Chapter 62

Hermione POV

Hermione appreciated that she was currently the only one in her dormitory who had yet to return from Christmas holiday. She liked the quiet and being able to relax in her room without the constant talking from Parvati and Lavender. It's not as if she didn't genuinely like the two of them, she just couldn't quite comprehend why they seemed to need to fill every single moment of silence with chatter.

As Hermione unpacked her things, she reflected on the past few weeks at home. It was nice getting to spend so much time with her parents, who clearly missed her while she was away at school. She sometimes worried about them, as the three of them were quite close, and as their only daughter and child, she certainly left a noticeable absence in the house while she was away. They were understanding when she stayed at Hogwarts last Christmas holiday for the Yule Ball, but she knew they'd also been sad that she hadn't returned home, which had made this Christmas holiday extra special.

Hermione smiled as she unpacked a few of her new books she'd gotten for Christmas, when a stack of envelopes spilled out onto the floor. Hermione bit her lip then quickly picked up the envelopes that had Ginny's familiar handwriting scrawled across the front of each one. Ginny's thoughtful birthday gift had remained unused and untouched, as Hermione assumed Ginny wouldn't want her cashing in on such favors now that Ginny's time was preoccupied with Katie. They hadn't spoken since the Halloween Feast, if you could really call that speaking. Hermione hated that last interaction, and couldn't get over Ginny's cold question: "How's Juliette?". What did it matter how Juliette was when Ginny was with Katie?

Speaking of Juliette, Hermione hadn't heard from her either. Really, she'd been pretty isolated the past few months. She'd see Ron and Harry in class, she'd see Dean during Prefect duties, but other than that, she'd mostly kept to herself. Not that she minded it much, as it allowed for her to be as prepared as she wanted to be for her upcoming O.W.L.s, but it was a bit lonely after a while. As frustrating as it was, every time her loneliness struck, her mind wandered to Ginny, and what she was doing. Even though she was angry and hurt by the fact that Ginny had moved on so quickly to Katie, Hermione still missed her. She tried her best to not do it often, but sometimes she couldn't help but watch the girl from afar. It was difficult, and what was worse, was that her feelings for the redhead hadn't lessened in the slightest. Hermione still fancied the girl, still wanted to be with her even though they hadn't properly spoken in months, but there was nothing she could do now that Ginny was with Katie. Ginny had made her choice, and Hermione couldn't pretend to not be extremely hurt by it.

After Hermione finally unpacked her trunk, she grabbed a stack of textbooks and headed out of her dormitory to the stairs leading to the common room. As she began to descend the stairs, she immediately collided with a very solid, fast-moving body, causing her to drop her books.

"I'm sorry, I – Hermione!" Ginny said, shocked.

Hermione didn't reach for her books, she just stood there, taking in the redhead. It almost appeared as if Ginny had gotten a little taller over the past few months, Hermione hadn't been this close to her in a while, so she wouldn't have been able to tell. Her long red hair was pulled back with a hair tie and her new Weasley sweater fit her snugly, not too tight, but just right. Hermione could clearly see the outline of lean, muscular shoulders and arms, and –

"Hermione?" Ginny asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Hermione snapped her eyes up to Ginny's, realizing she'd been staring at her sweater for far too long.

"No need to apologize, I – I should've been looking where I was going!" Hermione said awkwardly as she bent down to pick up her books. Unfortunately, Ginny had bent down to do the same.

"Ouch!" Hermione and Ginny both exclaimed as their heads collided.

"Sorry, sorry! Here, I've got it," Ginny said, quickly picking up Hermione's book and stacking them neatly before handing them back to her.

"Thank you..." Hermione said quietly, hoping her face wasn't turning too red.

Ginny pulled the hair tie out of her hair and ran her hand through her long tresses, "So, how was your holiday?"

"It was nice, quiet… How was yours?" Hermione asked, trying to steady her breathing after her head had knocked against Ginny's. The scent of Ginny's shampoo was taking over her mind, but she needed to focus.

Get a grip, she's dating someone else.

"Mine was nice as well, but certainly not quiet," Ginny chuckled. "Bill brought home his new girlfriend. Do you remember Fleur Delacour from the Triwizard Tournament?"

Hermione nodded, remembering the blonde Champion from Juliette's school, "How did your mum take that? Has anyone ever brought anyone home to meet her before?"

Ginny laughed, "Yeah, she took it as well as she could have, I suppose. They did argue about Celestina Warbeck, which made for an entertaining evening. Other than that, it was alright. Weird though, having another girl around the Burrow that wasn't you…"

Hermione chanced a look directly into Ginny's eyes, finding that the bright brown eyes were looking pretty intently at her's.

