Chapter 68

Hermione POV

Hermione was woken up early the next morning to the sound of Crookshanks scratching at Ginny's bedroom door.

"Honestly, are the gnomes really that important?"

It appeared that they were, as Crookshanks bolted out of the room the second Hermione opened the door for him. She turned back around and smiled at the sight before her, a sleeping Ginny. The girl's long red hair was strewn all over her pillow, one leg was sticking out from under her twisted quilt. Hermione walked quietly over to the cot and sat on the edge of it, gently running her fingers through Ginny's wild hair. Suddenly, Ginny woke and rolled over a bit, revealing sleep lines on the side of her face that had been buried in her pillow.

"Happy birthday, Ginny," Hermione said, smiling down at the slightly disoriented girl.

"Thanks," Ginny said, her voice thick with sleep, as she slowly found her bearings and eventually smiled up at Hermione, running a hand through her hair. She glanced out the window and realized by the colors that the sun was just beginning to rise. "Why are you up so early?" she asked, stretching a bit.

"Crookshanks needed to get the gnomes sorted early, apparently…" Hermione said, getting up to look out the window into the garden. "Yes, there he is," she sighed, "Do you think he'll be okay, or should I go do something about it?"

Ginny was up now too, standing behind Hermione, resting her chin on the older girl's shoulder. "He'll be fine. Let's go back to sleep for a bit. Only my mum will be up, and breakfast likely won't be ready for another hour or so, when Ron will be forced out of bed early to celebrate my birthday," Ginny grinned. "Come on…"

Ginny gently took Hermione's hand and guided her towards her bed. Ginny climbed in first, then lifted the light quilt so Hermione could get in too. Once Hermione settled in, her back to Ginny, Ginny wrapped her arm around her and pulled her in close to her, before placing a single kiss on the back of Hermione's neck. The kiss sent chills across Hermione's skin, but she also felt so comfortable and safe, that she couldn't help but quickly drift off to sleep.

Ginny POV

Ginny was startled awake by the sound of knocking on her bedroom door.

"Ginny? Hermione? Are you two up yet?" her mum said from the other side of the door.

Frantically, Ginny leapt up and over a barely stirring Hermione to answer her door, tossing the quilt back over Hermione in the process. No way was she going to let her mum catch her sleeping very cozily behind the girl she'd ensured her was "just a friend" the evening before.

"Hermione was still asleep, but I think your knocking woke her up. We'll be down in a minute, okay?" Ginny whispered.

"Of course. Happy birthday, Ginny dear," her mum smiled at her sweetly before walking up the stairs, likely to wake Harry and Ron.

Ginny closed the door and breathed out a sigh of relief – that was a close one. Hermione was now sitting up on the edge of her bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Who was that?" she asked sleepily.

"Just my mum, making sure there was no funny business going on," Ginny said casually.

Hermione's eyes widened as she looked at Ginny with a horrified expression, "What? Are you serious?" Her look of horror changed quickly to one of her signature unimpressed glares once she took in Ginny's crooked smile, "Ginny!" she scolded.

"I couldn't resist. She wants us downstairs for breakfast, that's all," Ginny said, continuing to grin at the brunette.

"Honestly Ginny, we probably shouldn't have fallen back asleep that way. Anyone could've walked in at any moment," Hermione stressed.

Ginny sat down beside Hermione on her bed, "But they didn't. I know it wasn't the brightest decision, but I couldn't help it. I was so comfortable, weren't you?"

Hermione nodded, but still appeared to be concerned, "Yes, but Ginny, if someone were to walk in while we were…"

"While we were what?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows at Hermione.

Hermione blushed, "Anything! We could be doing a multitude of things that could get us caught, and if we do get caught, your whole family will know we'd been lying and – "

"And we don't get to share a room anymore, I know," Ginny acknowledged. "I'll be better, I promise, okay?" Ginny said, flashing her signature crooked smile again at Hermione.

