Chapter 9

Hermione POV

"Ginny? Luna?" Hermione asked, completely bewildered by the appearance of the two girls exiting the Room of Requirement.

Ginny, her freckled face now matching her vivid red hair, looked mortified, while Luna looked… Well, Luna looked like she always did – completely relaxed and unbothered, if not slightly mystified by her surroundings.

"Hello, Hermione…" Luna responded calmly, "Your scarf is a lovely shade of green… Is it new?"

Hermione glanced briefly towards Pansy before loosening the scarf, letting it hang off either side her neck, "Yes, it is. What are the two of you doing out so late? And how did you know about the Room of Requirement?" Hermione questioned, looking from Luna to a still distraught looking Ginny, "Ginny…? Are you alright?"

Ginny looked at Luna and her face turned an even darker red before she reluctantly looked back at Hermione, "I – Well – Luna and I were… We were just…"

Hermione's eyes followed as Luna snaked her hand down into Ginny's, intertwining their fingers. Hermione's eyes widened slightly as she looked from the redhead to the blonde.

"Oh…" Hermione let out quietly.

Ginny, still looking quite terrified, was staring at Hermione, clearly waiting for her to say something. Luna smiled softly.

"Ginny and I have been together since the summer… We were using the Room of Requirement to spend some time together, as Ginny prefers to keep our relationship just between the two of us… And Neville… And now you and Pansy, I suppose…" Luna said slowly, "My dad told me about the Room of Requirement long ago… He used to hide here from those who found it fun to tease him when he was in school… We've been using it all term…"

Hermione was staring directly at Ginny, her dark brown eyes connecting with Ginny's bright brown eyes. She had never wanted to talk to the girl alone more than she did right now. Why hadn't Ginny confided this relationship in her? Or the fact that she fancied girls? She thought she was close with Ginny, but perhaps she'd been mistaken.

"What are you and Pansy doing?" Luna asked, "Are you on one of your Prefect patrols? I believe I overheard Ron complaining to Harry about Professor McGonagall making him work with Malfoy and you work with Pansy…"

"Yes, we're on patrol," Hermione said quickly, "It's late, so unfortunately, it's our duty to send you both back to your common rooms for the evening."

Luna nodded amiably, "Interesting that you're on patrol while out of uniform… Is this perhaps a day in which you can do your Prefect duties while dressed casually…? Nevertheless… We did know that we're out far too late, we'll be going now..."

"Ginny? Can you stay behind a moment?" Hermione asked. Ginny remained where she was, letting go of Luna's hand.

"Thank you for a lovely evening…" Luna said softly as she kissed Ginny on the cheek before walking off. Hermione thought Ginny's face couldn't have possibly gone more red, but clearly, she had been wrong.

"Is it alright if I speak with Ginny alone?" Hermione asked Pansy.

Pansy rolled her eyes, though Hermione could tell the other girl wasn't truly put off by the request, "I guess I'll just finish up the patrol on my own," she said before walking off in the same direction as Luna.

Once Pansy was gone, Hermione looked at Ginny and found she was still staring at her, looking as nervous as ever. The door to the Room of Requirement had disappeared during their conversation, so Hermione paced three times in front of it before it reappeared and beckoned Ginny to walk through it. Hermione followed Ginny into what looked like a miniature version of the Gryffindor common room, and they each sat down on the cozy sofa in front of the crackling fireplace.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked Ginny softly.

Ginny shrugged and rubbed the back of her neck, "I'm not sure… I've wanted to tell you since the summer, actually, but I never managed to get up enough nerve to actually do it…"

"Ginny, I thought we were close? Outside of Ron and Harry, I consider you to be my closest friend."

"I know, I think that's why I didn't want to tell you. I was scared that if I told you that I could possibly lose you…"

"Why would you lose me over this?"

Ginny shrugged again, looking down at her trainers.

"Does Luna make you happy?"

Ginny look up and nodded, a small smile forming on her lips.

Hermione smiled back warmly, "Then that's all the matters… I'm so happy for you, Ginny. It seems like Luna really fancies you…"

Ginny nodded again, the blush reappearing on her freckled cheeks, "She does… And I fancy her a lot too…"

"So… How long have you fancied girls?"

Ginny smiled sheepishly, "Forever…"

"What?"

Ginny laughed, "What?"

"You've known forever?"

"Yeah? How long have you known you fancy boys?"

