Chapter 80

Ginny POV

The rest of the Christmas holiday had been fine. The day after the big Fleur/Juliette/Imperturbable Charm revelation, nearly everyone left to return to their busy lives, leaving the Burrow occupied by just Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Ginny found that she and Hermione had quickly been able to fall into the same routine they had the summer before – an early workout for Ginny, then the two of them working together to complete her chores, followed by whatever they wanted to spend their time on, which turned out more often than not to be Hermione insisting on helping Ginny study for her O.W.L.s. Ginny certainly appreciated the help, but also had many other ideas for how they could've spent their time together that included a whole lot less talking than studying had. Nevertheless, it was still enjoyable, and her mum in particular had been very pleased with the two of them working diligently on preparing for Ginny's O.W.L.s over the holiday.

The conversation about Juliette didn't come up again, and Ginny didn't see a reason to bring it up. Her talk with Bill had helped her see that while she had a right to be upset, she didn't have the right to hold it against Hermione, as she hadn't done anything wrong. She figured moving on from it would be the best move, and did her best to do so.

Once they returned to Hogwarts, they fell back into their routine there as well. Hermione's Prefect duties, Ginny's Quidditch practices, classwork, and studying for Ginny's O.W.L.s consumed so much of their days, that they barely had enough time to get meals in, never mind anything else. Ginny hadn't forgotten what she'd requested over the holiday, to surprise Ginny by taking her somewhere she never took Juliette, and whenever Ginny had a spare moment, she wondered where that could possibly be.

On an evening a few weeks after the start of term, Demelza, Ritchie, Colin, and Ginny were slowly making their way back down the Astronomy Tower after class. While Ginny usually enjoyed the open-air classroom where Astronomy classes were held, she'd found that even the freezing cold wind that had whistled through the top of the tower that evening hadn't manage to help her fight off how exhausted she was, and it appeared her friends felt the same.

"How exactly are we supposed to remember anything for our O.W.L.s when we can barely stay awake during class?" Ritchie managed to mumble between yawns.

"Some people study outside of class as well…" Demelza pointed out sleepily.

"Ugh… I can't think about studying right now, or I'll fall asleep before I back to my dormitory…" Ritchie said, yawning again loudly.

The fact that Colin hadn't chimed in to the conversation with his usual vigor was proof how tired he was, and Ginny also felt far too drained to contribute either. The foursome continued sluggishly through the dark corridors on their way back to Gryffindor Tower when Ginny suddenly got a jolt of energy as she spotted a familiar figure waiting in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Hello you four, how was your Astronomy class?" Hermione asked in a astonishingly well-rested tone for how late it was.

"Exhausting…" Ritchie yawned before giving the password to the Fat Lady and awkwardly climbing through the portrait hole, followed by Demelza and Colin.

"How was Prefect duty?" Ginny asked.

"Fine, easy. Dean headed off to bed ages ago, but I figured I'd wait up for you."

"You didn't have to do that, Hermione, you've had a full day as it is."

Hermione smiled, "I thought it might be a good night for your surprise…"

Another jolt of energy surged through Ginny, and suddenly she felt more awake than ever.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, smiling excitedly at Hermione.

"Yes, come on," Hermione said, taking Ginny's hand in hers and heading back down the staircase away from Gryffindor Tower.

They walked hand in hand through the deserted corridors, not coming across anyone else on their journey, finally coming to a stop outside the library.

Ginny furrowed her brow, "Really, you never took Juliette to the library?"

"Oh no, I did…" Hermione said, pushing the door open quietly.

They stepped inside and found that like the corridors, the library was completely deserted, the moonlight streaming through the large windows the only light available to them.

"Then why…?"

"Shhh…"

"Hermione, no one's here, do I really have to – "

Hermione silenced her with a searing kiss, pulling Ginny to her by the front of her school sweater.

"Okay, I'll be quiet…" Ginny whispered with a smile.

Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand once again, and guided her towards the back of the library to a heavy-looking wooden door. Above it hung an old wooden sign that read "Restricted Section".