"Hermione, I wanted to ask you – "

"Ginny!"

Katie was ascending the stairs and immediately grabbed Ginny and pulled her into a tight hug. Hermione felt her heart drop, and pulled her books close to her chest.

"Hello Hermione, how was your holiday?" Katie asked kindly once she finally released Ginny.

"Just fine, and yours?"

"It was great! I – "

"Sorry, I've got to be off. Nice seeing both of you," Hermione said as politely as she could manage as she moved past them on the stairs. They both looked confused as Hermione scooched past them, but she didn't care. She wasn't about to be a third wheel, she still didn't understand how Demelza could do it. It felt great finally getting to talk to Ginny, so it was probably a good thing that Katie had arrived to bring her back to reality.

Ginny POV

"Sorry, I've got to be off. Nice seeing both of you," Hermione said politely as she moved past herself and Katie on the stairs.

Ginny watched as the brunette swiftly disappeared down the stairs and out of sight.

"So, you and Hermione are talking again? That's great!" Katie exclaimed, smiling at her.

"Yeah, we were talking until someone came up and interrupted!" Ginny pointed out.

"Sorry that I was excited to see my favorite Quidditch reserve! I can see your point though, I should've stopped myself. Anyway, what were you about to ask her? What were you talking about?" Demelza asked excitedly.

Ginny looked around, then grabbed Katie and pulled her towards the 4th year dormitory, "Come on, I've got something to tell you".

As they entered Ginny's dormitory, they both sat down on Ginny's bed on opposite ends, facing each other.

Ginny took a deep breath, then said, "Hermione and Juliette aren't together anymore."

Katie's jaw dropped, "See, I told you there was a possibility! How do you know?"

"Do you remember Fleur Delacour, the Champion for Beauxbatons last year?"

"Yes, of course, she's well fit!"

"Well, she's dating my brother, and he brought her home for Christmas."

"Which brother?"

"Bill, why does that matter?"

"I'm just saying, good for him!"

Ginny gave Katie a look, who grinned sheepishly before motioning for Ginny to keep talking.

"Fleur's little sister still attends Beauxbatons and according to her, ever since right around a week after Hermione's birthday, Juliette has been moping around completely broken."

"So… When Juliette came to visit her, they definitely broke up then… Right?"

"It sounds like it, I can't imagine another reason for Juliette to be that upset. I spoke with Harry and Ron about it and they think I should just talk to Hermione about it and ask her."

"Did I interrupt you asking her?" Katie asked.

"I mean… No… I… I don't even know how to go about this… We hadn't spoken in months, and we just so happen to collide on the stairs and then when I went to help pick up her books, we bumped heads and…" Ginny sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. She looked at Katie to find her grinning at her, "What?"

"That's cute…"

Ginny gave the older girl a look.

"Well, it is!"

"I just… I don't want to mess this up and end up not talking to her again… If she really isn't with Juliette and if she does still fancy me… Which… I think she does…" Ginny said, her face turning a little bit red.

Katie gave her an inquiring look.

"Well… She definitely checked me out in this sweater…"

"That sweater?" Katie asked a bit doubtfully, examining the new Weasley sweater Ginny was wearing.

"Yes, this sweater!" Ginny exclaimed defensively, adjusting the sweater, "I look great!"

Katie smiled and reached across to ruffle Ginny's hair, "Of course you do, Ginny."

Ginny glared at the girl before continuing, "Look, I don't want to mess this up."

Katie nodded, "I understand, but I agree with Harry and Ron, you just need to talk to her. I promise, next time I see you two talking, I won't interrupt."

"Thanks…"

"What?"

Ginny sighed, "I'm nervous. If she hasn't been with Juliette in months, why wouldn't she talk to me? I told her I fancied her and if a week later they broke up… Why wouldn't she have said anything to me?" Ginny said, looking down.

Katie scooted across the bed and put her arm around Ginny, "Sometimes I think that girl is too smart for her own good. I really think just talking to her directly is the best way to go about this. Yes, that's nerve-wracking, but I know you to be pretty brave. You can do this, Ginny," Katie smiled at her and she pulled her close.

Suddenly, Demelza opened the door to the dormitory and Katie immediately let go of Ginny to scoop the blonde up in her arms for a kiss.

"I told you Christmas holiday would feel way too long!" Demelza laughed as they broke apart.

"You were right, that was horrible!" Katie agreed, smiling so big Ginny thought that her face must hurt.

"You two are something else…" Ginny muttered as she shook her head, smiling at her two friends, "I'm going to head down to the pitch to get some training in, nice to see you Demelza!" Ginny said as she left the two to catch up. Once she got to the common room, she ran into Ron and Harry.

