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Chapter 8

Overboard

Hermione stepped out of the living room and took a deep breath, trying to get her bearings. She wasn't sure if her first night out had been a success or not, but it was her last night out. Hermione was certain of three things: First, she was lucky to be alive, second she was lucky to be home and she was certainly lucky to be in one piece. Her beautiful companion wasn't so lucky.

Hermione had a great night with Ginny at first and, at the same time, she felt bad for accidentally hurting her old friend. Or was it her new romantic interest? Hermione couldn't figure it out with the intoxicated buzz still rattling her brain.

She pushed through the confusing cloud of emotions and grabbed the woman's wands off of the floor. She used them to clean the blood off of the other with a simple Tergeo spell. Hermione looked closely at Ginny's wand, simple, yet elegant. The wood was Yew and dark; nearly black. It had a luxurious finish and a beautiful spiral twist for the handle.

Hermione didn't know much about wandlore, despite the fact that she had always been fascinated by it. She did know that Yew Wood was known for being the wands of protectors. Hermione thought that was very fitting of Ginny. Ginny was a valiant protector of anyone who needed protecting.

Asmile slid onto Hermione's face as she thought back to the fight they had just survived, how Ginny had heroically maneuvered them to where Hermione was protected from the incoming spells. The redhead had even taken a spell to the back to protect Hermione.

Hermione walked back into the living room and saw her red-haired companion, clothed only in lingerie and blood. The brunette put the elegant, black wand onto the table in front of the Captain, knowing she wouldn't want it to be too far away. Both of her best friends were Aurors, she knew they did not like their wands to be taken away from them.

"I'm placing your wand on the table in front of you, Gin," Hermione said softly as she looked up to the redhead.

It looked like she was sleeping but Ginny quietly said, "Thank you."

Hermione smiled, then used her wand to cast a few spells to siphon the blood off of the wood floor and out of the edges of the carpet. She used the same spell on Ginny's blood-soaked clothes and on the couch around Ginny. The redhead opened her eyes feeling the spells movement. Hermione smiled at her. She sent a sly smile back.

Hermione suddenly couldn't ignore that Ginny was in her knickers, a lacy black bra with matching panties. Hermione was immediately aroused but quickly squelched the feeling looking at the blood dried on Ginny's body.

Ginny saw her friend change from friendly to withdrawn, "What's wrong?" she asked.

Hermione blushed and answered, "Nothing! Just relax! I'll be right back!" With that Hermione shuffled out of the room.

Ginny blinked at the strange behavior of her old friend and laid her head back against the couch. She found the position comfortable and let her mind wander.

Hermione went into her bathroom and grabbed a wash rag and got it wet so she could wash the dried blood from her friend. She looked up in the mirror and noticed she had some blood on her clothes as well. She took them off and threw them into the wash. The brunette quietly walked in her undergarments down the hall and into her bedroom to grab some pajamas.

She scoured through all of her neatly organized sets of pajamas and realized she didn't have anything that didn't make her look like a 90-year-old grandma.

She settled on a pair of purple shorts and a long white Chudley Cannons t-shirt that Ron had given her many years ago after he lost a bet on a quidditch game. After the game ended, Ron kept trying to say he promised to buy her a souvenir some other time but insisted he couldn't afford anything that day. Hermione would never forget watching Ginny sneak up behind Ron and playfully wrestling with him until she was able to grab his money.

Fred, George, Harry, Hermione and even Arthur laughed at the spectacle until Ginny stood, victoriously holding up Ron's money as she walked up to Hermione. The two women linked their arms and walked away to find something to buy together, right as Molly walked up to scold Ron for getting so dirty.

Hermione pulled on the shirt the two had picked out together and smiled, taking a deep breath. She grabbed the wash rag again and returned to her living room. Having a little company made a big difference, she wasn't feeling dread to be in her flat tonight.

Ginny opened her eyes at the sound of Hermione's bare footsteps as she returned to the room. "Feeling a bit better?" the brunette asked as she came around the corner and saw the redhead smiling at her.

Ginny nodded, "Sorry, I bled all over…everything, really," Ginny finished with a laugh and Hermione laughed too.

"You're apologizing for bleeding?" Hermione said as she crossed the living room, "I should apologize for splinching you in the first place," Hermione said as she sat down next to the redhead.

Ginny shook her head, "No need to apologize, Hermione, you got us out of that mess. It could have been a lot worse. Besides, I've had a lot worse than this. Trust me," Ginny said as she leaned forward. Hermione sighed and nodded.

"Turn a bit, I'll clean the blood off of you," Hermione said as she held up the wet rag.

