Written In The Body

Poetheather

A/N: Thank you all for reading. I am so happy for the reception that this story has gotten.

Still not JKR.

Twenty-one

The next two days were busy with everyone getting used to being in classes and following a schedule again. That was a shock for some and there were a couple of stragglers to various classes and meals. Hermione and Ginny did fine mostly because Hermione was quite prepared for this and had already been putting herself on the schools schedule since the start of the week. The new professors seemed quite competent and the biggest surprise was that the Muggle Studies Professor was actually a Muggle born and thus was actually aware of current affairs and inventions unlike Professor Burbage. It was rather stunning and exciting to hear about inventions that came after the late forties and early fifties. Hermione was practically giddy to hear him talk about the Audio Player, a device which allowed you to carry around digitally stored music. Hermione could only grin as the Professor had to talk disparagingly about the dearth of information about recent events and told the class that he would correct that before they took their NEWTS. There were a number of slightly panicked faces when they left the classroom but Ginny and Hermione were not among them. Otherwise it seemed to be classes as normal at Hogwarts, with Headmistress McGonnagall still teaching Transfiguration until a more permanent teacher could be found to take over.

It felt a good bit surreal to Hermione to even be there at the school, attending classes again with everyone else, but she was starting to cope with all of that. Her potions were helping her muddle through all the stress and the presence of Ginny was a great assistance to her as well. Things were a bit tough just being in the building, already there were a couple of times during the day where she had to go into an unused classroom to compose herself, especially after the first time she walked past the point where Lupin and Tonks had died. After that she had needed some of her potion and a hug from Ginny to even be able to move on from the room she had been hiding in and she had still been trembling in class a half an hour later.

Ginny was being very understanding about all of this, understanding why dealing with this issue was harder for Hermione than it was for her, why walking these halls was hitting her more deeply. Ginny tended to flat out avoid the area where Fred had died so apparently she could easily imagine the pain that Hermione was feeling being anywhere within the school, given how it had to have become clear to her that both she and to a larger extent Harry seemed to take a degree of responsibility for not solving the Horcrux problem sooner. Hermione seemed to carry the weight of the dead like Harry, only for different reasons. She felt somewhat responsible for not solving things faster. Madam Pomfrey kept checking on Hermione every morning, making sure things were fine but Ginny still seemed to worry over her, especially after she had another nightmare the second night there thanks to the conversation with Madam Pomfrey about Simon.

It turned out that, according to the results of the diagnostic scan, Simon had indeed been abused, just not to the same degree of magnitude that Harry had been. Apparently there were signs of severe beatings that were not that old and even a signs of a broken arm, a few cracked ribs, and some sort of head trauma that worried the Nurse. There were no obvious signs of malnutrition but he was small for his age and that was bothering her as well as there might be something. This was something both women wanted to deal with but they needed to figure out how to do so in a way that would neither upset Simon nor cause a major incident to occur. They agreed to discuss it some more the next week in order to come up with the beginnings of a plan, as Madam Pomfrey seemed well aware that Hermione had some sort of vested interest in the boy and she was of age and could take charge of the Simon if necessary. They both figured that there was no need to rush about at this point as Simon would be safe because he was at the school and away from any sort of abuse. What they did afterwards would depend on a number of factors.

Hermione was feeling somewhat better overall by Friday night, even with these sources of added stress. She had gotten more used to the sight of the school and grounds, beginning the process of moving past some of the memories that specific areas gave her. She and Ginny had also helped Simon begin the process of making friends with his year mates by having gotten some of the more fun Wheezes from George for the boy to share. He was still very shy but that little nudge from them seemed to help. The boy still clung to her as if she was some sort of lifeline, but he was getting more attached to the others in his year, both some of the boys and girls, which relieved her tension.

