It was a weirdly hot day at Hogwarts, but luckily it was a Saturday, so no sweaty uniforms to deal with. Hermione was sitting under a large tree, leaning against the bark with several other students mingling and just enjoying the heat.
She had her wand out, determined to master a particular conjuring charm despite the heat. Harry was lying next to her, hands behind his head, eyes closed as he relaxed, glancing every so often at the shapes resembling birds coming from her wand.
"You're getting close, you know?"
She flashes him a grin and puts her wand down.
"I guess, thank you. I'm trying to get it just right to-"
"Impress Ginny?" He asked with a knowing smirk, and she hated how right he was.
"Maybe, I think she'll like them!"
He chuckled and turned his head back around, shutting his eyes again. Footsteps approach and he tilts back, smiling at the sight of his friends.
"Fred and George have a new venture!" Ginny announced, dropping down next to her girlfriend and pressing a kiss against her cheek, two cups of ice in her hands. Hermione's eyebrow seems to raise on its own accord as she takes an offered cup.
"They made… slushies?"
Ginny nods excitedly, taking a quick sip from her own strawberry flavour.
"You mean cold pops?"
Hermione sighs fondly and sips her own, the blue raspberry a particular favourite of hers. Ron put his and Harry's cups down, gesturing to the lake.
"The giant squid's launching students! Harry, wanna have a go?"
He sits up with a tilt in his brow, staring as a third year is launched from a gigantic tentacle.
"Is… is that safe?"
Ron laughed and gestured vaguely around them.
"Should be! Everyone's doing it, the Seventh Years are even practicing their drying spells on people!"
They look over as Seamus is dried, his hair begging to smoke, making him yelp and jump into the water. Ron grimaces and scratches the back of his head.
"... Or we always have Hermione, right?"
She rolls her eyes fondly as the two convince themselves to go, rushing off to the waterfront to bother the giant squid.
"You know, I'm kinda glad they're gone." Ginny says, lensing against Hermione's side as they watch the boys splash in the water.
"Hm?" She asks, and the other girl nodded.
"I wanted to spend some quality time with my girlfriend on our day off, speaking of…" she turns on the spot and places a dissatisfied finger on the pages of Hermione's book, "why're you working?"
The older girl groaned and tilted her head back, taking a sip from her drink.
"I'm trying to learn a spell, thought you'd find it pretty."
Ginny grinned and leant forwards, kissing Hermione's cheek and coming back to sip her own drink.
"I find you pretty, and would much rather I have the attention than a dusty old tome."
Hermione sighs, looks at the pages and decides Ginny was right, she needs to relax. She shut the book and put it to her side, shuffling over to the other witch and giving a lopsided smile.
"Okay, you have me. What do you want?"
Ginny's eyebrows wiggled, placing her chin on her fist as she allowed a devious smirk to tug at her lips.
"Well, I was curious what strawberries and blue raspberries taste like?"
They hold the stare for a few moments before breaking into laughter.
"Oh that was awful!"
Ginny nodded and gave an overly dramatic wink.
"Yup! Made you laugh, so I'll take it."
Hermione reached for the other girl.
"Come here, you silly witch."
Neither noticed as a trio of birds fluttered from her wand and flew around them.
Twenty minutes later, Ron and Harry come running up the hill. Their clothes are slightly damp, and Ron's hair is a little smokey, but they're otherwise okay.
"We're back!"
The witches were lying in the sun, a small flurry of pretty birds flying around them, as they talked, Hermione leaning her head on Ginny's taller shoulder.
"Hey! You're not on fire, mostly, a good sign!"
Harry laughed and collapsed next to them, taking his cup, which was still cold, and having a swig of cold ice. He glanced at his friends, eyebrow creasing.
"Why are your tongues purple?"
They froze for a moment before Ginny snorted, offering the boy who lived a wink.
"I had a red slushie."
"And I had a blue one..." Hermione added, decidedly not looking at either of the boys and instead focusing on her birds.
Harry and Ron nod, until suddenly emerald eyes widen and he choked on his ice.
"Oh… OH."
He started laughing at Hermione's blush and Ginny's smug expression, his best friend sitting opposite them with a frown on his brow.
"... You drank each other's slushies?"
That broke them, and the three laughed heartily at their friend's expense.