Chapter 44

Hermione POV

Hermione stood with the rest of the Hogwarts students out on the grounds, trying to control her emotions. The early morning air was already warm, but carried a subtle cool breeze that Hermione appreciated because the anticipation of Juliette's departure was making her feel very ill. She watched as the Durmstrang ship submerged beneath the surface of the Black Lake, and then reluctantly looked up to watch as the Beauxbatons carriage flew further and further away, eventually becoming nothing but a speck amongst the colorful early morning sky. She immediately felt tears begin to roll down her face, and she wiped them away furiously, desperately trying to control her feelings as she knew Juliette was no longer here to help make her feel better. She felt a nudge, and saw Ginny standing there beside her. She didn't say anything, she just stood there, with Hermione, supportively. Hermione began to let her tears flow freely, and she felt Ginny take her hand. Still, Ginny said nothing.

"Thank you…" Hermione whispered.

"What are friends for?" Ginny whispered back.

As the crowd began to disperse back to their own common rooms to finish up packing, Ginny and Hermione stayed, as Hermione still hadn't stopped crying. Eventually they were alone, but Ginny was still there with Hermione, holding fast to her hand, gently stroking it with her thumb.

"Thank you, Ginny. It was very kind of you to stay with me… I'm sorry I'm such a blubbering mess… I just – "

"You don't have to apologize, Hermione. I get it. You're going to miss Juliette, that's understandable," Ginny shrugged, offering Hermione a small smile. Hermione sniffled, then offered her a watery smile in return.

"Ready to head up to the common room for the last time this year?" Ginny asked, nodding towards the castle.

Hermione took a deep breath, then nodded, "Let's go."

The two walked to Gryffindor Tower in silence, then went off to their respective dormitories.

"Are you okay? I can't imagine having to say goodbye to someone that went to another school and won't be coming back in September!" Lavender bombarded Hermione as soon as she opened the door, and hugged her in what was their first hug ever. Well, Lavender hugged Hermione. In the process, she'd pinned Hermione's arms to her sides, so Hermione really just stood there, getting hugged tight by Lavender.

"I – Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you, Lavender," Hermione said, a bit strained due to how tightly Lavender was grasping her.

"Lav, let her breathe. Literally and figuratively…" Parvati suggested, and Lavender let go and returned to her own trunk. Hermione mouthed "Thank you" to Parvati, and continued packing her things.

As she'd cleaned out her four-poster bed, double-checking every drawer, nook, and cranny in her space, she laid a hand on the necklace that was under her top. She paused, then pulled the necklace out to lay it on her top of her shirt. She'd been keeping it hidden so she could keep it just between herself and Juliette, but now that Juliette was gone, she wanted the visible reminder of the girl out in the open.

"What's that?" Lavender gasped, clocking the necklace immediately as Hermione turned back towards the center of the room.

"Juliette gave it to me when she asked me to be her girlfriend. It's – It's been in her family for generations…" Hermione said, blushing lightly.

"It's beautiful! All Ron's ever given me was his own mum's necklace that he found lying on the ground near the lake…" Lavender muttered, closing her trunk and sitting on top of it.

"Yes, I would assume that girls would be better gift givers than boys, Lav," Parvati laughed as Lavender rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well, he's good at other things…"

"As if Juliette's not? Sorry, Hermione, if that's a bit rude, but there's no way that girl isn't exceptional at whatever she wants to be…" Parvati said.

"You're not wrong…" Hermione admitted. Both Parvati and Lavender stared at her, jaws dropped. "I – I mean snogging. We haven't done much more than that, really." Hermione clarified, blushing deeply. "And I'm sorry Lavender, but I just can't hear about what you and Ron have done… He's like a brother to me…"

Lavender rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I get it, don't worry. We haven't done much more than snogging either. He's a bit messy, though, as far as kissing goes."

Hermione couldn't help but scrunch up her face in disgust at the adjective of "messy" and internally thanked herself for fancying girls and not boys.