Ginny did as she was told, and soon felt the warm, wet rag wiping the sticky and dried blood off of her back. Hermione's breathing became slow and deep as she tried to gently wipe the redhead's skin. Both of the women's heads were filled with thoughts of the other, their conversation, their dancing, their kisses.

Always analytical, Hermione began comparing the kisses the two women had shared to the few others she had previously in her life. Most were Ron, when they had dated for a few months after Hogwarts. The only other was Viktor, once during the tri-Wizard tournament and others when he had come to visit her after hearing her and Ron had broken up. But neither of them was like her kisses with Ginny.

"Done," Hermione smiled as she had Ginny lean back on the couch. Ginny took in a sharp breath when Hermione's hand moved to her inner thigh and Hermione looked up, frozen. "I'm sorry," the brunette said, "Did I hurt you?"

Ginny shook her head before stammering, "Just… just surprised me… when you…," the redhead took a breath, "Just surprised me when you started touching me there," she laughed awkwardly as she finished.

Hermione smiled and looked back to the redhead's thigh; she began doing to her thigh the same thing she had done to her back. Ginny closed her eyes for a second, 'What the heck was that?' she asked herself, Ginny was used to being calm and smooth. Tonight, she felt like she was off her game half of the time.

Ginny's thoughts began to heat up again as the brunette continued to rub her thighs. Ginny immediately chastised herself for getting aroused when Hermione was just trying to clean her up. She bit her bottom lip against the pleasure Hermione's touch was causing her.

Hermione felt uncomfortable being so close to her nearly naked friend, especially after everything that happened at the Fairy. Hermione tried to make conversation, "What's a jeepster?" she asked suddenly.

Ginny pulled her eyes off of Hermione's body and looked to her eyes, "What?" she asked.

Hermione smiled softly, "That song, in the Fairy? Jeepster? What is that?" Ginny shrugged,

"I don't know, some muggle song I heard a long time ago and never forgot," the redhead answered.

"Oh," Hermione said, "Well, I liked it. Whatever it is." Hermione finished cleaning up all of the blood off of Ginny's body and said, "All done." The brunette tossed the rag onto the table and smiled up at the redhead.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat at the look of desire in Ginny's light brown eyes. Hermione couldn't help her body's reaction. Ginny sat up and placed her hand onto Hermione's face. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the brunette's lips. Hermione trembled at the feeling Ginny's lips caused.

Ginny pulled away from Hermione as she said, "Sorry, that was uncalled for. I just couldn't seem to help myself." Hermione didn't give Ginny the chance to pull away and surged forward and locked their lips in a deep sensual kiss. Ginny groaned and wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist.

The brunette pushed Ginny to the side and made her lay down flat on the couch and straddled the redhead's waist, one leg pressed up against the back of the couch and the other hanging onto the edge. Ginny pushed up with one hand, sitting up slightly, keeping their lips together. The other hand went into Hermione's gorgeous brown locks.

The redhead had not even considered that Hermione would be interested in what the two women were currently doing. Ginny always thought Hermione was more interested in men. Although currently the brunette was not only receptive to it, she was encouraging it. Ginny had kissed a lot of people, but something in these kisses had depth. Depth that Ginny had never known.

After a while in the pool of kissing depths, Hermione began to instinctively rock a little bit against her, and Ginny groaned at the sight and feel. Ginny groaned again when Hermione pulled away but gasped as she began to kiss down the redhead's neck and collar bone. Hermione repositioned her body more flat onto Ginny as she went lower.

Hermione gently nipped Ginny's upper chest, tasting the skin she had fought all night not to touch. She shifted one of her legs between Ginny's but immediately pulled it back when Ginny exclaimed.

"Ow! Sorry babe, but my leg…. Not fully healed yet," the redhead concluded with a small, pained, laugh. Hermione moved to get up, but Ginny pulled her back down and lifted her slightly to lay her against the back of the couch but still partially on top of her.

Hermione laid her head down onto Ginny's chest, loving the feel of the simple human intimacy. Ginny looked at the clock on the wall across the room and sighed when she noticed how late it was. "I should get going," Ginny whispered into the brunette's hair, "It's late and I have a mission to prepare for. Ron will kill me if he finds out about what happened tonight." Hermione nodded, not sure if Ginny meant the attack or the intimacy between them.

"Stay," Hermione responded, "It's too dangerous to leave still and, also, you shouldn't apparate quite yet with your injuries so fresh."

Ginny frowned as she thought about the pros and cons. "I shouldn't," the redhead said, while making no move to get up.

"You should," Hermione answered sleepily. Ginny closed her eyes and considered leaving, but fell asleep before deciding. The redhead had been unable to pull herself from the even breathing and warmth of the sleeping brunette on her side.

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