Chapter 18
Ginny POV
A few weeks had passed since the night of the Champion selection, and Ginny was getting excited for her first ever trip to Hogsmeade over the weekend. As everyone had gotten used to the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students being at Hogwarts, the novelty of it had waned significantly, and most people had been able to go back to their usual routines. Ginny, unfortunately, had been on high alert since her run in with Juliette, and had done her best to avoid her at all costs. This even included peaking around corners and scoping out rooms before entering. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted, but it was worth it to avoid another interaction with the girl. She was excited for Hogsmeade because she'd heard that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students would not be permitted to enter Hogsmeade, making it a safe and stress-free place for her to go.
"Just one more day Ginny, and then we can just relax for a bit, okay?" Demelza encouraged as they walked to class, "What do you want to see first? Zonko's Joke Shop? Honeydukes? The Three Broomsticks?"
"What, no Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?" Ginny asked sarcastically.
Demelza gave her a knowing look and then laughed, "No, Ginny. I think you and I both know that even though it's for couples, it wouldn't quite be our scene."
"It wouldn't quite be our scene? Is romance not our scene? Am I not romantic?" Ginny asked with a hint of fake hurt in her voice as she rounded on the girl, pulling her off to the side of the corridor, and bringing her face within inches of Demelza's, "Am I not romantic enough for you, Demelza?"
Demelza giggled at this, trying to keep a straight face, "Miss Weasley, you just haven't ever been the romantic type! I barely even know that you have feelings for me, the way you never touch me or kiss me or make me feel special. It's as if we're just friends…" she smiled innocently at Ginny, awaiting a reply.
Ginny smiled back, and gently kissed her on the cheek, "I'll do better, I promise. I'll make sure to touch and kiss you more, and I'll make sure you never doubt the feelings that I have for you…"
Ginny kissed Demelza's lips, gently at first, and then deepened the kiss. Ten weeks into their relationship, and they were still taking it slow, but it had gotten a bit more difficult the more comfortable they'd gotten with each other. Ginny brought her hand up into Demelza's dark blonde hair as Demelza put both hands on Ginny's hips, pulling her in to her closer, when they heard a voice.
"Uh, Ginny?"
Both girls looked up wildly and saw Hermione standing down the corridor aways.
"Hey Hermione! What's up?" Ginny had turned red, and Demelza was trying to smooth her uniform top.
"Nothing. I need to talk to you about our plans to study tonight. Do you mind?" Hermione kindly said to Demelza.
"Of course not! I'll see you in class Ginny," Demelza walked to class, leaving Ginny and Hermione alone.
"Are we still on for tonight, or…?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, of course. I just wanted to let you know that… Well, someone has been joining me in the library since we last studied together…" Hermione said, nervously.
"Oh? And who would that be?"
"Well… Actually, it's Viktor Krum."
Ginny stared at Hermione for a moment, then laughed, "C'mon Hermione, seriously, who is it?"
"Ginny, I am being serious. Viktor Krum has been joining me in the library the past few days."
Ginny's jaw dropped, and she took a bit of time before she spoke again, "To do what?"
"What do you mean? It's the library, he's been reading. He very politely asked if he could join me at my table, and I said that he could. So, for the past few days, we've been sharing a table. He reads quietly while I study. I just wanted to give you a heads up because, well, I know that you might have been shocked if you had just walked in and saw Viktor at our table with me…" Hermione stated plainly, as if she wasn't telling Ginny the most shocking thing she'd heard in weeks, or quite frankly, ever.
"So, I'm going to be studying with you… And Viktor Krum tonight…?"
"Well, he won't be studying with us. Like I said, he just sits there are reads. I think it's just a good set up for him to not be bombarded by Quidditch fans or girls pining after him," Hermione said, a hint of annoyance in her voice, "So, you can't be either of those tonight, okay?"
Ginny laughed, "Well, I can certainly guarantee I won't be one of those…" Hermione laughed at this as well. "But I do promise that I will do my best to keep the Quidditch obsessed part of my brain well under control."
"Thank you."
"So… Does anyone else know about this? Do Ron and Harry – "
"They absolutely do not know, especially not your brother. Can you imagine the scene he'd create coming in to look for Viktor? No, this has to remain our secret, okay Ginny?" Hermione looked at her very seriously.
"Okay Hermione, our little secret," Ginny held out her pinky to Hermione.
"What are you doing?"
"It's a pinky swear, come on!"
"I know what a pinky swear is, Ginny, I taught it to you this summer. I just don't think that this warrants – "
"Well okay then! It'll just be a normal secret, and I can't be held responsible if something slips out because you opted not to do a pinky swear!" Ginny said dramatically.