The three of them made their way down the hall, leaving their door ajar to indicate that their room was packed and ready for the Hogwarts Express. Crookshanks trotted alongside Hermione begrudgingly, he always hated leaving Hogwarts as it meant many, many fewer cats for him to play with. She picked him up and cuddled him as she walked past Ginny's door, noting that the door was still shut. She shrugged, figuring Ginny was still packing, and followed Parvati and Lavender down to the common room to meet Harry and Ron.

Ginny POV

Ginny entered her dormitory and sighed in relief as it appeared she was the only one left with things to pack. She began to haphazardly toss her clothes and books into her trunk, then delicately organized and stored her copies of Seeker Weekly. She stopped as she picked up Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland and flipped through it mindlessly. It had been so thoughtful of Hermione to buy this for her, and she thought back to the time they'd spent together at the Three Broomsticks, just the two of them.

Was she fancying me then? Ginny thought. She bit her lip as she felt her heart clench inside her chest, but worked to fight it off. She's happy with Juliette, and doesn't fancy you anymore. Stop. Ginny closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing, as she heard the door open behind her.

"Oh!" Ginny whipped around as she immediately recognized the shocked voice to be Demelza's.

"I – I'm sorry, Demelza. I thought I was the only one who still had to pack. I can go and finish up once you've left. Sorry – "

"Ginny, it's okay. I just forgot my Tutshill Tornadoes key ring. My dad would've gone mad had I come home without it," she said calmly, grabbing the light blue trinket from her drawer.

"Demelza…?" Ginny asked tentatively as Demelza was almost out the door. Demelza stopped, and turned to face Ginny.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"If your offer still stands to be friends once school starts up again, I'd like that…" Ginny said as she ran a hand through her long, red hair. "I understand completely why you broke up with me, and I agree that it was the right thing to do. No pressure at all, but if you're still interested, I… I really would like to be friends again."

Demelza was silent, seemingly studying Ginny's face. Then she nodded, and gave Ginny a small smile, "The offer still stands."

Ginny grinned, and Demelza smiled a little bigger. "See you around, Demelza."

"See you, Ginny. Have a good summer."

As Demelza walked out the door, Ginny felt a huge weight lift off of her shoulders that she hadn't even realized was there. She did want to be friends with Demelza again, and as much time as they'd spent together this past year in a relationship, there was no hint of the feelings she once had still lingering for the blonde. I mean, yes, Ginny still found Demelza to be absolutely adorable, but the feelings were long gone.

Ginny carefully packed Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland into her trunk, and closed it. She scanned the room briefly, then grabbed her Comet 260 and headed off for the Hogwarts Express.

"Oi, Gin! Down here!" Ron called down the hallway of the Hogwarts Express. Ginny passed compartment after compartment before she reached the one Ron had called out to her from. She put her broom up above on the storage rack, and sat down beside Hermione, across from Ron and Harry.

"Where's Lavender?" Ginny asked.

"Off with Parvati and her sister Padma. They're trying to hook Parvati up with some bloke in Ravenclaw, Michael Corner?" Ron shrugged.

"Hmmm," Ginny shrugged as well.

The Hogwarts Express lurched forward as it began its departure from Hogsmeade Station, and something caught Ginny's eye.

"What's that?" Ginny asked Hermione, nodding at the necklace.

"Oh, Juliette gave it to me. I usually wear it under my clothes, but since she's gone, it feels more appropriate to have it out to remind me of her."

"Oh… It's very nice!" Ginny said earnestly.

"Thanks Ginny," Hermione said, smiling at her. Neither of the boys said anything. "I'm actually going to be visiting her before I meet up with everyone at the Burrow this summer. She's invited me to stay with her in France for two weeks at the beginning of August."

Ginny hoped desperately that her face wasn't betraying her as she spoke, "That's great Hermione! I'm really happy for the two of you. Well, you more than Juliette, but you know what I mean," Ginny said, mustering up her warmest, most sincere smile. Still, nothing from the boys across from them.

Hermione smiled back at Ginny, then stood abruptly, "Oh shoot, I forgot I grabbed a book on Herbology from the library for Neville. I'm going to go find him and make sure he gets it. I'll be back!" Hermione left the compartment, closing the door behind her.

