, each pleased with this particular development. Hermione started grinning as she realized that one more reminder of Bellatrix was gone from her life and that was a tremendous relief. Ginny looked around and said, "Right, well after something like that you need something completely different to help you cope."
Hermione looked at her a bit nervously trying to figure out exactly what the young woman was talking about. There were several different options that came immediately to mind, and she was sure that Ginny was not thinking about half of them and maybe an eighth of them might actually get her slapped. She decided to hazard a question, "What are you thinking about Ginevra?"
Ginny looked innocent, blinked her brown eyes a few times and said in a voice that wouldn't melt butter, "I only wanted to go to the Quidditch store 'mione. Is that so wrong?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, groaning. She should have known. She smacked Ginny on the arm lightly, "Prat."
Ginny started giggling and dragged Hermione along with her to the Quality Quidditch Supplies store. Hermione struggled at first and then gave in knowing that resistance was futile. She had always resisted the idea of going into the store with either Ron or Harry for various reasons, not the least of which was her lack of interest in the game, but because she was interested in Ginny she was willing to see if the experience was going to be different. She really hoped so for her own sanity that it would be. If not then maybe this whole attraction would die out before it really got started.
Before they walked inside the store, Ginny turned to her and said, "I know you have never really been into Quidditch but I have also met Harry and Ron. I love those two plonkers to death but they are basically imbeciles when it comes to certain things. So I will try to help fix this problem. I have seen you cheer, so clearly you are excited for our team and your friends when we are winning, but from everything I have heard you say the sport itself eludes you."
"Well, all sport does really. My father loves football and rugby and even cricket for some reason but I have no idea why? I just don't get the appeal." At Ginny's blank look, Hermione smiled and said, "They are all muggle sports that are really popular. Honestly, you would probably enjoy them."
"Right. Okay. If you think so I'll trust you. So, when we get in there don't think about how irritating Ron is on this subject or how obnoxious the colors are for the Chudley Canons are or any of that, just listen to me and we'll see if things won't change for you." Ginny gave her a very confident smile.
Hermione looked at her and one eyebrow rose. The redhead seemed so sure of herself and her plan that this was clearly not a spur of the moment idea. This smelled remarkably like a plot that had been developed for a while to her. "Ginny… answer me honestly. How long have you had this idea?"
Ginny couldn't meet her eyes as she replied, "A while now, but an opportunity never really presented itself before. Now it has so come on. Trust me."
Hermione relented and the two girls headed inside. Once in the store, the youngest Weasley led her past the brooms, quaffles, bludgers, and various other bits of equipment, branded team gear and into the back where there were books and magazines for sale. Once there, where there were only a few people looking at recent issues of Seeker Weekly and a few of the books, she stopped and turned to face her friend. "Right, first thing you need to know is that Quidditch as it is known today came out of several older games being jumbled together, but the first instance of it being played in something even remotely familiar to today's game was recorded in 1050 in Queerditch Marsh by a witch named Gertie Keddle. This woman kept recording the early development of the game and her diary remains to this day. You can actually go and see it."
"Really?" Hermione perked up at this. This was actually rather interesting, knowing that there was some actual historical data on the growth of the game. Why hadn't the boys told her about this? This was actually interesting
"Oh yes. It is really interesting reading about all of this. The next instance outside of those journals is from 1150 when a wizard named Goodwin Keen sent a letter to a friend of his where he described the recent developments of the game. There are a number of other historical mentions of the game as it grew that are quite fascinating. It's history is really quite complex."
"So wait, the game of Quidditch is almost as old as Hogwarts?" Hermione was almost doubtful of that notion but when had Ginny really lied to her about something like this? She had thought that the game was as modern as most every other sport around, as in perhaps a few hundred years at the most, not a game with nearly a thousand years of history behind it. Why had no one told her? Her eyes started scanning the bookshelves for some sort of reference.
Ginny snickered when she saw this and walked over to the shelf plucking a book up and handing it over, clearly having expected this response. "Now I know that this isn't quite Quidditch: A History but it is close. This right here is the best book on the history of the game available."
Hermione took the book and mock glared at the red head that regarded her with some amusement. Quidditch Through the Ages seemed to be quite interesting given its table of contents and did have some heft to it. It was clearly not a book without meaning. "So this is the book that Madam Pince says is checked out all the time?"
"Yep. This book covers the history of the game, the development of the rules, the spread of the game, the current incarnation, everything. It's a great book. I've read it several times myself. Not as often as you've read Hogwarts: A History, but then again who has read anything that much?" Ginny grinned at her, enjoying the teasing.
Hermione rolled her eyes and then looked at the book some more. It looked rather fascinating actually. She skimmed part of the introduction and the writing style was somewhat engaging. This might be a really nice read. "Interesting."
"If I had to recommend just one book for you to get started with, it would be that one. Because instead of being all, oh Quidditch is awesome, and all that nonsense it actually talks about things in the way you like and understand. It really takes the time to explain everything in great detail. This is a far more scholarly work than any of the others." Ginny smiled at her and Hermione blushed a little, looking down at the book. It seemed like Ginny really did know her pretty well.
In an attempt to cover up her blush, she asked, "Do you recommend anything else for me to read?"