Hermione sighed and gave Ginny a light kiss on the lips, "Come on, birthday girl. Let's get ready and get downstairs."

Once the two girls had gotten ready for the day, they walked down the flight of stairs to the kitchen, where Ginny was met with a warm welcome from her family and Harry, "Happy birthday, Ginny!"

She smiled as she took in the smiling faces of her entire family, as all of her brothers had shown up to celebrate. After a delicious breakfast of all of her favorites, sausages, toast, eggs, fruit, and pastries (in particular, her mum's blueberry scones), she opened her gifts.

"A Gwenog Jones jersey!" Ginny exclaimed, opening her gift from Harry and Ron.

"Once you play for the Harpies in a few years, it probably won't be appropriate for you to wear it, so get good use of it now," Harry said, smiling across the table at her.

He nudged Ron, "Oh, yeah, happy birthday Quidditch star," Ron said before refocusing on the pile of sausages still in front of him.

"Thanks guys," Ginny smiled appreciatively at them.

She opened a heavy package from Percy that contained a self-bound book of sorts. She looked up at him, a bit confused, before she read the title, "Percy Weasley's Personal O.W.L. Exams Study Guide".

"Oh wow, thank you Percy! Is this what you used to get all of your O.W.L.s?"

Percy nodded, "Precisely. They're incredibly important exams, no matter what anyone else says…" he added, shooting a look at Fred and George, who smiled angelically at him.

Next, Ginny opened a box of Quidditch gear from her parents, Bill, and Charlie.

"I'll certainly be the most well-equipped Quidditch player at Hogwarts with all of this gear, thank you!" she smiled at her parents, Bill, and Charlie as she tried on a pair of Quidditch gloves from the box.

"You can never have too much, it wears out quick!" Charlie said, "And with the way Gryffindor took a beating from Bludgers this last year…" Charlie looked at Fred, and then at Harry, "You'll want to have everything you can protecting you."

"Agreed, thank you all so much!"

"Speaking of Bludgers…" Hermione said as she handed a neatly wrapped package to Ginny.

Before she opened it, Ginny knew it was a book, "Beating the Bludgers – A Study of Defensive Strategies in Quidditch" Ginny read the title aloud before laughing at Fred's faux-offended reaction to the title and grinning at Hermione, "Thank you!"

"Alright you've got two left, one from us, and one from Katie and Demelza," George said.

Mrs. Weasley looked at Ginny a bit confused, "From Katie and Demelza? They've sent you a gift jointly?" she asked.

"Well sure, they're dating, so why wouldn't they?" Ron said nonchalantly, buttering a piece of toast.

"Demelza is dating someone else? Oh, I'm so sorry Ginny…" Mrs. Weasley said, giving Ginny a sympathetic look.

"Oh, it's totally fine. Demelza can date whoever she wants, and she and Katie are a great fit," Ginny said quickly and dismissively, "I'll open their gift first."

She took the flat package that her dad handed her, opened it, then shook her head disbelievingly and laughed. It was a photo of the entire Holyhead Harpies team, signed by all of the players. She read the card attached:

Ginny,

Went on another trip up North with dad while Katie was visiting, and we managed to catch another Harpies practice. Couldn't leave without snagging this for you! Happy birthday, see you in a few weeks!

Demelza and Katie

She grinned and showed the photo to the table.

"See George, I told you we should've gone first," Fred said to George, "How can we top that?"

"Oh, I don't care. Give it here," Ginny said to them, holding out her hands.

"Well, we didn't want to wrap it," George said.

"Didn't want to risk it suffocating, you see…" Fred continued.

Ginny look between the two, "Wha – " she was interrupted by Fred flicking his wand over his shoulder, and a small cage zooming towards her from the scullery.

"Nice catch!' Bill complimented Ginny as she grabbed the cage before it smashed into her face.