"Hey, we saw Hermione come down the stairs a few moments ago, did you talk to her?" Harry asked.

"I did, but I didn't get around to asking her about it. I think I'm going to go train a little bit down on the pitch first, then I'm going to really talk to her if I've got enough nerve built up by then…" Ginny said nervously.

"Remember, you're a Weasley. Hard to resist," Ron said with a wink.

Ginny shot a look at Harry then turned back to Ron, "Thanks…" Ginny then set off for the Quidditch locker room.

After arriving in the Quidditch locker room, Ginny quickly changed into joggers and a jumper and threw a loose sweater on over top for good measure. It wasn't as cold as it could be outside, but as it was January, and she'd soon be flying at fast speeds in the chilled air, it was still going to be plenty cold. As she finally felt bundled up enough to head out, she heard someone enter the locker room from the pitch-side entrance.

"Hello?" Ginny called out.

McLaggen walked through carrying his broom on his shoulder and paused, looking at Ginny and giving her his signature nauseating smile.

"Can I help you?" Ginny asked, standing her ground against the older, bigger boy.

"I think you've helped enough, Weasley. Do you reckon you all made the right choice, picking your brother over me for Keeper? It was like he was frozen out there against Slytherin."

"Ron flew great at tryouts, and you did yourself in by hitting me with that Bludger. Couldn't stop my shots on your own, so you had to cheat, huh?" Ginny asked, annoyed at McLaggen's shot at Ron's most recent performance against Slytherin.

McLaggen walked closer to Ginny, towering over her as she was still sitting on the bench in front of her locker.

"I think after two more pathetic showings from your brother, I'll be a shoe-in for next year's team. As long as Potter doesn't get chosen as the Captain, I reckon I'll have a pretty fine chance if Katie gets it," he smirked, and something about Katie's name in McLaggen's mouth didn't sit well with Ginny at all.

"Yeah, because she's immune to what a complete arse you are?" Ginny asked, feeling the anger start to build up inside her.

"You know… I've noticed how close you, Katie, and Demelza have been lately… What's going on there, huh? The three of you girlfriends? Got bored of Granger, did you?" McLaggen smiled as he stepped closer still to Ginny, who had gotten to her feet on the other side of the bench to prevent him from having such a size and space advantage over her.

"Of course not, I – "

"You know… I think it's time I paid Granger a serious visit… She seems to be awfully lonely since her little girlfriend has gone back to France…"

Ginny glared up at him. She hated how aware he seemed to be of the three girls she cared about the most, as well as herself. What exactly was his problem, anyway?

"Stay away from her…" Ginny said between gritted teeth.

McLaggen smiled again his awful, smug smile as he stepped closer still to Ginny, leaning across the bench and resting his arm on the locker behind her, effectively trapping Ginny between himself and the locker, "Who are you to dictate who Granger spends time with, huh? What if she wants me, Weasley?"

"I can promise you she doesn't, and would never want you, McLaggen," Ginny said, staring daggers up at the boy. She saw his eyes falter slightly into anger, before he recovered.

"We'll see about that…" he said with a menacing smile before he stepped back and swaggered out of the locker room.

Ginny stared at the door where he'd just exited through for a moment before changing back into her Weasley sweater and jeans. She had to find Hermione.

Hermione POV

Later that evening after a few good hours spent deep in the library, Hermione was on her way back to the common room with her stack of books. The library had been nice and quiet, as she'd assumed it would be the first evening back from holiday, and it had allowed Hermione to fully immerse herself in her studies, which is just what she needed. She needed to refocus her mind and reset her goals after seeing Ginny earlier in the day. Yes, it was a great interaction, but Katie interrupting them reminded her exactly what the situation was. Ginny was with Katie, and that was that. This was something that she was again reminded of during her time in the library, as Ginny had made a very brief appearance, closely followed by Katie and Demelza right behind her. Ginny had spotted her, given her a small smile and a wave, and then the three of them left just as quickly as they'd arrived. It was odd, but also gave Hermione further determination to really dig in to her studies. Everything was the same as it had been before the holiday break, nothing had changed, so Hermione needed to continue on as she was as well.

As she walked through a particularly long corridor, she felt a presence behind her. She continued walking, hoping the whoever or whatever it was would turn off into a different hallway, but it remained behind her, following her. Hermione decided to break off herself and took a corridor she typically wouldn't, but she still felt the presence behind her. Suddenly, she felt her books being pulled out of her arms.