"Well I am a bit partial but I would also recommend this book about the Holyhead Harpies, my favorite team. They have been around since 1203, making them the second oldest team in the league and have been an all-female team the whole time, which is pretty rare. It is a pretty interesting read as well, as it doesn't just focus on recent players but covers the whole range of the team's accomplishments from the past until now."
"Well Ginny, I must say that I am aware of your… obsession with the Harpies. It is hard not to notice your posters, and shirts and scarf and night shirt. I'm surprised you don't have Harpies knickers."
"Alright." Ginny blushed as Hermione listed things off, counting them off on her fingers. "I like the team. Being the only girl in my family they gave me some strong women to look up to besides my mother."
Without really needing to spend much thought on the matter, Hermione grabbed that book as well. If that team meant that much to Ginny, then she really needed to learn about them. It was important. Everything her parents had taught her about relationships had taught her that. "Anything else you recommend?"
"No, not at the moment. Those two will be a great start and we can see where you are after those. I just had a few things to grab for myself and then we can get our books. After that we can grab some lunch before getting the rest of our stuff."
"Sounds like a good plan to me." Hermione went up front to pay for her books, having grabbed a second copy of Quidditch Through the Ages for her father. She was well aware that she was going to be studying both of these books to get a better idea about this passion of Ginny's. The relationship books had mentioned that it was a good idea to at least understand your partners passions, whether you liked them or not, and she knew her mother knew a good bit about her father's favorite teams and the basics of each of the sports. Once she paid for her items, she waited for Ginny to come up and make her own purchases. Once that was accomplished, then the two of them headed up the street to Flourish and Blotts.
Once they walked into the store, Hermione took a deep breath through her nose. It was something that satisfied her and made her feel content, the wonderful smell of books. She sighed happily and ignored Ginny's snicker. "So I guess we should just grab our school books?"
"Yes and not too many extra books Miss Granger. You might actually be busy this year." Ginny shook her finger at her.
"Am I really that bad?" asked Hermione, slightly worried. She still had a little bit of a lingering fear of being only a bookworm hanging out in her head.
"Not really. But you get this cute indignant look whenever anyone says anything about it." teased Ginny.
Hermione scowled at Ginny and the girl laughed happily and pointed at her, quite pleased by the reaction, "Yes, that's it. That's the one. Right there."
"I don't know why I put up with you?" grumbled Hermione, somewhat incensed by the slight mocking. She knew it wasn't mean spirited but it was hitting a sore spot.
"Because you like me better than Ron?" answered Ginny in a playful singsong sort of voice.
"Well clearly, but that doesn't actually answer the question." teased Hermione right back.
"Ouch. I think I will try to save my dignity and just go get books." Ginny limped off as if she were trying to salvage her dignity.
Hermione laughed and headed off into the stacks, browsing the familiar shelves, letting her fingers drift over the spines, loving the feel of the books. It had been a while since she had been here and she had missed it. This store smelled more of books than modern bookshops usually did and she could easily think of several reasons for that, most prominent of which was paper type. She started collecting her school books as well as scanning the shelves for any titles that might catch her eyes as was her usual habit. After a while and when she was near the back of the store, with several books in addition to her text books, including one on charms, another on arithomancy and a third on advanced magical theory, she saw a title that seemed odd enough to give her pause, A Witch's Witch Book of Spells.
The book was of decent size, being at least several hundred pages in length. And the title was innocuous enough that she could play it off as her not having checked on the contents and merely found the title interesting if she had to. It also had that term that Ginny had used that magicals seemed to use to describe lesbians. She flipped through the table of contents quickly and it seemed to be what she had been hoping for, a wizarding book on lesbian relationships and spells relating to them, some of which sounded fascinating. Hermione sighed, said a quick prayer to whoever would listen to her, put it in her stack and headed towards the front.
She was rung up quickly, as there was a line growing behind her, and so the person barely registered she was there, let alone the book in question, as they were far more focused of trying to complete the transaction quickly so they could get to the next customer. She held her breath the whole time, her heart pounding a mile a minute, expecting some sort of response to the book and desperately hoping that there would be none. When none came that made her happy and she was able to relax, breathing easier. Taking her things outside, she saw that Ginny was waiting for her. "Sheesh, 'mione, did you buy the store?"
"No, I simply found a number of interesting titles and picked them up. When I noticed the time I just grabbed the last book that caught my eye and bought it. If I don't like it I can always return it." stated Hermione, trying to make a point.
"You return a book? Why do I doubt that? Somehow I think you might be physically incapable of that." Ginny rolled her eyes at the bushy haired witch.
Hermione harrumphed and said, "Let's go eat."
"That sounds like a good plan. I could do with some food. And then we can finish this and head back to your place." Ginny headed towards the Leaky Cauldron where they knew they could grab a decent bite to eat.
"I know what you're thinking; you just want to see Romeo+Juliet again." The taunt was playful and friendly.
"Actually I was going to wait on that for a few more days. There are a couple of other things that had come out apparently that your mom said were good and you said there are some good films out there now so…"
Hermione laughed, shaking her head, "Oh Merlin Ginny, what am I going to do with you?"