Hermione gaped at Ginny for a moment before shrugging herself, "That's a fair point…"

Ginny smiled proudly, "I figured you'd think so. Oh, I feel so much better now that you know, Hermione…"

Hermione gave Ginny another warm smile, "I'm glad. Come here, you," she said, opening her arms up for a hug. Ginny scooched over quickly on the sofa and wrapped Hermione up in a bone-crushing hug.

"Too tight Ginny…" Hermione barely managed to get out.

Ginny flashed another sheepish grin as she let go, "Sorry, sometimes I don't know my own strength… So, can I ask you a question now?"

Hermione nodded.

Ginny tugged gently on the scarf around Hermione's neck, "Slytherin green, huh?"

Hermione gave her a look as she pulled Pansy's scarf off, setting it on the coffee table in between them and the fireplace.

"Even though Luna was kind enough to give you the out of being on patrol, which you obviously weren't, I'm far too curious for that. What were you doing heading to the Room of Requirement with Parkinson?"

"Certainly not to do what you and Luna were doing…" Hermione said, giving Ginny a look.

Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled, "I'm sure… So, what were you doing?"

"We'd been using the Room of Requirement earlier in the evening to study, but had taken a trip up to the Astronomy Tower to complete a star chart. We were coming back to finish up our notes as it was far too cold outside. We've been studying together for a while now in the Room of Requirement, actually."

Ginny raised her eyebrows, "So, every time you've been going off on your own to study the past few weeks, you've been meeting up with Parkinson?"

"Yes…"

"Are the two of you… Friends…?"

Hermione glanced at Ginny and was relieved to see her eyes didn't show a hint of judgment as she asked the question.

"I think that maybe we are…"

"You think that maybe you are?"

Hermione nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay? That's all you have to say?"

"I mean… Yeah? I trust your judgement, Hermione, and if you've decided to befriend Parkinson after all the vile stuff she's done and said about you over the past four years, then she must be really worth having as a friend."

"She is…" Hermione said quietly.

Ginny nodded, "Good. I'm going to assume she's not calling you by slurs anymore?"

Hermione shook her head, "Of course not! She's actually been quite kind, and she's a far better study partner than Harry or Ron."

Ginny chuckled, "They can't be too awfully difficult to beat in that department. Wow, though. You've been studying alone with Pansy Parkinson, and she's been nice to you. Maybe that Bludger I took to the head at practice the other day hit me harder than I thought…"

Hermione nudged Ginny lightly and tried to give her a scolding look, though she couldn't manage to hide her smile, "I know it sounds completely mad, but she's actually been quite enjoyable to be around… And I did keep my guard up for a long time. I was very cautious at the beginning because I knew I couldn't trust her, but I believe that I can now. I believe that she's being genuine."

Ginny nodded, "And the scarf?"

Hermione looked at the scarf on the coffee table, "What about it?"

"It's Parkinson's, right?"

"Yes, so?"

"Did you ask to wear it, or did she give it to you?"

"I – It was freezing up in the Astronomy Tower… She noticed I was cold and put it around my neck… What?" Hermione asked, noticing the sudden flicker in Ginny's bright brown eyes.

"Nothing…"

"No, I saw the change in your eyes. What is it?"

"It's just that I do that for Luna all the time now that it's gotten a bit colder… She's always forgetting her scarf, so I give her mine if I ever see the slightest shiver…"

"So? That's – That's just common decency… What are you getting at?"

Ginny shrugged, "Just seems to be very friendly, that's all. It's something I'd do for Luna, my girlfriend, but not for Neville, who is one of my best friends."

"Speaking of Neville, I thought that's who you were dating all this time…"

Ginny grinned, "Yeah, I know. I used him one time as an excuse to go out and see Luna and you absolutely ran with it."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, "Thank you so much for allowing me to look like a complete idiot to Neville…"

Ginny shrugged, "Oh, it's only Neville, he doesn't judge."

"I guess you're right… Anyway, back to the scarf… You wouldn't offer your scarf to Neville, fine, but would you offer it to me?"

Ginny thought for a moment, "Perhaps…"

"See! That proves my point that – "

"But only if I was trying to snog you…"

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped as Ginny laughed.

"Well, it's true! I wouldn't offer my scarf to just anyone, no matter the gender, if that's the angle you were trying to use. If I was trying to get closer to the person, then yeah, I would. But maybe you're right. I don't know Parkinson, perhaps she's just one of those touchy-feely girls with her friends. Based on the interactions I've had with her over the years, I'd venture a guess to say that's not the case, but I could be wrong, as I'm sure she doesn't consider me to be anything close to a friend. Plus, Luna's been telling me that ever since we've gotten together, I've been seeing queer behavior all over the place, even if it's not really happening. So, it's probably just me seeing something that's not there," Ginny shrugged.