"You shouldn't be carrying such a large, heavy stack of books, Granger," McLaggen declared as Hermione whipped around to see who'd just taken her books from her.

"I – I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own things, thanks…" Hermione said, reaching her arms out to take her books back. McLaggen didn't budge.

"Wouldn't you rather I carry them for you? Now that your French girlfriend isn't around, don't you want someone to carry your things for you?"

Hermione let her arms fall to her sides and looked up at the boy, stony-faced. She didn't want him talking about Juliette in any capacity, "We've had this conversation. I'm not interested, and I won't be. I don't fancy – "

"Boys, I know you don't. But maybe you just haven't found the right man to fancy yet…" McLaggen smiled down at her with his arrogant smile.

Hermione didn't like what he was saying, and could tell it wasn't headed somewhere good. She made the conscious decision to abandon her books, and turned to start walking away.

"Where do you think you're going?" McLaggen asked as he swiftly caught up with her in a few steps.

Hermione ignored him, and kept walking purposefully forward. If she could just get back to the library, she knew there was no way McLaggen would continue harassing her in front of Madam Pince.

"I said, where do you think you're going?" McLaggen asked more aggressively this time, rounding on Hermione.

Hermione felt her eyes go wide. He was so much bigger and stronger than she was, and his air of nauseating bravado and charm had vanished completely. Hermione tried to turn back around and head back towards the common room, when she felt him grab her.

- BANG -

Hermione wasn't even able to get a word out before she felt McLaggen let go of her as he flew against the corridor wall beside her and began screaming in pain and clutching at his face. As she looked down the corridor, she saw Ginny, standing with her wand pointed directly at McLaggen, advancing on him quickly.

"What did I say?" she shouted at the boy as he writhed around on the ground, bat-shaped figures flying out of his nose and attacking his face, "I said to stay away from her!"

Hermione looked at Ginny, watching the intense rage on the younger girl's face dissipate as she looked over at her.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked with concern.

Hermione could only manage a nod. Ginny swiftly picked up Hermione's books and put an arm around her waist, walking her down the corridor towards the common room. McLaggen's screams echoed down the corridor, following them as they walked. Before they turned the corner, Ginny pointed her wand over her shoulder. With a brief flick, the screaming from McLaggen subsided.

"I told him to leave you alone… When I saw you in the library, I figured you'd be fine and he'd get bored or distracted or lose interest, the git… I didn't think he'd wait up for you…" Ginny said between clenched teeth as they walked quickly through the corridors. Hermione said nothing.

They walked along in silence for a while, Ginny never taking her arm from around Hermione. Once they were just a flight or two of stairs away from the Gryffindor Common Room, Ginny stopped and pulled Hermione to face her.

"Really, are you okay? We should report this to Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore or… Someone…"

"If we do that, you'll get in trouble for what you did…" Hermione said softly, "I don't want you to get in trouble, Ginny…"

Hermione felt Ginny's bright brown eyes studying her face, but she was trying to fight looking at her.

"Thank you…" Hermione said, softer yet, finally looking up into Ginny's eyes. She'd never seen them looking so intense and worried before.

"You're welcome… Look… If he ever even looks at you funny or comes near you, let me know… Alright?" Ginny said seriously. "He does not come near you again without consequence."

Hermione was lost in Ginny's eyes and couldn't will herself to respond past a nod. There was so much more she wanted to say, wanted to ask, but couldn't get herself to do it. Why was Ginny being so protective of her if she had a girlfriend?

"Come on, let's get you to your dormitory," Ginny said as she put her arm around Hermione again and guided her up to the common room.

Ginny gave the password and helped Hermione through the portrait hole. They walked right past Katie, Demelza, Ritchie and Colin who were engaged in a game of Exploding Snap, up the stairs to the empty fifth-year girls dormitory. Hermione sat on her bed as Ginny placed her stack of books carefully beside it before sitting down herself.

"Hermione, I – "

"Ginny, you shouldn't be in here…"

"I – What? Why not?"

"You just shouldn't…"

The two locked eyes again, Ginny's looking into Hermione's imploringly. Hermione didn't understand what was so hard for Ginny to understand. Ginny was dating Katie, she clearly shouldn't be in Hermione's dormitory alone with her. Just then, Lavender and Parvati walked through the door, chatting away about their classes the next day. Ginny still didn't break eye contact, but Hermione took the opportunity to do so.

"Hello, how were your Christmas holidays? Ginny was just leaving…"

Hermione tried to ignore the clear hurt she saw in Ginny's eyes as the younger girl got up and left. Lavender and Parvati both rambled on and on about how their holidays had gone, but all Hermione could think about was the fourth-year redhead who'd just saved her.