Chapter 21: Studying for NEWTS

Hermione frowned, her brow furrowing in concentration as she bent over the sheaf of parchment. She sat cross-legged on the spread of her four-poster, Crookshanks cuddled in her lap.

Ron would probably laugh at her, if he knew how hard she was studying. He'd insist that as the cleverest witch of her age, she didn't need to – flattery that she would accept, yet the fact still remained: her NEWTS were looming this coming spring term, and she hadn't exactly bought herself studying time after essentially deferring her seventh year to go on the run, now had she?

With her free hand that was not holding her quill, she fingered the Head Girl Badge pinned to their dress robes. The drive in her had made her question, ethically speaking, whether she had deserved the post, but McGonagall, Head of her House and now Interim Headmistress, had expressed every confidence in the bushy-haired witch. Hermione was pleased by the honor, to be sure, but it did so put that much more on her plate. She hoped her Prefects listened to her, let alone respected her, as she gave them out their after-curfew patrol assignments. Even if there were those who might question her place, however, Hermione was confident that Ginny would whip them into shape.

Besides, she had had her place in this world questioned in far worse ways than having someone wonder why she had the fancy badge on her robes upon taking a remedial year after essentially becoming a Hogwarts drop out….

The wool of her sweater – a hand-knitten Christmas present from her Mum – scratched at the scarred gashes along the skin of her forearm. Hermione let out a hiss and fought the urge to roll up her sleeves and scratch at the cursed letters again until they ran with blood again. Last Saturday week, by the common room fire, Crookshanks had been batting his paws at something and accidentally nicked at the scar when Hermione happened to have her sleeves rolled up. The nicking had caused the 'U' in 'MUDBLOOD' to run red, taking on the shape of an almost sickly smile.

Peeking through the curtains of her four-poster, Hermione glanced out the window at the nighttime snowflakes coming down steadily on this frosty evening in mid-January. She had just received a letter from her boyfriend by owl post this morning: Ron, Harry and the lads had been given their legal assignments to begin assisting work on the Death Eater cases. Her favorite redhead's words had leaped off the page, conveying his displeasure at being assigned as advisory counsel for the defense of that monstrous oaf, Carrow – the brother, not the sister. Or was it the other way round?

Hermione dug through her bag indulgently, gripped with the excuse to re-read his letter again. Ron had revealed not a word about where and to whom Harry had been assigned – only enough to say that it wasn't Draco Malfoy. Perhaps Ron figured their best mate would write to her in his own due time.

She glanced about at the girls' dormitory now; most of the other seventh year girls were asleep, the curtains to their four posters closed. It disquieted Hermione to some degree that, outside of Ginny and that Demelza Robins, the Chaser from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, she didn't really know anybody. Lavender hadn't come back – last Hermione had heard, her former rival was deep into therapy treatment for her lycanthropy. Nor had Parvati Patil returned, perhaps figuring that after defending the castle from enemies within for an entire term, that constituted her NEWTS, and one seventh year of that nature was surely enough.

The door to the girls' dormitory banged open unexpectedly, heralding the sound of sniffles and sobs. Ginny came suddenly bolting in, auburn hair flying behind her like a banner in the instant before she spun and slammed the door behind her. Palms to the varnished wood, the ginger let out a shuddering whimper, then slapped the door once in frustration before burying her face in her palms.

Hermione alighted out of bed and went to her best girlfriend. "Gin? Love, what's the matter…..?"

"Those…. gits!" Ginny screamed, causing Hermione to jump and glance frantically about, lest her boyfriend's sister's shouting wake any of the other girls up. Ginny stomped for the communal writing desk in one corner, stewing and throwing herself down into the chair angrily. Tears were still threatening to spill. "I can't believe they are walking away from the best thing that's ever…." Another crestfallen sob overtook her, and she bent her chin to her chest like some sort of hibernating bird.

From the bedclothes, Crookshanks meowed with concern, and Hermione waved her cat down. "Who is? Ginny, what are you on about….?"

"Oh….. it's Lu and Nev! They've…. they've broken up!"

"What?!" Hermione cried, mouth falling open before she drew both hands to it to hold in a shocked gasp. "But why? When?!"

"Just tonight! They broke it off during an argument while she's out on Prefect patrol and he's here on a visit, the stupid little gits! Half the time last summer, on top of everything else, I was monitoring every nook and cranny to make sure it wasn't them I was catching in some broom cupboard, snogging like third years. Stumble upon them tonight, come to find out, they're having a row!"

Hermione was now using her palms to hide a smile. "Does Luna even know how to row….?" The thought of the placid Ravenclaw witch reaching any level of consternation above blissfully serene was pretty difficult to imagine.

"Oh, aye, she can, and let me tell you, lass – it ain't a pretty sight!" Ginny chuffed bitterly. "They least they could do would be to set a better example for how not to get caught by Filch!"

Hermione eased her bum onto the corner of the writing desk, studying her best girl mate curiously. "Have you heard from our Harry yet?"