Hermione was quiet. Only she, Daphne, and Draco knew that Pansy fancied girls, so there's no way that Ginny would know that she did, but clearly, she had noticed something. And it had to do with Hermione. It had to do with Pansy possibly flirting with Hermione. How had she not seen that? Or was it just something Ginny was overthinking, and Pansy had truly just been trying to be nice? Pansy had been becoming more and more kind as they spent more time together, and besides, she knew that Hermione was dating Ron… She knew Hermione was straight… And of all the girls Pansy listed she'd noticed, not a single one of them were in any way similar to Hermione… Hermione shook her head, concluding that Ginny was certainly overthinking this.

"Can you not mention this to anyone, especially Ron?" Hermione asked.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, "Especially Ron? He doesn't know you've been studying with Parkinson?"

"No, no one does outside of you and Luna. And if it's quite alright with you, I'd like to keep it that way, for now."

"Why?"

Hermione didn't know the true answer to that question, but answered the best she could, "You know how Ron feels about Slytherins in general, but he especially hates Malfoy and Pansy. For good reason, I know, but I just don't want to upset him with this."

Ginny eyed Hermione for a moment before nodding, "I won't tell him. Will you do the same for me? I'm not ready for him to know about me and Luna… Not yet."

"Of course, Ginny."

"Think you can you get your new bestie Parkinson to keep her mouth shut too?"

This time Hermione did manage to give Ginny a stern look, "You don't have to worry about that, she won't tell anyone."

Ginny sighed as she stood up, "If you say so. Here, don't forget your friendship scarf," she said, picking up Pansy's thick, green scarf and handing it to Hermione.

"Oh, shut up," Hermione said as she snatched the scarf away, causing Ginny to laugh as they exited the Room of Requirement and headed to Gryffindor Tower.

A few days later, Pansy and Hermione were back up in the Room of Requirement studying. After their run-in with Luna and Ginny, they figured it'd be wise to dress in their school uniforms from now on when they studied, as it'd be much easier to explain away them being seen together as them being on patrol if they were dressed for the job. It had become this unspoken thing between the two of them, to not be seen together outside of their Prefect duties. It didn't feel like it was coming from a place of shame or embarrassment, but rather self-preservation. Hermione knew Ron and Harry wouldn't understand her wanting to study with Pansy, and surely Pansy had her reasoning to not be seen with Hermione. Pansy had also been more than happy to agree to not tell anyone about Luna and Ginny, which Hermione very much appreciated, as did Ginny when Hermione reported it to her.

As they worked independently, Hermione couldn't help but glance up at Pansy from time to time. Though she was 99% sure that Ginny was wrong, Hermione couldn't get the girl's implications of Pansy flirting with her out of her head. It was just one friend giving another friend a scarf, it couldn't have been more than that, could it? It was freezing and Hermione had been shivering, it was just a logical thing for Pansy to do. Hermione watched as Pansy gently bit her bottom lip as her quill flew across her parchment, scribbling down notes about their latest Transfiguration assignment, with the very scarf she'd given to Hermione now hanging around her neck. If she had been flirting… No, she hadn't been flirting.

"Pansy?"

"Hmmm?" Pansy hummed, not looking up.

"Do you fancy anyone?"

Light green eyes flicked up instantly to meet Hermione's, "Why would you ask me that?"

"I – I don't know. A continuation on us getting to know each other better, I suppose? You know I fancy Ron, so, do you fancy anyone?"

"No, I don't. And I believe the last time we spoke about Weasley, you seemed a bit unsure of if you fancied him or not…"

"Well, like you said, I don't need to convince anyone of my relationship with Ron except myself, so I don't need to prove it to you," Hermione said firmly.

"You need to convince yourself of your relationship with Weasley…?" Pansy asked quietly, a very small smirk making its way onto her lips.

"No! That's not what I meant, and you know it!" Hermione said sternly.

Pansy pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, "Whatever you say, Hermione."

"We had a very nice weekend together, and I've never been more sure of our relationship!" Hermione insisted, furiously flipping a page in her Arithmancy text.

"I thought you didn't need to convince anyone of your relationship with Weasley, especially not yourself?" Pansy asked calmly.

Hermione huffed angrily and actually set her Arithmancy textbook up on the table, blocking Pansy from view. She heard Pansy sigh, followed by the scratching of chair legs against the stone floor as Pansy got up to walk around the table and kneel beside Hermione.