Hermione frowned at the redhead unimpressed, "Ginny…"
"Come on Hermione," Ginny stuck out her pinky, "We can't be risking Ron finding out about this and embarrassing you in the library, of all places…"
Hermione sighed, rolled her eyes, and wrapped her pinky around Ginny's. Ginny leaned forward, putting her lips to her own hand. Hermione hesitated at this.
"Come on Hermione. You said it wasn't binding if both people didn't kiss their hands at the same time."
Hermione paused, then quickly pressed her lips to her hand, and Ginny leaned forward again to do the same to her own hand. As soon as Ginny had made contact, Hermione pulled away as quickly as possible.
"Alright then, contract bound! I promise I won't say anything. Pinky promise, pinky swear!"
Ginny was smiling at Hermione with her best crooked smile, and Hermione was reluctantly smiling back. Ginny noticed that a hint of color was climbing into Hermione's cheeks, when a voice rang out from just a few feet behind them.
"Well zat might be ze cutest zing I 'ave ever seen…"
Both Ginny and Hermione turned to see Juliette, leaning casually against the stone wall of the corridor. She stood upright and walked towards them.
"Where 'ave you two been? I 'ave not seen you since ze evening ze Champions were selected. 'ave you been avoiding me?" Juliette smirked at both of them, knowing the answer.
Both girls remained silent, color fully flushing Hermione's face now, and Ginny glaring at Juliette.
"Tell me, 'ow 'as Quidditch training been going, Little Ginny?"
Ginny glared harder at Juliette at the word "little", but she still answered, "There are no official trainings or a season this year due to the Triwizard Tournament, but some of the more dedicated Quidditch players have been getting together a few times a week to train. It's mostly just pick-up matches, but sometimes we do some loosely organized training…"
"Mmm…"
"What? I don't suppose you brought your broom with you all the way from France?" Ginny said a bit sarcastically.
Juliette looked at her seriously, "Of course I brought my broom with me. I do not go anywhere without my Firebolt."
Ginny's jaw dropped, and she hated that it did.
Of course Juliette has a Firebolt.
"Impressed?" Juliette smirked at Ginny, again already knowing the answer.
Ginny said nothing. She was so tired of how Juliette was treating her, of trying to avoid the girl at Hogwarts and looking around every corner.
How can I change this? How can I make this stop?
"Yes, I am impressed. Juliette, will you come train with me?"
Hermione whipped her head around to stare at Ginny incredulously, and Juliette as well appeared to be shocked initially, until she settled into that smug smile of hers.
"Well of course Little Ginny, it would be my pleasure."
"Just Ginny…"
"Of course, just Ginny…" Juliette smiled at Ginny, then glanced at Hermione, who was still staring at Ginny.
"Okay… Well… Great. I have to get to class, but that sounds good. Maybe sometime next week you can join us on the pitch?" Ginny said a bit tentatively as she started backing away from the two of them towards her class.
"It will be ze 'ighlight of my week, I am sure."
Ginny took one last look at Hermione and Juliette before she turned the corner of the corridor and headed off to class.
How exactly was this a solution Ginny? What if you embarrass yourself out there on the pitch? No… This is what I am best at… Come on Ginny, impress the girl and shut her up for once. Be confident, be brave.
Hermione POV
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Hermione rounded on Juliette, furious.
"'ello 'Ermione. I was not sure zat you were speaking with me, with 'ow silent you were during zat conversation," Juliette gave her a sly look, frustrating Hermione further.
"Why can't you just leave us alone?"
"I am sorry, but zis is a corridor in which anyone is allowed to walk, yes? It is not my fault zat ze two of you were kissing in ze middle of a wide-open 'allway," Juliette gave her a knowing look.
"First of all, we were not kissing. She was making me do a ridiculous pinky promise. Our lips were nowhere near each other. Second…" Hermione drifted off, distracted as she looked into Juliette's eyes and remembered the night in the corridor a few weeks ago, when the two of them were kissing in the middle of a wide-open hallway, where anyone could have seen them and someone did see them.
"Second, yes?" Juliette prompted, her eyebrows raised expectantly, a small smirk on her lips.
"Second, I…" Hermione drifted off again, she couldn't focus on anything but the sensation of the kiss from a few weeks ago.
"I will leave you for now 'Ermione. I can see zat you are 'aving a 'ard time with your words."
Juliette went to walk past Hermione who was seemingly frozen to where she was standing, but stopped just in front of Hermione.
She leaned forward into Hermione's ear and whispered, "I saw ze color rising in your cheeks when ze two of you kissed hands… I am pretty sure zat Little Ginny saw it too… I am still available if you are interested in 'elp with forgetting your feelings for ze girl… It seems zat you are still struggling with zat…" Juliette kissed Hermione's cheek, lingering for a moment, before walking away and leaving her in the middle of the corridor, speechless.