"No," Ginny bit out tersely, still cross. No doubt the reminder that her own boyfriend had yet to write was making her even crosser still.

"Me neither. Ron says in his letter that they haven't been assigned to Malfoy's case, at least, thank Merlin." A slight pause, and then: "What were Luna and Nev even fighting about?"

"Fawkes if I know!" Ginny harrumphed.

"You think there was a triangle, was it? Some other bloke? Or bird?" Hermione had seen Neville now and again over these past many months – the once hapless boy had transformed himself into a self-assured man, and had shed all of his baby fat to boot. Happily involved in a relationship though she was, even the bookish Gryffindor had to admit Neville Longbottom cut a striking figure.

"Do you really think our Luna's the sort of lass who has mates fighting over her?" Ginny lifted an eyebrow. "I mean, don't get me wrong – she's pretty, in her own understated way, and she may be bloody good, but she's still barmy sometimes! And no more so than tonight!"

Hermione smiled sadly. "You just want them to be happy."

"Bloody damn right I do! It's no less than any of us deserve! Think about how nice and clean, wrapped up with a bow like, it'd be, inn'it? Six of us walk into the Department of Mysteries your fifth year, and we all come out the other side of a bleeding war two by two! It seems perfect, doesn't it?"

Hermione bit her lip to hide a smile. "Hmm. Maybe, for some people, too perfect." She rose off of the writing desk, pacing as Ginny rifled out a quill and inkwell and parchment, and began to pen a letter to Harry. "Anyway, I can't imagine it would be easy, a current and former Prefect seeing each other, especially across two different Houses, forget about the same one!"

Ginny lifted her head out of her letter. "You and our Ron were Prefects together, for two whole terms!"

Hermione smiled wanly. "We weren't together then," she pointed out. "And looking back, it was probably better for both our sakes and our posts that we weren't…."

"Bollocks – my ass of a brother made you and this entire damn House miserable for the better part of six months! Do you know how long we were on edge, watching him carrying on with that Brown…." Ginny's dependable ranting suddenly swayed to a halt as a cooler head and knowledge prevailed. The redhead sighed. "But I suppose that isn't fair to Lavender now, ain't it? She fought for us in the DA, same as most anyone else who wasn't a snake. And look at what happened to her, poor love!"

Hermione pursed her lips grimly, sadly. "I know. But that's over now." She sighed. "Besides, Ron and were almost better for it. That time apart made us ready. Merlin knows I wish it hadn't happened, but now that it did, your brother and I are better than ever. Why, we're…." Hermione's voice trailed off, her cheeks blossoming pink. "Never mind."

"What's all this, 'never you mind'?! Never you mind, my arse!" Ginny yelped, brushing at her damp lashes and launching herself onto Hermione's bed with renewed vigor, pulling the twittering brunette witch down beside her. "Details, love!"

Hermione's lips wrestled with indecision between a grin and a cringe. "Do you really want to hear this? It is your brother…"

"Bollocks to that! I've seen my brother under those disgraceful things he calls briefs, I'm sorry to say! Poor bastard has a wanker that looks like a toadstool!" Ginny smirked. "Sorry, but that's what you have to look forward to, love. I wish I didn't know that – sharing a bathroom with six brothers and my Dad weren't no picnic! The things you see…." She paused, the comprehension dawning. "Unless…. You're already past having to look forward to it…."

Hermione flushed beet red. Ginny squealed, chittering.

"So he has gotten off his bum, has he! When?! Was it in Australia?!"

Hermione gave a guilty little nod. Ginny let out another squeak. "We didn't shag the common way. …. Anal," she choked on the word that her prim and proper self almost didn't allow. "But, we've…. your brother and I…. we have…. been intimate. We've…. pleasured each other…. orally…." Hermione grimaced.

"Blimey…." Ginny breathed, looking at her best mate almost in awe. "Mean no offense, but I never would have believed it of you, darling. Hell, I never would have taken Ron to be that smooth, the tosser!"

"And you're comparing this to whom, exactly?" Hermione bantered back, relishing in for once turning the tables on the rhetorically nimble witch. "Harry?" At Ginny going white, the brunette ruthlessly smirked. "I didn't arrive late enough not to know what Ron was raving on about, that night late last summer. I know you and my best mate have been doing lots more than just snogging!"

Ginny threw a pillow at Hermione, and hit Crookshanks instead, causing the cat to beat a hasty retreat off the bedspread with an indignant yowl. Both girls collapsed onto the coverlet in peals of laughter.

"OK…. All right…. Ruddy come on, then!" Hermione wheezed, holding her sides as her gasps were punctuated by giggles. "Help quiz me on my Ancient Runes, will you? I'll need at least an Exceeds Expectations in my NEWTS if I want to interview for the right jobs after this term!"

And the two good mates, close enough to be practically sisters, spent the rest of that cold winter's evening, studying by the light of a wand under Lumos.