"Hermione, I'm sorry… I know that you fancy Weasley, you don't have to prove it to me or anyone else," she said sincerely.

Hermione looked down at the girl kneeling beside her, taking in how genuine she appeared to be. She also wasn't sure she'd ever been this close to Pansy before, besides when she prevented her from falling down the steps when they were leaving the Quidditch stadium about a month ago. Her makeup was expertly done, enhancing her features in a way that appeared quite effortless and natural, and Hermione noticed that there was a small indentation in her bottom lip from where she bit it while deep in studious concentration. As soon as Hermione realized she was staring at Pansy's lips, she immediately lifted her gaze to Pansy's inquisitive green eyes. They were both startled by the thud of Hermione's Arithmancy book collapsing back onto the table as she hadn't set it up quite steadily enough. When Hermione turned back to Pansy after investigating the loud noise, Pansy had already gone back to her seat across from Hermione.

"May I ask you something? If it's too personal, you don't have to answer…" Pansy said.

Hermione's heart rate sped up just a bit as she nodded.

"What in that highly rational brain of yours is telling you that you'd be closer to the goals you've set for yourself if you'd been born into a wizarding family? You do know you're on track to be the most successful witch or wizard in our year, right?" Pansy asked genuinely.

Hermione's brow immediately furrowed and her jaw dropped slightly, "What?"

"A few days ago, when I asked how it felt to find out you were a witch so late. You said the part you hated was feeling like you were 11 years behind everyone who had been born to wizarding families. You're at the top of our year, I have no doubt you're going to get straight Os on your O.W.L.s, and you're a Prefect… You're ahead of everyone, so why do you think you're behind?"

Hermione was quiet as she processed what Pansy had said. Even though she knew what Pansy had said was very accurate, and that the girl had absolutely no reason to lie to her, there was still something in the back of her mind telling her she was behind. Nagging her, constantly, that she wasn't enough.

Hermione shrugged, "I've done my best to catch up, and now all I can do is work hard to stay caught up. I feel that, as a Muggle-born, I have less room for error, because I may not be as forgiven as, say, a Pureblood might be in a professional setting. As you know, there are Purebloods out there who don't exactly tolerate Muggle-borns, and one single mistake could be all it would take for me to miss out on an opportunity or set me back permanently in what I strive to achieve."

Pansy had leaned forward now, her light green eyes sympathetic, "I think you're being far too hard on yourself… Even now, saying you've 'caught up'… You're far beyond everyone in our year, Hermione, why can't you see that?"

"I don't want to get complacent… If I strive for perfection and stumble, hopefully I won't be falling too far behind… Does that make sense?"

"Somewhat… But it doesn't sound healthy."

"I'm perfectly fine, and perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Now, if you don't mind, I think I'd rather like to stop talking about this…"

Pansy's light green eyes searched Hermione's for a moment before she nodded and sat back to continue working on her own. While Hermione did appreciate Pansy being so interested in her and perhaps even being so interested that she's concerned about her, it was stressing Hermione out. It felt like Pansy thought she couldn't achieve her goals or didn't trust that she was managing things on her own, when she certainly was. Maybe she was a little hard on herself, but it was working. She was doing well in her classes and staying on track for her long-term goals because she was pushing herself, and she didn't have time to pull back. After all, she was making up for 11 years of lost time, and someone like Pansy who had always existed within the Wizarding World couldn't possibly understand that.

Once they wrapped up their evening, Pansy stood up and slung her packed bag over her shoulder, "Same time in a few days? Maybe we'll focus on Care of Magical Creatures if your buddy Hagrid decides to do yet another review lesson instead of teaching us something new tomorrow?"

Hermione nodded quietly as she packed her books into her bag, still in her head about what Pansy had said.

"I want to be the best… I want to make a difference… If I don't strive for perfection, I'll hate and resent myself if I don't succeed, because that'll surely be the reason why I've failed… If I don't push myself, I'll regret it…"

Pansy looked at her, her eyes searching Hermione's again, "Okay… I believe you. I'm sorry if I've upset you."

Hermione nodded and led them out into the corridor before they split and headed their own ways back to their common rooms. The entire journey back to Gryffindor Tower, she cycled between feeling a bit irritated with Pansy for being concerned about her well-being when there was obviously no reason to be, and flattered that the girl had been thinking of her that much. That, and the tiny indent in Pansy's bottom lip kept popping up as well, for some reason.