Ginny's mind was a whirlwind, unable to fully grasp what had just happened. Her lips tingled with the memory, and her heart raced. It felt unreal, like she had been kissed by something divine—an angel, perhaps. But no, it wasn't an angel. It was Hermione. Her Hermione.
"You… you kissed me," Ginny managed to stammer, her voice barely above a whisper, her wide eyes locked on Hermione's face, searching for any sign that this was a dream.
Hermione's expression softened, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
She spoke gently, as if coaxing Ginny back to reality. "Yes, I did. Now, can you please come with me to the library?"
Ginny's thoughts were still scattered, but somehow, the warmth in Hermione's voice anchored her. She nodded slowly, almost mechanically, and rose to her feet, her gaze never leaving Hermione's. Everything else seemed to vanish—her worries, her doubts, her fears. In that moment, Hermione was her entire world, and nothing else mattered.
As they left the Transfiguration classroom, the castle's familiar corridors seemed to stretch endlessly before them. Ginny trailed just half a step behind Hermione, her eyes fixated on the bushy-haired witch. Every now and then, Hermione would glance over her shoulder, catching Ginny's gaze, only for Ginny to quickly avert her eyes, her cheeks flushing crimson.
Hermione tried to focus on where they were headed, but she couldn't ignore the tension crackling between them. Finally, she cleared her throat, attempting to break the awkwardness.
"Um, Ginny... everything alright?" Hermione asked.
Ginny blinked, snapping out of her trance. "Oh—uh, yes. Just... processing."
"Processing?" Hermione echoed, her eyebrows raised.
"Yeah, you know... what just happened," Ginny muttered, her voice trailing off as she glanced away.
The walls of Hogwarts had never seemed more interesting.
Hermione bit her lip, unsure how to respond. "Right. That." She paused, then added, "I didn't mean to make things weird."
Ginny shook her head quickly. "No, it's not weird. Just... unexpected."
They walked in silence for a few more paces before Hermione, desperate to change the subject, latched onto the first thought that came to mind. "So... Beauxbatons," she began, glancing at Ginny again. "Did you hear anything else about them?"
"Madam Maxime isn't the headmistress anymore," Ginny said, her voice tinged with surprise. "She stepped down a few months ago."
Hermione looked genuinely startled. "What? Why? Who's in charge now?"
Ginny shrugged. "No one really knows why. Some say she had a falling out with the French Ministry of Magic. Others think she just... vanished. As for who's in charge, it's been kept pretty quiet. They haven't even announced a new headmistress or headmaster."
Hermione frowned, "That's odd. Maxime was always so… in control. I wonder what happened."
By the time they reached the library, the awkwardness between them had mostly dissipated, replaced by a shared curiosity. Hermione pushed open the grand wooden doors, and the familiar scent of old parchment and leather-bound books enveloped them.
The library was vast, with towering shelves filled with centuries of knowledge.
Madame Pince, the stern librarian, was perched behind her desk, her hawk-like gaze sweeping across the room.
Hermione led the way towards the back of the library, where the history section was located. The shelves grew taller and the books older. They passed row after row until Hermione stopped in front of a shelf labeled *European Magical Institutions*.
"This should be it," Hermione murmured, scanning the spines of the books. Her fingers trailed over the titles, lingering on the older, more worn tomes. "Ah, here we go—The Chronicles of Beauxbatons: A Comprehensive History."
Ginny watched as Hermione pulled the thick volume from the shelf, her eyes bright with interest.
"Shall we?" Hermione asked, holding up the book.
Ginny nodded, and they made their way to a nearby table. The heavy tome landed on the wooden surface with a soft thud, and Hermione immediately began flipping through the pages, her brow furrowed in concentration.
Hermione's fingers traced the edges of the old, worn pages as she turned to a chapter titled The Legendary Beast. Her eyes scanned the text until she reached an illustration of a dark, fearsome creature. Skarooth.
FLEUR WAS TELLING THE TRUTH!
The beast's sharp talons and haunting eyes were enough to confirm the truth. The text beneath the picture declared it extinct, just as she had known.
Hermione closed the book with a decisive thud. "This is it. This was the confirmation I needed," she said, her voice steady but filled with urgency. "We might not have time to go through the whole history."
Ginny, who had been watching her intently, furrowed her brow. "Why that beast? What's so important about it?"
Hermione sighed, the weight of secrets pressing down on her. "There's a lot you don't know, Ginny. About me, Fleur, this beast… and so much more."
Ginny's eyes flickered with curiosity, but then she remembered something, a smirk playing on her lips. "Yeah, I almost forgot—you were going to tell me about Fleur. Damn! Your lips…"
Hermione felt a blush creeping up her cheeks but remained composed. She slid the book back onto the shelf with a careful hand, and Ginny mirrored her movements.
In a low whisper, Hermione leaned closer to Ginny, her breath warm against her ear. "We need to find somewhere quieter. Somewhere secret. No one can hear or see us there."
Ginny glanced around the library, the quiet stillness surrounding them. "No one can hear us here," she said.
Hermione took a small step back, her hands moving to the top button of her white shirt. She deftly unfastened it, revealing a hint of her collarbone, the pale skin catching the dim light of the library. Her blue jeans clung to her form as she met Ginny's gaze. "We need to go somewhere else," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Ginny's eyes widened, her heart racing. Was this really happening?