Chapter 29
Ginny POV
A few weeks had gone by since the Yule Ball, and once again everyone had fallen back into their usual routines. Classes had commenced after the holiday break, Quidditch players were back at it training whenever they got the chance, and Hermione and Ginny were still studying together at least twice a week, with the occasional appearance from Krum.
Ginny had noticed that she hadn't seen Juliette since the night of the Yule Ball, and she was honestly elated by that. After the interaction they had, Ginny had decided that Hermione was right, and it was a good idea to just move on from Juliette. Even though she knew she could learn loads from Juliette about Quidditch and would love another chance to show her up, it just wasn't worth the anxiety and uneasiness she felt every time she was around the girl. She could be confident in how she played against her that one day, and could continue her training with the other Hogwarts Quidditch players.
Ginny was sitting across from Hermione at a table in the library. They hadn't been talking too much, as Hermione was heavily entrenched in the book she was reading.
"Hey… Hermione?" Ginny hesitantly asked.
No response.
"Hermione?" Ginny said, a bit louder.
"Hmm? Yes, Ginny?" Hermione said, not looking up.
"Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"No Ginny, I'm not. I've got too much on my plate at the moment," she said, still not looking up.
"Oh, come on Hermione! You've been working really hard the last few weeks. I'm sure a break would do you good!" Ginny whined lightly.
Hermione finally looked up and studied Ginny's face. Ginny put on her biggest crooked smile, trying to get Hermione to break. Hermione rolled her eyes and gave her a soft smile in return.
"Ginny, won't you be going to Hogsmeade with your friends?"
"So? You can't come with us? Don't you like the boys and Demelza?"
"Yes, Ginny, I do. But – "
"Hermione, why don't you want to come?" Ginny asked, a bit more assertively.
Hermione sighed, "Ginny, I'll try. Okay? Where would you like to meet? And when?"
Ginny grinned, finally satisfied, "Let's meet at the Three Broomsticks at 2 pm. Would that fit into your busy schedule?" Ginny teased.
Hermione gave her a look, "Ginny, I'll try my best, okay? No promises."
"No promises? I didn't consent to that. Let's do a pinky – "
"Ginny, no! I'll be there, okay?" Hermione said reassuringly.
"Okay, okay. It'll be good for you! All this studying has got to be too much, I barely see you anymore outside of these study sessions! Ron and Harry said that they rarely see you either, that you always say you're off to the library and then you come back late at night. You can't be that behind in any of your classes, and if you're not helping Ron and Harry, what are you spending so much time on?"
Hermione looked at Ginny for a moment, then responded slowly, "You know that I'm trying to make sure that I know as much as everyone else…"
"Oh, come off it, Hermione. You know more than everyone else."
"You don't have to believe me, Ginny. I know that I'm spending my time how I want to, and that's what matters to me," Hermione said firmly.
"Well, tomorrow you'll be spending some of that time with me. I'm confident it'll be the best use of your time all week," Ginny grinned as Hermione raised her eyebrows at her, "Are you done yet? I'm ready to go."
"I'm not done, actually. And now that I'll be spending some of my day with you tomorrow, I've got a little bit more I need to add on tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Alright… G'night, Hermione."
"Goodnight, Ginny."
Ginny packed up her parchment and books and left the library. Before she left, she looked back over her shoulder at the brunette, who had returned to her book as intensely as before Ginny had interrupted. Ginny shook her head, and smiled. She headed towards the Gryffindor Tower, but didn't make it very far before she saw a familiar presence at the end of a corridor, Juliette was walking towards her. As she got closer, Ginny kept her eyes straight ahead, refusing to look at her. They passed each other, and thankfully, Juliette didn't say or do anything when they did. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief, but then furrowed her brow slightly.
Why didn't she do or say anything?
Ginny risked a look over her shoulder, and found that Juliette was standing in the middle of the corridor and had turned around to watch her walk away. Ginny felt her eyes widen, and Juliette smirked and gave Ginny a little wave. She then turned back around and continued walking down the corridor. Ginny turned beet red, then hurried off to Gryffindor Tower.
Hermione POV
Hermione was just putting the finishing touches on her studying when she felt a familiar hand land softly on her shoulder. Juliette was standing over her, scanning the book Hermione had been pouring over for the last hour.
"Anyzing interesting?" Juliette asked, lightly.
"Yes, actually… But even so, none of it compares to you," Hermione grinned up at the girl.
"'Ermione Granger, such a flirt you are becoming," Juliette smiled as she moved her hand from Hermione's shoulder across her back, rubbing it. Hermione gently hummed her approval of this. "Are you about ready?"
"Yes, I was just waiting for you," Hermione started to pack up her books, and Juliette grabbed a few as well.
"It is much too cold to be going outside tonight. Do you zink we could find somewhere in ze castle to be?"