"Gin…" Harry started, looking at Ginny with sad eyes.

"What? You were the one who agreed that I move on from this. I'm moving on. I'm happy for her, and I'm moving on," Ginny said, sternly.

"Wait, what? Do you fancy Hermione?" Ron asked, confused.

"I – Yes, Ron, I do. But it's obviously too late. She and Juliette are very happy together, and I refuse to be the one to take that away from Hermione."

"Look… While I'm not exactly mad about the idea of my best friend and my sister snogging, pretty sure that would be incest of sorts, I know you'd make her pretty happy too… You seemed to make Demelza happy. During our Wizards Chess matches I couldn't get a bloody word in edgewise because she'd just go on and on about how amazing you were… If you fancy Hermione, don't you think she at least deserves to know? Let her make her own decision?"

"No. I don't. Honestly, she kept that she fancied me to herself for months while I was happy with Demelza. How could I not do the same for her?"

"Well, sure. But she also thought that it would ruin family relationships and you might not reciprocate her feelings for you… We know she's fancied you in the past, and we know family relationships wouldn't be ruined by it…" Harry admitted.

"Well, I don't know about my mum and dad and how they'd feel about me fancying girls. I haven't exactly told them yet…"

"What?" Ron interrupted, but Ginny remained focused on Harry.

"Also, I'm sorry, but wasn't it you who told me not to ruin her happiness?"

"Yes…" Harry admitted reluctantly.

"Why the sudden change of heart, then?"

Harry shrugged, "I just wish I could see the two of you happy, at the same time. It's been one or the other this year, and it's been tough to watch."

"Well, maybe I'll find someone new once I've moved on from Hermione. I hear Lavender fancied me briefly when she heard I liked girls at the beginning of the year…" Ginny said with a smirk.

"WHAT?" Ron shouted, and Harry roared with laughter. "LAVENDER!" Ron yelled down the hallway as he left in search of Lavender.

"I probably shouldn't have said that," Ginny said, wiping away her tears of laughter.

"They'll be fine, I wouldn't worry too much about it," Harry said, still laughing a bit.

Once Ginny stopped laughing, she became serious once again, "Harry, you were right to begin with. I can't be the reason she loses the happiness she has with Juliette. I can't tell her and risk complicating things or making things more difficult on her, I just can't," Ginny said shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Gin."

"It's alright. I'm glad you told me, well, explained it all after Ron shouted it out. And I'll be fine. I'm going to focus on Quidditch this summer, and I don't think it'll leave me much time for thinking about girls."

"I mean, I'm pretty Quidditch-obsessed myself, but I always find time to think about girls, Gin," Harry smiled. "Maybe you're right though, maybe you will find someone new."

"Ginny's found someone new?" Hermione asked casually as she re-entered the carriage.

"No, but I did run into Demelza when I was packing this morning, and we made amends. I feel like that officially closed the chapter on that book, so maybe once I'm ready, I'll be more open to finding someone new…" Ginny said.

"Oh, that's great Ginny. I'm glad you have that closure," Hermione said, nodding.

"I better go find Ron, I shouldn't have provoked him like that," Ginny said, getting up and leaving the compartment.

Hermione POV

"What'd she do to Ron?" Hermione asked as Ginny closed the compartment door behind her.

"She let it slip that Lavender fancied her when she first found out Ginny liked girls," Harry grinned at Hermione. "You should've seen Ron's reaction."

Hermione's eyes widened, "Oh, and we were just starting to get along…" Hermione muttered worriedly.

"Who? You and Gin?"

"No, me and Lavender… I told Ginny that Lavender had fancied her for a moment… She was going on about how she wouldn't find anyone else and I told her that to boost her confidence. Oh, Ginny!" Hermione whined, frustrated.

"If I know Ron and Lavender, I'm sure they've already moved into the snogging phase of their argument," Harry chuckled lightly, then winced at the thought.

"Alright... So, Ginny's looking for someone new?"

"I'm not talking to you about this, Hermione," Harry said, sternly.