Saturday morning she awoke with a smile, snuggled in Ginny's embrace, spooned against the slightly taller girl, happily warmed by her body. It felt nice and comforting and her heart was calmed by the position. She felt loved and cared for being held here, in perhaps her favorite place on earth, especially given the fact that she had not started here when she had fallen asleep. Ginny had to have moved her to that position during the night, cuddling against her while they slept. To know that her girlfriend actually wanted to cuddle up against her made her feel all warm and fuzzy and she liked that feeling. It was a pleasant feeling that she could simply bask in all day long. Unfortunately her bladder had other ideas.

Grumbling, she got out of bed when she could fight against it no longer and headed to her en suite to take care of her morning ablutions. As she came back into the room after brushing her teeth she could see Ginny, her hand groping for someone who was clearly not there, whimpering herself awake. It was a little heartbreaking to watch. Hermione hurried to the bed with a growing grin on her face, tickled by this adorable display, and she sat down next to the girl, allowing the redhead to clutch her leg once the questing hand found it. She mumbled sleepily, "'Mione?"

Petting the girl's soft red hair lovingly, she answered tenderly, "Yes Gin?"

"You were gone." Her voice was still thick with sleep.

"I went to the bathroom. I was only gone for a minute or so. It's okay baby. Do you need to sleep more?" she asked, still running her hands down her girlfriend's hair.

Ginny looked up at her blearily, pulling her pillow lined face up from the depths of the blankets, her eyes opened to mere slits. " No, I wake."

Unable to stop herself because of how cute that was, Hermione grinned broadly and said, "Of course you are. Come on then Gin. You know… if you can actually get up we can get some breakfast and have some fun today. What do you think about that?"

Ginny nodded in agreement and made her way out of bed, stumbling towards the bathroom, weaving ever so slightly, having to correct her track once as she was veering quite a bit off track. Hermione finally turned away from that sight of her girlfriend walking blind and went through her drawers, trying to figure out what she was going to wear for the day before laying everything out. Once she did that, Ginny was coming back out, looking ever so slightly more awake. Hermione grinned as she could now actually see Ginny's the lovely brown of her pretty eyes, since they were actually open. With a cheeky grin she toasted her girlfriend with a bottle and took her morning potion grimacing a bit at the taste. "Gah! I just wish that they could make these things taste a little less horrific. It tastes like licking a wet werewolf."

"Now that is a very sexy face right there and a horrible image." quipped Ginny, smirking at the sight.

Hermione stuck her tongue out in response, knowing that it was probably the best answer she could manage at the moment. She was busy trying to get the taste out her mouth and it made talking diffiuclt.

Ginny snickered at her and teased, "Don't stick it out 'mione unless you intend to use it."

Hermione looked at her and raised an eyebrow, sensing a perfect opportunity to nearly prank her girlfriend, or at least tweak her some. Her gaze shifted from normal to smoldering as she gazed at Ginny with open, naked desire, her voice dropping to something huskier, deepening with need. "Oh really now Ginevra? Are you saying that you are ready to go there? Interesting."

"Uh… erm… uh…" stammered Ginny, blushing down to the tops of her breasts as she took all this in, her eyes going wide.

Noting the way Ginny's eyes dilated and her breathing hitched Hermione decided to keep the look going to see just what reaction she could get. Lowering her eyes slightly, to add to the seductive look, she slowly stuck her tongue out and touched the tip of it to her upper lip lightly, her eyes locked onto Ginny's, boring into her. The whole time she thought about all the wonderful things she could do to Ginny with it. Ginny let out a high pitched squeak but was unable to tear her eyes away, clearly tracking her tongue. Hermione licked her lips, her tongue tracing her mouth in a languorous circle, another set of brown eyes following every movement of it. When she spoke next, she dragged Ginny's name out seductively putting as much emotion as she could into her words, "And how would you like me to use my tongue, Ginevra?"

Ginny's mouth opened and closed a few times in response, her voice clearly failing her. The blush on her face was deepening, its red color getting darker and darker. Hermione could almost swear she could begin to feel the heat radiating off her from where she was. Ginny's voice broke slightly as she said roughly, "'Mione?"

"Yes Gin?" She reached a hand out slowly and ran it down and around Ginny's neck, dipping through her jugular notch, in and through the valley of her breasts. Once she finished that she looked back up at the girl, right into her eyes and smiled suggestively.