"You better watch out Harry, she could end up being a better Seeker than you or me!" Charlie chimed in, clapping Harry on the back. Harry grinned, "Honestly, I think she already is!" he said, smiling at Ginny who rolled her eyes playfully before examining the cage in her hands.

Inside the cage was a small, purple Pygmy Puff. Ginny looked at the Pygmy Puff, then at Fred and George, gaping at them.

"Wha – How – How did you know?" she managed to ask.

"Hermione here told us you were eyeing them last summer in the Magical Menagerie. We've been selling them in our shop, can't breed them fast enough they're so popular!" Fred explained.

"So, we put one aside for you. He's a little feisty, we figured he'd be perfect for you," George laughed.

Ginny smiled at her brothers and then observed her new pet. He was trying to figure out how to squeeze out of the cage. Ginny opened the cage door and the Pygmy Puff clambered onto her shoulder and began nibbling on her ear. She laughed, and pet him gently, which he leaned into eagerly. Ron went to pet him, causing him to dash across Ginny's upper back onto her other shoulder, avoiding his touch.

"Yeah, he doesn't appear to fancy men too much," George explained as Ron scowled.

"He's perfect," Ginny said affectionately to her new pet before turning to the group in front of her, "Thank you all for such thoughtful gifts! I feel pretty lucky to have such a caring group of family and friends to share my birthday with," she said as she smiled around.

"We love you very much, Ginny, it's always a great moment to get to celebrate you," Mr. Weasley said affectionately.

"Happy 15th birthday Ginny!" everyone shouted around the table.

Ginny beamed at them. As the boys started clearing the table, much to Ron's disappointment as he was still eating, Ginny and Hermione gathered Ginny's presents and brought them up to her room.

"Quite the haul, Miss Weasley," Hermione commented as she placed Ginny's gifts on the bench beneath the window.

"I know, everyone was so thoughtful," Ginny said, her new Pygmy Puff jumping off her shoulder and burying himself beneath the quilt on her bed. "Thank you for the book. I know I'm not Quidditch Captain yet, but maybe I will be in a few years, and I'd love to get a head start on figuring out what tactics I'd like to have us run, and – "

Hermione cut her off with a kiss, "You're so cute when you talk about Quidditch. I love how passionate you are."

Ginny blushed lightly and gave her crooked smile.

"That's not your only gift from me, though."

"Oh?" Ginny asked, her eyebrows raising. "Hermione, the book is plenty thoughtful. You didn't have to – "

"This is your first birthday that we're together, and while I knew I'd be getting you something Quidditch-related, I also wanted to give you something else," Hermione said, handing her a small box.

Ginny opened the box, revealing a thin golden chain with a small gold G charm at the end.

"Wow Hermione, it's beautiful," Ginny muttered, "It's too much though…"

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked softly.

"Of course I do, I love it! But – "

"No buts. It's not too much, I promise."

"G for Ginny?"

"Or Granger. Whatever you want it to stand for is fine…" Hermione said.

Ginny paused as she felt the heat rushing to her face. The thought of wearing a necklace with Hemione's initial on it was something she absolutely loved.

"Definitely Granger then…"

"Works for me," Hermione smiled, grabbing Ginny's shoulder and turning her around.

Ginny took the necklace carefully out of the box and handed it to Hermione. Hermione delicately placed the necklace around Ginny's neck and latched it, placing a soft kiss on her neck in the process. Ginny turned around, and smiled.

"How does it look?" Ginny asked.

Hermione reached forward, straightening the G, her fingers lingering for a moment on Ginny's upper chest, "Perfect," she said a bit shakily.

Both girls blushed at the contact, but as they were leaning in towards each other, they were interrupted by a commotion on Ginny's bed.

"Crookshanks, no!" Hermione cried, rushing to the bed.

Crookshanks had crept into the room unnoticed and jumped up onto Ginny's bed, and was chasing the lump in Ginny's quilt around. Hermione yanked Crookshanks off the bed and held tight to him in her arms as Ginny dug beneath the quilt to pull out her Pygmy Puff.