"I'm sure we can find an empty classroom. As long as you still feel confident about your ability to cast an Imperturbable Charm, I think we'll be fine," Hermione smiled at Juliette, impressed at the girl's magical ability.
"I am always confident in my ability to charm," Juliette smirked at Hermione who playfully rolled her eyes as they walked quietly in search of an abandoned classroom. They climbed a few floors before they found a classroom that fit their needs. Juliette closed the door behind them, then put an Imperturbable Charm on it.
"Zere, we should be undetectable for as long as we want," Juliette said as she walked towards Hermione, pulling her into a gentle embrace, "Now, what could we possibly be doing while undetected, mmm?"
Hermione rolled her eyes again before kissing her. Juliette walked the two of them towards a table, her moving forwards and Hermione moving back. As she felt Hermione make contact with the table, she grabbed the back of Hermione's legs and lifted her up onto the table. Hermione pulled Juliette in close to her, wrapped her legs around Juliette's waist and kissed her fervently. Juliette chuckled into the kiss, which caused Hermione to pull back and look at her.
"What?" Hermione asked, a bit nervously.
Juliette smiled up at her, "Nozing, I am just very impressed with 'ow much you 'ave taken to our secret evenings, 'Ermione."
Hermione blushed, but still smiled down at the girl in front of her, "What can I say? I've found these evenings to be incredibly educational…"
Juliette gave Hermione a genuine smile, "Evidently, you 'ave."
The two crashed their lips together. Juliette had wrapped her arms firmly around Hermione's waist, while Hermione had her hands deep in Juliette's long dark hair. They carried on for a while, before they broke apart, breathing heavily. Hermione pulled her legs back from around Juliette's waist and let them hang down off of the table. Juliette placed her hands on Hermione's hips and smiled up at her, as Hermione gently pushed a few stray hairs out of Juliette's eyes.
"You're so beautiful…" Hermione said softly, then blushed deeply, realizing she'd let her internal thoughts become external.
Juliette smiled and again chuckled lightly, "It is okay for you to say zat, 'Ermione. I know zat I am beautiful. Just as I know zat you are beautiful, too."
She leaned forward, touching their noses together, briefly teasing Hermione, before placing a single soft kiss on Hermione's lips. She then pulled back slightly, resting their foreheads together. Hermione closed her eyes and smiled, breathing contently.
The two had been meeting up secretly just about every night since the Yule Ball, and Hermione found that every minute she spent with Juliette, she'd gotten more and more comfortable with her. Beyond comfortable, she found that Juliette was actually comforting to be around. And it wasn't all just snogging. They could talk about just about anything. Juliette was incredibly cultured, and extremely intelligent. And of course, Hermione found that it didn't hurt that she was also irresistibly beautiful.
"So, what would you like to do tomorrow while everyone is off to 'Ogsmeade?" Juliette asked.
Hermione paused, then looked at Juliette apologetically.
"What is it?"
"Well, I've promised Ginny that I'd meet her in Hogsmeade for a bit…"
Juliette raised her eyebrows, "Is zat so?"
"She kept pushing me about why I didn't want to go and that I've been doing far too much studying… I didn't have a good enough excuse to say no," Hermione explained.
"Mmm…"
"What?"
"Did you not consider zat you could 'ave just said no?"
"I know… I know… I just feel bad. I haven't spent any time with her outside of the few times a week we study together…"
"I am not yet seeing ze problem…"
Hermione gave Juliette a look, then put both hands on the girl's shoulders, "How about this? I'll go to Hogsmeade for one hour, just one hour. And when I come back, I'll be sure to bring you back some sweets from Honeydukes. How does that sound?"
"I am not big on sweets. 'ow about zis? You do not owe me an explanation. If you are wanting to go, zat is fine. We are not exclusive, 'Ermione," Juliette shrugged.
Hermione looked at Juliette, studying her face, "I guess you're right."
"Just know zat every minute you are with Little Ginny, zat is many, many kisses zat you are missing out on with me," Juliette smirked, raising a single eyebrow.
Hermione was momentarily shocked, but rebounded quickly.
"Maybe I'll think about that when I'm there, how about that?" Hermione smirked back.
"Mmmm, 'ow about zat?" Juliette smiled and suddenly pulled Hermione's hips forward, closing the gap between their bodies.
They kissed deeply for a bit, then broke apart again and talked for a while before deciding to call it a night. Hermione walked Juliette to the door that led out to the grounds, and kissed her gently.
"I'll see you tomorrow at some point, okay?" Hermione whispered, wistfully.
"Yes, you will. 'ave a good night, 'Ermione. Do not forget to zink of me tomorrow when you are with Little Ginny," Juliette smirked, then kissed Hermione on the cheek.
"Yeah, I don't think I'll be forgetting to do that…" Hermione said, missing Juliette's touch as soon as she pulled away. "Goodnight, Juliette."