Ginny squeaked again and Hermione couldn't sustain it any longer. Ginny's reactions were just too much for her to deal with. She started snickering and hugged the other girl. "Oh Merlin Ginny, you are so adorable when you are flustered. Those squeaks…"

"You… you… you… gah!" Ginny screamed in frustration, arms flailing upwards.

Hermione kept chuckling and moved forward. She hugged her girlfriend, kissed her on the cheek and said, "I know baby, I know, I'm a terrible person. You'll get me for this. I will rue the day. Come on, we need to get ready. I could use some breakfast."

Getting dressed rather quickly, Hermione gathered what she thought she might need for the day and putting it into her expanded book bag, she then said to the still somewhat out of it girl, "I'll see you downstairs in the common room. Don't take too long."

Ginny just grunted as she was trying to get dressed in last night's clothes in order to head back down to her shared room so she could get dressed for the day. Leaving her to it, Hermione closed the door and headed into the common room to wait for her. She spotted her tag a long first year sitting on the sofa as he usually did and smiled at him when he looked up from his book. "Good morning Simon, what are you up to this morning?"

"Homework." He grumbled a little.

"Well, if you need any help try one of you year mates first but if they can't help, come get either Ginny or I. We'd be happy to help. We can also show you a few tricks to make this all easier, okay. And don't forget to take time to have some fun as well. You need to make more friends as these are the people who you'll be with for the next seven years. It will certainly help if you actually know them." Hermione went over and ruffled his hair a little. It was really difficult not to like Simon. He was almost as likable as Harry, but for somewhat different reasons.

Simon frowned up at her and used his hands to try to brush his hair back into some semblance of order. It reminded her a little of Harry before he had completely given up of his hair and let it run free, though Simon's hair was much more under control as a rule. That train of thought just made her grin a bit more at the memory. She really did miss Harry and Ron. "Have you eaten?"

He shook his head.

She looked at him for a second and then rolled her eyes, shaking her head, clearly amused. Boys. "Were you waiting for Ginny and I?"

The first year blushed a little and nodded, looking down into his book, unable to look up at her and reply.

Hermione leaned down and gave him a hug. "That is very sweet of you but you didn't have to do that. We know that you are a growing boy and that boys can be bottomless pits. However, you are quite the gentleman Simon for waiting, so thank you. I can already tell that you will have all the ladies after you in no time. Most of us like that sort of thing in a partner."

The color in his face darkened, even touching his ears. Apparently his toes were quite fascinating and he shifted some in his seat. Hermione had to smile at the adorableness.

Ginny came down the stairs to that sight and groaned in frustration before saying, "Just what did you do to the poor boy, 'mione?"

"Why do you assume it was my fault?" protested Hermione, trying valiantly to defend her honor.

"Because Simon here is a sweetie and you are the kind of evil person who would take advantage of that. It has to be your fault. Come on Simon, let's go get some breakfast and we can leave 'mione here. I'll keep you safe from the mean scary Head Girl." teased Ginny, sticking her tongue out at the end to make it clear to her girlfriend that she was teasing.

Hermione chuckled and the three of them headed downstairs, navigating the moving staircases with ease, showing Simon some of the tricks that living in the castle had taught them, like exactly where the trick step was and the best ways that you could remember where it was. That got them down to the Great Hall quickly, as they used one of the secret passageways that the map had taught them to cut the travel time. Luna wasn't there yet so they sat at the Gryffindor table and began to serve themselves from the various steaming platters already present. Simon had no hesitation in diving into all the good food around him and filling his plate.

"What's the plan for today Gin? You kind of look like you have something in mind other than studying and I need to know if I should be worried." asked Hermione, having noticed the slightly smug, slightly anticipatory look on her girlfriend's face. It did not bode well for her plan to review sixth year herbology so she would be ready for Monday's class.