"Crookshanks, that is Ginny's new pet. You cannot hurt him, do you understand?" Hermione asked a disgruntled Crookshanks as he tried to wriggle out of her arms.

Ginny carried her Pygmy Puff over to Crookshanks, holding the two pets face to face, "Oi, get a good look you. Not a single claw or tooth is to touch Arnold, got it?"

Crookshanks appeared to glare up at Ginny, before apathetically sniffing Arnold the Pygmy Puff and finally relaxing into Hermione's arms.

"Arnold?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Doesn't he seem like an Arnold to you?" Ginny asked.

Hermione smiled and nodded, turning her attention back to Crookshanks, "Can I let you down? Do you promise not to hurt Arnold?"

Crookshanks looked over at Arnold, then at Ginny, before his yellow eyes landed on Hermione. She let him jump down, and he bounded out of the room.

"We'll keep an eye on them, but I think they'll be fine," Ginny said, putting Arnold back down on her bed. He scurried across the quilt onto the windowsill, where he found and began munching on a small spider that had unwittingly crawled through the open window.

"Huh," Ginny said, taking in the action of her new pet, "Ron will be pleased. So, what would you like to do today? It's a rest day for me, so no workout. Once my chores are done, I'm free to do whatever you'd like."

"It's your birthday, don't you want to decide what we do?"

"Hmmm…" Ginny mused, "I guess I do have one thing I'd like to do today."

"What would that be?"

"How about we keep it a surprise?" Ginny grinned at Hermione, "I've got to go do my chores, but once I'm done we – "

"I'll help you. I can't believe you have to do chores on your birthday. Ron didn't want to offer to cover you today?" Hermione asked, shaking her head.

"You have met Ron, haven't you?" Ginny laughed as they descended the stairs.

Together, they tended to the chickens. Hermione was still a bit afraid of the largest chicken, Gwendolyn, but Ginny assured her they'd just need to warm back up to each other. Then they weeded a bit, which Ginny felt that Hermione actually enjoyed, as she did love all of the flowers and plants the Weasleys had out in their back garden. Since the boys had taken care of the kitchen this morning, that was cut from her list, and she didn't have anything else to do until that evening when she'd check the chickens once again before they turned in for the night.

Once they were done eating the bacon sandwiches and green salad her mum had made for lunch, Ginny ran up to her room, grabbed her Comet 260 and the box of new Quidditch gear, and hustled back down the steps, jumping the last few in excitement.

"Ginny…" Hermione was looking at her from the table with wide eyes, her water glass still in her hand, "What's all that for? I thought you weren't training today?"

"C'mon, let's go to the orchard," Ginny said, gesturing with her head towards the back door.

She figured Hermione would've protested more, but had likely decided not to since it was Ginny's birthday. Hermione reluctantly followed Ginny out the back door, into the heat of the August sun.

"My hands are kind of full, can you carry this?" Ginny asked, offering her Comet 260 out to Hermione.

Hermione gave her a look, but took the broom anyway, holding it awkwardly.

Ginny chuckled, "It's not going to bite you."

Hermione gave an exasperated sigh, "I don't really know how I should hold it. Besides first year flying lessons, I've spent as little time on brooms as possible. For good reason, I'm miserably at flying…"

We'll see about that, Ginny thought as they continued the walk out to the orchard.

Once they arrived, Ginny set the box down in the center of the makeshift Quidditch pitch and took her Comet 260 from Hermione, setting it down beside the box. Then, she walked over to the broom shed and pulled out Ron's old Shooting Star.

"Absolutely not, Ginny!" Hermione shouted at her from the center of the field before Ginny even turned around.

Ginny climbed onto the Shooting Star and flew it over to where Hermione stood with her arms crossed firmly across her chest. Ginny hopped off effortlessly, and held the broom out to Hermione.