"What? Why not?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"Look… I just need a break from all of this girl talk. Between you and Ginny, it's been a lot. All you need to know is what she just told you, that when she's ready, she'll be looking for someone new. Okay?"

"Alright…" Hermione mumbled, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning back. She felt Harry looking at her, observing her. "What?"

"Does it upset you that Ginny is possibly going to get involved with someone new?" Harry asked slowly. "I thought you were happy with Juliette?"

"My relationship with Juliette has nothing to do with this, and yes, I am very happy. I just… I don't want Ginny to get hurt…"

Harry stared at her, carefully studying her face.

"What?" she asked again, irritated by his lack of response.

"Nothing. I heard you. You don't want her to get hurt."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason…" Harry shrugged, looking out the compartment window towards the hallways. "Where do you reckon the food trolley is?"

Suddenly, Ginny, Ron, Parvati, and Lavender all walked through the compartment door.

"It was just a joke, Ron! How would I have known if Lavender fancied me? And why would she, when she's got you?" Ginny was saying as they walked in. Ron had his arm around Lavender, who was giving Hermione a death glare. Parvati seemed to find the whole thing hilarious.

"True, true… I am pretty hard to beat, aren't I Lav?" Ron grinned down at his girlfriend, who looked back up at him.

"Of course you are Won-Won!" Lavender smiled up at Ron, before flashing another angry look at Hermione.

"She'll be fine, don't worry about it," Parvati reassured Hermione quietly. Hermione sent Lavender an apologetic look as Ginny sat down beside her.

"Sorry, it just slipped out. I'll make sure I take the heat though, don't worry," Ginny whispered into Hermione's ear.

After that, they all settled in, talking about their upcoming summer plans and who they thought would be chosen as Gryffindor Prefects the following year. The trolley came and went, they all ate more than their share of sweets and were just coming down from their sugar highs as the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station. As everyone left the compartment, Hermione grabbed Ginny's arm gently to keep her seated.

"Hold on a second, Ginny," she said, waiting for the others to leave. She turned to the redhead, who was staring at her curiously.

"I have something for you…" Hermione said, pulling out a small bag and handing it to Ginny.

"What is this? Another gift? Hermione…" Ginny protested, making no move to open the bag.

"Well, yes, but it's not really from me," Hermione started. "Open it."

Ginny opened it, and gasped, "What – Who is this from?"

"Viktor didn't want his winnings, so he gave them to me. I'm keeping most of it as I want to do further research on some charities in the Wizarding World before I donate, but I wanted you to have some," Hermione stated.

"Hermione, I can't take this…"

"Yes, you can. Please, take it."

"Hermione, this is way too much! There's got to be at least 100 galleons in here!" Ginny argued.

"Correct, there's exactly 100 galleons. Look Ginny, there's no one more deserving in my mind than you to have some of these winnings. Invest in yourself, invest in Quidditch. In return, promise me your first autograph when you become a professional Quidditch player," Hermione said, smiling warmly at Ginny. "Now, this stays between you and me, okay? I know I should've considered giving some to Ron too, but I know he'd just blow it all on Chocolate Frogs and gifts for Lavender… If you do hear of anything worth me putting the rest of the winnings towards, let me know, okay? Unless you'd be willing to take more?"

Ginny shook her head quickly, "No – no, this is already too much. I'll be sure to make good use of it, I promise," Ginny smiled at Hermione.

"I know you will," Hermione smiled back. "Okay, are you ready to go?"

Ginny tucked the bag away, then nodded, "Yep, let's go."

The two girls left the compartment and stepped off the Hogwarts Express, ready to start their summer holidays.

AN: Thank you so much to everyone who has been providing feedback so far, I truly appreciate it! It's been an absolute blast getting this story to this point over the past two months - it really has just poured out of me and I have very much enjoyed it. I am going to take a brief hiatus as we've hit the end of the 1994/1995 school year, but I am hoping to be back updating in a matter of weeks. Again, thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story to this point, I've got big plans for it and I'm excited for what it's future holds :)