"I do indeed. Remember what I told you was going to happen once we got back up here? Well… I talked to Madam Hooch and she did have the kind of brooms I was looking for for you to try. I told her why I wanted to borrow them and she was more than willing to let you try them out. So you my love are going to be coming with me out to the pitch where we are going to have a flying lesson." Ginny's grin was bright and huge. She was very much excited about this and it showed in every way, including the fact that she was bouncy like a little girl.

Hermione was a bit worried about all of this. She was nervous about the idea of flying again, since she had basically avoided getting back onto a broom ever since she had passed basic flight First Year. Flying on the Thestrals to the Ministry had been the next time she had been in the air for any real extended period of time since she and Harry had used Buckbeak to save Sirius and it had been terrifying. Being on an invisible creature and flying at high speeds, even if you could feel the creature you were perched on it had been a highly disconcerting experience. Then she rode one again with now Minister Shacklebolt right after they got Harry from Privet Drive a few days before his birthday. Again, it was not an excellent event to endear her to even the notion of flight. Ginny certainly had her work cut out for her. At least she was willing to give it a try.

"Flying?" squeaked Simon excitedly, clearly more thrilled about this event than she was.

Ginny grinned at him. "Yep. You will be learning how to do that in a little bit, so don't worry about it. And once you pass the class with Madam Hooch I will take you out flying and teach you lots of neat tricks and how to play Quidditch. It's an awesome game and a lot of fun. If you want, you can come out and watch the lesson, but you can't stay for the picnic, that's going to be kind of private."

Simon snickered a little when Ginny winked at him. He then looked off kind of dreamily. "What's it like? Flying."

"It's the most wonderful thing in the world. Up on your broomstick you feel so cut off from all your normal worries and problems, so free and the wind is rushing around you and you have full control of where you are going and what is happening. It's an amazing feeling and there is nothing else in the world quite like it. My friend Harry and I agree that it's like… prefect freedom." Ginny was looking at something only she could see there at the end, her voice a touch dreamy. She then looked a bit abashed and then grinned at the other two. Hermione had to admit to herself that she did look even more attractive like that.

Simon seemed awed by that description and Hermione decided not to throw her two cents in and possibly mar his dreams. At that point she had very little in the way of positive statements she could make on the topic and since he was still so new to this it might be detrimental to his success. Instead she decided to change the topic, "We're having a picnic are we?"

"Yes we are. I thought you might enjoy having one and it does seem to be a gorgeous day for it. I figure we can work on your flying for a while and then when you are more comfortable maybe we could go for a short flight and have a picnic. I know of a good spot that is nice and isolated where we won't be interrupted while we eat and…relax. Then we can come back rejuvenated and study some before dinner, does that sound good to you?" Ginny's eyes seemed full of mischief. It reminded her a whole lot of Fred and George.

"That… does sound appealing." admitted Hermione, a bit hesitant to state that she was being enticed by a picnic. But it sounded like so much fun. A picnic with Ginny would be a nice way to spend some time with her girlfriend doing something other than sleeping or studying, which was mostly what they did now and would continue to do so for most of the year. Things had already started off with a bang in class, since it was their NEWT year and the assignments were long and required her to review a great deal of material as she had skipped a year of studying. Thus she was doing her usual job of staying well ahead of the curve, only this time Ginny was trying to stay there with her. That meant long hours studying material and practicing only broken by sleep, eating and her work as Head Girl.

"Good. Then it's settled. After breakfast I'll meet you down at the pitch. It should be roughly thirty minutes or so later, which gives me enough time to run down to the kitchens for our lunch and to go grab the brooms. Mine's already in the locker rooms so I just need the ones from Madam Hooch for you to try." The redhead grinned at Hermione, clearly happy with her girlfriend's decision to go along with this plan.

"I can watch you fly?" asked Simon, a bit wide eyed. It was a bit cute how interested he was in the whole idea. He was just so excited that it was just adorable. She would never tell him that but it didn't change anything.

"You bet. But remember, I'm not gonna teach you because I don't want to get yelled at by Madam Hooch. If I taught you anything she would have me in detention for the rest of the year and honestly I might even deserve it if you got hurt. But don't worry, she's a really good teacher and will take good care of you in class. Well, I'm done. Let me head down to the kitchens to gather things up. I'll catch up to you both soon." Ginny stood and kissed Hermione softly on the forehead before she walked out.