"Please?"

"No, Ginny. I just told you I was a poor flier, and I – "

"Don't you want to get better?"

Hermione was quiet.

"I promise, I won't let anything happen to you. It's a Shooting Star, one of the safest brooms out there. Let me teach you," Ginny said sincerely.

Hermione stared at Ginny, still clearly very unsure, but she reached out and wrapped her hand around the handle of the broom, taking it from Ginny. Ginny's face burst into a huge smile at this.

"Thank you, Hermione," she said, absolutely beaming.

"Just, don't let me fall," Hermione said, her voice a bit shakey.

"I've got you," Ginny said reassuringly, "Alright, first things first, mount your broom."

Hermione did so, swinging her leg up and over the handle, climbing onto the old Shooting Star.

"Kick off the ground firmly, but gently,"

Again, Hermione did as she was instructed, kicking off the ground and hovering about one foot above the ground. She was gripping the broom very tightly, too tight for Ginny's liking.

Ginny put a hand on Hermione's, "Loosen up just a little bit," she instructed calmly.

Hermione loosened her grip the slightest bit, and the action did seem to help her relax a little.

"Okay, I'm going to walk over there," Ginny said, pointing behind her, "I want you to fly to me. We're not setting any speed records here, just fly to me, nice and easy."

"H – How do I do that?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Use your hands to direct where you want to go. Move the handle, gently. Remember, you have done this before, Hermione," Ginny said encouragingly.

"I was terrible… The worst in the class…" Hermione muttered, her tone painted with stress.

"You're a lot older now and much more familiar with magic, you can do this," Ginny said, smiling softly.

Before turning to walk to where she said she'd be, Ginny took a step forward and placed a kiss on Hermione's lips, and then on her cheek.

"You can do this, Hermione."

Hermione nodded nervously. Ginny walked about a dozen strides away, then turned to face Hermione who was still hovering in place.

"Come to me," Ginny called out, "Gently."

Hermione flew to Ginny, but it wasn't exactly gentle. Hermione flew left, right, up, and down at varying speeds until she finally reached Ginny, looking extremely flustered.

"See! I told you, I'm rubbish!" Hermione huffed.

"Hermione, you're fine! It's just your first attempt. I know you're used to being good at just about anything and everything, but maybe it's good for you to have to really work hard at something."

Hermione gave her a look, then sighed, "Fine. But just so you know, if it wasn't your birthday, I'd be long gone by now."

"My cute face wouldn't keep you here?" Ginny said, leaning in to kiss Hermione again, "Or what about my kissable lips, huh? None of that would keep you here?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled at Ginny, "What do you want me to do next?"

For the next half hour, Ginny had Hermione fly to her at varying distances and from different locations, and Hermione was certainly improving. On her last attempt, she even increased her speed a little, and was smiling confidently when she reached Ginny on the edge of the orchard.

"I flew the entire length of the pitch!" Hermione exclaimed, hovering just in front of Ginny.

"See? Didn't take too long. You could try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team tomorrow," Ginny said, smiling proudly up at the girl.

"Yeah, right," Hermione said laughing, "I'll get right on that."

"Can I fly beside you now?" Ginny asked, "Would that be okay?"

Hermione nodded, and Ginny jogged back to the center of the pitch, mounted her broom, and sped back to Hermione.

"Show off," Hermione said, grinning at the redhead.

"I could show off, if you'd like me to," Ginny suggested, "I have a feeling you like watching me fly," she added with a smirk.

Hermione blushed, "No, no showing off. Just fly with me."

The two flew around the pitch for a while, Ginny flying right beside Hermione the entire time. Eventually, Ginny broke away briefly and sped off to the box of Quidditch gear, grabbed a Quaffle, and flew back to Hermione.

Hermione looked between Ginny and the Quaffle.