"The Restricted Section? Hermione, how are we – "

Ginny was again silenced by another kiss from Hermione that lasted longer than the first. Once she pulled away, Hermione smirked at how breathless she'd left Ginny before she turned and pulled a key out of her uniform pocket. She inserted the key into the keyhole, opened the door, and pulled Ginny inside behind her.

Ginny had never been in the Restricted Section before. It was a large, dark, tapestry-lined room filled with the same large windows that lined the library walls, though, these windows looked as if they'd been cleaned a lot less often as the moonlight appeared to be struggling to stream through them. About a dozen tall bookcases held hundreds of very old books that didn't appear to get much use. Of course, Ginny knew Hermione was likely a frequent visitor to the room, seeing as she had her own key from Madam Pince. She wondered if any other student had ever been given their own key to the Restricted Section. Her thoughts were brought to an immediate halt, however, as Hermione gently pulled her onto a large, soft sofa shoved between two bookcases, and sat on her lap with her arms around Ginny's neck, her knees on either side of Ginny's legs.

"S – So… You and Juliette never…?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, I never took her here. I think I was subconsciously saving the room for someone else…" Hermione smiled down at her.

Ginny gave her a soft, almost shy smile in return, "I see… Well, what would you like to do…? This is, after all, your domain…" Ginny teased lightly, flashing a reserved version of her lopsided grin. She didn't know why, but this felt different than any classroom they'd hidden away in before – There was an air of real rule-breaking, and it was exciting and with Hermione being so in control it was… Ginny couldn't quite find the word to describe it, but she knew that she liked this side of Hermione.

"It certainly is… And I have a few ideas…" Hermione said with a slight smirk.

Hermione pulled her arms from around Ginny's neck and pulled Ginny's uniform sweater up over her head, before removing hers as well. Then she gently cupped Ginny's jaw with one hand, pulling her in for a deep kiss. Ginny could feel Hermione's other hand working to try and undo her tie. Ginny had her hands on Hermione's hips, until she sensed Hermione struggling with untying her tie one-handed and reached up to untie her own tie. Hermione moved both of her hands down to begin quickly unbuttoning Ginny's uniform top. It was a matter of seconds before Ginny's white button-up was completely open, her tie hanging undone around her neck.

Hermione broke the kiss and leaned back slightly to take Ginny in, her eyes raking over her body. Ginny could just barely make out Hermione's eyes in the dimly lit room, but she could see just how hungry they were as she looked at her. Ginny leaned forward and firmly captured Hermione's lips in hers, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Hermione's hands slipped into Ginny's hair, her fingers digging into her head just enough to send a shock through Ginny's body. Ginny shifted her hands to grasp underneath Hermione's legs and stood up easily, picking Hermione up in the process. Hermione wrapped her legs around Ginny's waist tight as Ginny kissed her, a shock pulsing through her entire body as Hermione let a small moan slip into her mouth. Ginny turned and gently lay Hermione down, her body stretching across the seat of the sofa, before quickly climbing on top of her and reconnecting their lips. She removed her button-up and tie without breaking the kiss, and she could feel Hermione's fingers tracing across her abs and moving around to her back, coming to rest on the clasp of her bra, before they moved on. Confused as to why she didn't take her bra off, Ginny broke the kiss and pulled back to look at Hermione. Hermione was staring up at her, eyes much darker now, as she began slowly loosening her tie, before moving to unbutton her own uniform top. Ginny's body flushed with heat as she watched Hermione undo button after button, all the while maintaining eye contact with Ginny. Once the last button was freed, Hermione hands moved to the button of her trousers, and Ginny's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes jumped back up to Hermione's, and found she was looking up at her purposefully, wordlessly asking for permission. Ginny felt another shock strike through her, and her entire body flushed with heat. She took a deep breath, and as she opened her mouth to respond, she froze as a voice rang out from the door to the Restricted Section.

"Lumos!"

Suddenly, they were bathed in a bright light, and Ginny was left clambering to cover both herself and Hermione from whoever was standing before them.