Hermione smile was kind of goofy as she watched Ginny leave. She did like the sway of the girl's hips and her ass was nice and tight from all of her Quidditch. It was a lovely sight to behold and she could watch her all day. She really couldn't wait for the other girl to feel more comfortable about them getting more physical in their relationship so she could feast on her. Just thinking about it made her body begin to respond so she had to stop that train of thought quickly. More and more she had been thinking about it and it was very distracting. She sighed and turned back to her own meal, needing the distraction. Simon rolled his eyes and went back to his eggs and sausage.

Luna came into the Great Hall and joined them, sitting down across from Hermione. She cocked her head to the side when she saw the look on her face and her grin grew broader. "Good morning. What has you smiling so much?"

Hermione blushed and looked down at her plate. Simon resisted rolling his eyes again, though you could hear it in his voice as he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Ginny."

Luna laughed happily and Hermione's slowly growing blushed deepened. She turned to the boy next to her and snapped out a rather shocked and affronted, "Simon!"

The boy only snickered playfully and returned yet again to his meal. It made her feel good to see him opening up and be this playful with her. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

"So what are you doing today?" asked the blond.

"Picnic and flying lesson. This afternoon we'll be in the library studying if you want to join us." said Hermione. "The usual table."

Luna pondered this and nodded. "Thanks, I will keep that in mind. I was thinking of going to visit the centaurs. I have been worried about them all summer."

Simon went a little cross eyed at this as the idea seemed to boggle his mind, "Centaurs?"

"Why yes. They are wonderful people and I do like the local herd. I am just worried about how they fared after May, with so many of the Acromantula running amuck, and the giants and all the Death Eaters. I never heard how they fared. So I'm going to go check." said Luna with her usual smile.

"Where do they live?"

"The Forbidden Forest." She answered succinctly.

Simon looked worried at that answer and leaned in to the table, whispering conspiratorially, "But won't you get in trouble?"

Hermione laughed a little at that, clearly not at Simon but the idea was kind of ludicrous. "If anyone can get away with walking into the Forbidden Forest and not get into any trouble whatsoever it would be our dear Luna here. She's been apparently been doing it for most of her time at Hogwarts. Probably since her first year if my guess is correct."

Luna nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Well there are the most unusual creatures in there and I do want to find some lovely specimens for daddy to write about in the Quibbler. How could I resist?"

Both girls chuckled at Simon's stare of disbelief. Hermione answered before Luna could, "It's okay Simon, she really likes studying Magical creatures of all types so she goes out all the time and does that. She goes on trips with her father to look for various creatures all the time but some of them are very elusive."

"Oh like the various animals and such that have been thought to be extinct but then they get found again? Or ones that are thought to be only myths and are then discovered? Those are the coolest discoveries. Really, you do that? That's so cool!" Simon looked at Luna with new respect in his eyes.

Luna turned and looked at Hermione, giving her a curious look. It was clear that something in Simon's response did to her what her sentences did to everyone else. "Does this actually happen in the muggle world? Mythical creatures being found?"

"Uhm… from time to time, but mythical is a bit misleading in those cases. It is a rare event and not every search yields positive results but there are a number of successes." clarified Hermione.

"Interesting." Luna looked right at her, gazing right in her eyes as she said that. She then turned to Simon and asked, "Simon could you please pass me the marmalade."

Trying not to groan aloud as her thoughts immediately made the connections that she had clearly missed before, she realized that Luna's bizarre and unusual creatures could be similar to those others that were discovered in the muggle world. The problem was that she did not know nor had she done the research to prove or disprove that assertion. She had simply assumed that she knew better and now it looked like she had certainly made an ass of herself. This was something about herself that she would have to fix but right now she could at least do the easy part. "Sorry Luna, I hadn't made those connections before."

"You have now so that's good. You better get going or you'll be late." Luna smiled her usual spacy happy smile at her.