"It's a practice Quaffle," Ginny explained, "Same weight as a competition Quaffle, but it's got a Cushioning Charm on it. Apparently, Charlie told my mum about it when she went to Quality Quidditch Supplies to pick out the gear they got me. He figured it'd make her feel better about me playing after the injuries from last year."

"But those injuries were from Bludgers, not Quaffles," Hermione said.

Ginny shrugged, "Still puts my mum at ease, and it's cool to have. Plus, I figured maybe you'd be more willing to toss this Quaffle around with me, seeing as it won't hurt if you do accidentally get hit by it?"

Ginny could see Hermione physically tense up, but the brunette still obliged, to Ginny's delight.

They started off stationary, each girl hovering just a few feet off the ground, a few feet away from each other. They passed the Quaffle back and forth, and once Hermione felt comfortable enough, they spread out a bit more. Ginny was able to figure out Hermione's range for throwing and tracking the flight of the ball, and then suggested they fly and pass at the same time. This went significantly less well than when they were stationary, as it proved to be just too much for Hermione to handle all at once. They finished the session shooting on the makeshift hoops down at the end of the pitch. Ginny even jumped in as Keeper for a few at the end, and they stopped once Hermione actually got one past Ginny.

"10 points to Gryffindor!" Ginny cheered, grinning at Hermione who was obviously pleased with herself.

"You didn't let me score on you, did you?" Hermione asked, finally dismounting the Shooting Star.

"Of course not. I'm not going to let you score on me just for the sake of it," Ginny said seriously as she effortlessly stepped off of her Comet 260, "Well, at least not in Quidditch," she added, smirking.

"Ginny Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed, playfully pushing the younger girl.

Ginny stepped forward, closing the gap between them, and kissed Hermione confidently. They broke apart moments later, Hermione breathing a little heavily.

"I'm proud of you for flying today," Ginny said, looking into Hermione's eyes intently, "I know you were scared and you didn't want to, but you did it. Thank you for such a great birthday present. You're spoiling me, honestly," Ginny grinned down at the girl, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Hermione's cheeks were red, and Ginny wasn't sure if it was a blush or if it was from the heat and the fact that they'd been flying for over an hour. Speaking of the heat, it really was hot. The sun was peaking in the sky, and there wasn't much of the makeshift pitch that provided shade from it now. That gave Ginny an idea.

"Up for another adventure?" Ginny asked.

"I mean, it can't really be worse than flying, can it?" Hermione asked with a mixture of sarcasm and nerves.

"Oh no, I promise you'll like this. We can store my stuff in the broom shed for now, I want to take you somewhere out in the forest," Ginny said.

Ginny tossed the Quaffle in the box, carried the box in one hand and slung her Comet 260 over her shoulder while Hermione carried the Shooting Star. After tossing everything into the broom shed, they headed through the orchard in the opposite direction of the Burrow.

It didn't take long for Ginny to bring them to their destination, and she was pleased to find that it was deserted. About a mile into the forest outside of Ottery St. Catchpole was a small creek. The Weasley children used to walk down to the creek during the day all the time before they were in their Hogwarts years, as typically the Muggle children would be in school. Over the summer when the Muggle children were out of school for summer holiday was a little trickier, as they tried their best not to mingle with the Muggle children, in case one of them let something slip about the Wizarding World. Ginny hadn't been to the creek yet this summer, and found that it was as beautiful as ever. Sun streaming through the trees hit the water, making it shimmer in the light. Wildflowers were blooming all throughout the forest, even down to the bank of the creek, which she knew Hermione would love. Every once in a while, if you were lucky, you'd spot a wild river otter or two, playing in the water. It was a favorite place of Ginny's, and she was glad to be able to share it with Hermione. She actually wasn't quite sure why she hadn't taken Hermione here before.

She turned and grabbed Hermione's hand, "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful, Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed.

Hermione's face was still a bit red. Ginny reached up and touched her cheek with the back of her hand, and felt that it was pretty warm.