Hermione and Simon got up and headed out of the Great Hall while Luna went over to the Ravenclaw table with her piece of toast hanging out of her mouth. She checked in quickly with Madame Pomfrey who seemed pleased that she was following orders and was looking out for herself. Once all that was taken care of, they finally headed out towards the Pitch. "So have you been out on the grounds yet?"

He shook his head. "I've pretty much stayed in the castle. My first Care of Magical Creatures class is Monday."

"Simon, this is going to be your home for the next seven years, except when you head home for the holidays and summer. You might as well explore and get to know where everything is. Hogwarts is wonderful, filled with all sorts of magnificent things and cool secrets. You should make friends with your year mates and people in other Houses, getting to know Professor Hagrid is not a bad thing either as he is a great person to know as are the other teachers. The school will basically become what you make it." said Hermione, with a grin, looking out towards the pitch thinking back to all the good times. "Good times or bad, Hogwarts will always be here for you."

"I will try." His voice was clearly nervous and it reminded Hermione again of Harry early on. It also reminded her of herself when she was younger and all self-conscious. Hopefully they would be able to fix that with Simon and give him some more confidence. She just hoped that it would be easier than it was with Neville.

"You do know that Ginny, Luna and I will make sure that happens right? That you make friends and get used to the school." prodded Hermione.

He turned to face her eyes wide, a bit shocked. It seemed that he had not thought about that particular side effect of having three headstrong women looking out for him.

"Don't doubt us. The three of us are used to doing the impossible on a regular basis. You were told that there was a war that just finished right?" She smirked at him, knowing that this would confound him slightly since it was apparently a big topic change.

He nodded, his eyes still as wide. She could see the moment when his mind made the connection and realized who the three girls were who he was hanging out with from things he had heard by how his eyes grew wider still.

"So you see, Simon… we will make sure you have fun and we have people we can bring in to help make this happen if we have to. Never doubt that. We know a lot of people, people that can make this happen just by standing next to you and smiling at you. We don't want to go that far just yet but we will if we have to. So it would be for the best if you just gave in and surrendered to your fate now." She grinned at him in a slightly evil manner, friendly, playful evil to be sure, but evil none the less.

Simon was stunned and his mouth hung open. It was clear that none of this had ever registered with him. Clearly his wizarding raised year mates had never seen fit to truly inform him of exactly what sort of company he had started keeping so far this year. That might partially explain why they were giving him space. Hermione giggled at the sight of his surprise and reached over, closing his mouth. "Come on, let's get down to the Pitch. I can tell you a little bit about Quidditch before Ginny gets there. We wouldn't want to let her beat us down there."

The size of the stadium seemed to overawe the poor boy, as he just gaped at everything. Hermione just let him look, chuckling to herself and thinking back to her own first days and how everything seemed so… well magical for lack of a better term. The stadium was a pretty huge structure even by non-magical standards, especially when considered it was made of wood. Granted that magic helped with a bit of the stability and resistance to wind but not all, it was merely well constructed. When he was done staring at her she started explaining the very basics of Quidditch to him, using games he would be familiar with to make the concepts of the game a lot easier for him to understand. If someone had bother to do that for her she might have enjoyed the game more, but then again she might not have. It was still a sport, though it had grown on her over the years, probably due to both Harry and Ginny's involvement. She had to admit there was also some spectacular flying involved. Ginny arrived as she was getting explaining the Seeker and the Snitch.

"So that's how a game ends? That seems kind of crazy." commented Simon, looking at Hermione as if she were making fun of him.

"Professional matches can go on for days if the snitch is particularly sneaky. My favorite team, the Holyhead Harpies, played a game that lasted seven days." mentioned Ginny with a smile.

Simon turned and looked at her with new awe as more pieces fell into place, "Woah! And wait… you are the Captain of the House team?"

"Yep. I want to actually play professionally as well so I train really hard. The game is a lot of fun and if you want I'll have the team put together a pickup game in early to mid-October so some of the first and second years have a chance to play. But you all have to pass your flying class first."

Simon nodded enthusiastically. He seemed to be getting drawn into the sport just like every other boy that Hermione knew. If he was like this after only hearing about it, what would he be like after he flew the first time and Ginny showed him how to really play? Honestly, what was it about boys and their sports? She just never could wrap her head around that.

"Now then, enough about the best sport ever, we came out here for a reason, are you ready to go 'mione?" asked Ginny.

Hermione bit her bottom lip, her heart suddenly speeding up and then nodded. Part of her knew the answer was no but she didn't want to disappoint. She had agreed to this and didn't want to back out now. Besides it gave her another way to get closer to Ginny. "Sure. I'm nervous about this but I trust you so I am willing to give this a chance."

"Okay. Now like I said, after thinking about it I figured that your problem was not the flying or the heights per se but rather more about the falling and getting hurt, right?"

A nod was the only answer needed.

"So what we have here are two different brooms that are made to be much more about safety and ease of use than about performance and speed, factors which would be perfect for you. I knew you didn't need anything like a Nimbus or a Firebolt because honestly, if you ever decide to play Quidditch it will be a while and why push it until you are ready? Even then you will probably be borrowing a broom to do it. Now Madam Hooch didn't have anything like Moody's Recumbent so sorry about that but she did have two others that I thought were perfect for this. Here we have a Bluebottle which is a good all-around family broom and is great for travelling. It is not even remotely built for speed but for safe handling and comfort. It is also very reliable. Then there is the Comet 290. While this is a Quidditch broom don't think anything of it because while it can go from zero to sixty in around ten seconds, Harry's Firebolt can hit one fifty in the same amount of time. So it is a good bit faster and more maneuverable than the Bluebottle, but nowhere near the high end of performance that the Nimbus and Firebolt are. It just gives you more maneuverability and speed over the Bluebottle but requires a bit more skill and comfort on your part. With me so far?"

Hermione had to admit that watching Ginny lecture about something was kind of sexy. She was clearly knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, which showed and that drew her in. She so wanted to snog her senseless right here on the pitch. Maybe she actually did have a thing for teachers or maybe just this particular teacher or just smart girls or smart girl. She refocused on the lesson and said, "I'm following."

"I was thinking of starting you on the Bluebottle to get you more comfortable with flying again and then if you are feeling bolder than maybe we could try moving you to the Comet. You game?" Ginny's grin was infections.

Hermione bit her lip as she looked at the brooms and then over at the girl she loved. She trusted her and knew she wouldn't let her get hurt but it was still pretty scary. Could she really do this now that it came to it, actually get on a broom and fly? Her heart started beating faster as the moment was getting closer and she was at the precipice, where she had to commit to doing this thing or run. She swallowed and looked from the brooms and back to Ginny. "Sure."

"Okay. You remember how to get the broom ready, right?" The voice was gentle and not pressuring in any way. She was not trying to push her at all.

Hermione nodded absently as she went over to the Bluebottle and silently called up. The broom came up to her hand, not as violently as the brooms had when she was first learning but still firmly, slapping into her palm. She swallowed. This was getting real.

"Mount the broom and push up just about five feet."

Complying, Hermione found herself in the air and she gripped the handle tightly, her fear starting to ramp up even higher. All she could imagine was falling and hitting the ground, getting hurt like Harry seemed to do on a regular basis almost everytime he played. Ginny was soon alongside her on her own broom, reaching out to lay a hand on her arm, startling her. "Relax 'mione. Breathe. You don't need to hold on to the broom so tight. Now sit back and feel the seat. See how it is different from what you had flown with before?"

It was certainly a lot more comfortable and she was able to settle herself into it really easily. Her mind noted the differences and compared them rather quickly. This was the far superior broom in her opinion. "Yes. This is really nice."

With a grin of encouragement, Ginny said, "Alright, now start flying forward to get a feel for the broom. Turn a few times as well. Notice that it takes a bit of pressure from you to accomplish it, like the broom wants to know that you are sure that you want to turn before it actually does so. Do that for a little bit to get used to the feel of it."