"Come on, let's go in," Ginny said, taking a few steps towards the creek.

"Is it safe? How deep is – " Hermione stopped talking as Ginny took off her shoes, socks, top, and shorts.

Hermione POV

"Is it safe? How deep is – " Hermione's brain appeared to malfunction as all she could process was Ginny, a few feet away from her, removing her shoes, socks, Harpies t-shirt and finally her black athletic shorts.

Ginny was now standing in front of her in just her sports bra and pants. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again upon realizing her brain wasn't able to form words at the moment. Ginny's lean, muscular body was all that she could focus on, and Hermione couldn't tear her eyes off of the girl. Last night and this morning they'd changed in separate rooms (Ginny in her room and Hermione in the bathroom), just to ensure no issues with Ginny's family walking in to find them undressed and start assuming things, so this was the most of Ginny's body that Hermione had seen at once in… Well, ever. Once Hermione was able to finally get her eyes up to Ginny's face, she saw that Ginny was smiling that signature crooked smile that Hermione couldn't resist. Suddenly, Ginny closed the gap between the two girls, striding towards where Hermione was planted on the forest trail.

"Like what you see, Miss Granger?" Ginny asked, the smile never leaving her face.

Hermione could feel the heat in her face, and she knew it wasn't from the hot August sun. Before she could say anything, Ginny took one step closer to Hermione, eliminating any and all space between the two. She took Hermione's hands and placed them on her bare waist before putting one of her own hands on Hermione's jaw and pulling her into her.

Hermione had kissed Ginny at lot over their last month at Hogwarts, but never like this. Hermione wasn't sure if it was the way Ginny was kissing her, so confidently and deeply, or if it was the feeling of Ginny's soft skin and toned body beneath her hands, but Hermione was actually feeling herself start to lose control. She moaned into the kiss, and felt Ginny break it with a smile. She took her hands from Ginny's waist and removed her own top, revealing her plain bra underneath, before grabbing Ginny's exposed waist firmly again and colliding her lips with Ginny's, pressing her body up against hers. She could feel Ginny's hands roaming over her back, sliding over her soft, sun-kissed skin. She knew she had tan lines from her swimsuit from her time camping with her parents, but she didn't care, she knew Ginny wouldn't care. She felt Ginny pause momentarily on the clasp of her bra, before continuing down her back. Hermione began kissing Ginny's jawline, down her neck, onto her upper chest. She kissed the gold G hanging from the chain around Ginny's neck before continuing down Ginny's body. She heard Ginny inhale sharply as Hermione got closer to her –

"What was that?" Hermione asked suddenly as they both whipped around to the noise of rustling.

Ginny quickly stepped in front of Hermione protectively, then let out a sigh of relief, "It's just a couple of otters," she said, pointing towards the bank of the creek.

Both girls relaxed significantly as they watched the family of otters cross the creek, and continued to watch them until they were out of sight.

"Ginny, we shouldn't have done this, it was a – "

"Bad idea, I know."

"Why don't we just go in the creek, so we've at least got an excuse for our lack of clothing," Hermione suggested, walking over to the creek. Upon stepping into the cool water, it became abundantly clear that it was extremely unnecessary for them to have taken off any clothes at all, as the creek was only about two feet deep, three at the most. Hermione shot Ginny a look.

Ginny grinned sheepishly, "Can you really blame me though? Look at you!"

Hermione blushed and shook her head, but couldn't help but smile at the scantily clad girl across from her, "Come on, let's cool off quick and head back before someone actually does wander across us."

Ginny quickly joined Hermione in the creek, and they waded around for a few minutes, letting the cold water cool their warm skin, before getting out, throwing their clothes back on, and heading back towards the Burrow.

"You're something else, you know that?" Hermione said, before they exited the forest back into the sunlit hills leading to the Burrow.

"And I'm all yours," Ginny grinned.