Hermione flew around the Pitch, weaving about, never more than five or six feet off the ground at any one time. This was just like beginning flight only a lot more comfortable thanks to the improved seat. Just how uncomfortable were those brooms if her far smaller body was uncomfortable on them? If she rode one now it would be really uncomfortable. That was a discomforting thought. And Simon was going to go through that soon? She was no comfortable with that idea.

"Good. Now let's get a bit higher. I want you to eventually speed up and move about at the height of the goals but take your time. There is no need to push yourself into going faster than you are comfortable with. Do you think you can do that?" Ginny was still even with her, staying close in case she was needed.

Hermione took a few deep breaths to try and settle her nerves, before sighing, "Yes, I think I can."

It took a while, as her fear grew as she got higher. The broom was nice and stable though, causing her no trouble whatsoever, this was fear of her own making. Her fear was making things rather tense for her and her palms were growing slick with sweat. One by one she dried them on her pants legs, trying to ensure that her grip remained tight, as she didn't want her grip to slip at a crucial moment. Finally she was up at the height of the goal posts; still flying the weaving pattern that Ginny wanted her to, focusing on the task at hand and nothing else. Ginny flew off to one side and called her over. Hermione flew over to her and then stopped, hovering there next to the redhead, eyes wide at the sight that was before her as she looked up.

There was Hogwarts, kind of like how she had seen it from the top of the bleachers but where Ginny was stopped was actually higher still by at least fifteen feet, maybe more. The view from where she was was unobstructed and it completely took her breath away. Ginny looked over at her and grinned, "Was I wrong?"

Hermione barely registered the words, her eyes scanning over the castle, seeing it from this different vantage point. This was amazing. Maybe Ginny really did have a point about flying around the castle being a good addendum to Hogwarts: A History. It would certainly give her a view of the castle that was different than before. The view was breathtaking and she bet that if she got higher and closer that she would be able to look down on the tallest towers and look through whatever window she wanted. That got her smiling mildly, it was an appealing thought, though slightly pervy. She could discover whatever detail about the castle that her heart desired.

Her thoughts were distracted by Ginny snickering. Hermione turned her head and asked, "What?"

"You. You were so afraid of flying before and now you probably want to fly higher so you can look down on the school."

She blushed and looked away from the redhead. Was she really that easy to read? She had thought she was a lot less transparent. "So what if I do?"

"Nothing. That's just fine. I told you that you just needed a broom that you could be comfortable on and that it would make all the difference. I bet you can barely register the broomstick right now. That it all feels nice and natural." Ginny looked very confident with that statement.

A blush was the only response, which was about what Ginny had expected. "And let me guess, now that you have something occupying your mind your fears have all vanished?"

Hermione looked up at Ginny in realization that the girl was indeed right. Ginny snickered. "Told you I have been thinking about this for a while. Come on let's head back down. I'm starting to get a little hungry and I am sure you are as well. We can fly to where I want to have our picnic and it will be all good."

"I think I'll keep working with the Bluebottle for now. I might try the Comet later. This is not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Sounds good."

Simon looked excited to see them coming back down and jabbered away with Hermione about flying while Ginny took the Comet into the lockers to secure it until they came back. "See you later Simon. You better head back up and get some lunch. No need for you to starve. You are a growing boy after all."

The boy was all smiles as he headed back to Hogwarts. It was clear to the both of them that he had enjoyed himself even though all he had done was guard one broomstick while they had flown. Hermione meanwhile followed Ginny towards the lake and across the water, a good bit more comfortable in the air than she had ever been before. That was throwing her a bit but she was getting used to it. They were nearing one of the islands that was fairly isolated but not too far away from the shore. Once they sat down on the blanket that Ginny laid down, the redhead grinned, "I was hoping you would like this place, it has nice grass, a view of the castle and it is less likely that people will come out here and bother us for some reason or another. What do you think?"

Hermione dismounted her broom and sashayed over to her girlfriend and pulled her into her arms, kissing her soundly. When she let her up for air, Hermione said cheerily, "I think it's a wonderful idea. Let's eat."