Oh for goodness sake!
It turns out that, amongst many undesirable things, Cormac McLaggen was damn near persistent in the worst of ways.
Hermione had swerved, had dodged, hell- had even started up an intense conversation while having near rotten smelling breath (curtsy of Slughorn's unusual snacks), and he still didn't get the hint she wanted to be left alone!
This party was the worse case situation for her; suited and booted boys being mostly uncomfortable around her, apart from Mr Quidditch Man himself, who had a devilish look in his eye the second she walked in.
Honestly, she was getting frantic.
She hid herself in the curtains, having avoided him for the possibly hundredth time that evening, and almost yelped at the presence behind her. She turned and sighed in relief at the sight of the youngest Weasley.
Hermione smiled at her friend, a massive wave of relief flowing over her. Ginny grinned and cocked her head to the side.
"Stalker much?"
"Absolutely, help me?"
The younger girls brow furrowed, and she leant against the window with an amused smile.
"How?"
"I- I don't-"
A deep laugh reached them from the otherside of the curtain, and Hermione felt her eyes roll back as he got closer.
"Oh, Hermione~!"
"Is that-"
"I'm sorry."
"For wha-"
That's when three things happened.
One; the curtains were thrown back, so dramatically that most heads turned in their direction.
Two; Cormac let out a loud gasp of undisguised shock.
Three; Hermione, on her tiptoes despite her heels, threw her arms around the shocked Ginny's shoulders, kissing her very passionately.
The room stopped, Slughorn was the only one to seem unbothered, actually, but several other students managed to drop their glasses.
Hermione pulled back, noticing her friend's bright red face, mouth moving as though she wanted to speak, but couldn't.
"... Sorry." She whispered, barely audible enough for Ginny to hear. Before she could even begin to fathom a reply, Hermione was bright red and walking away from her with an awkward cringe.
"W-Wait!"
Hermione stopped as a hand wrapped around her hand, as did everyone's breaths.
"I… erm, I know this wasn't how we wanted to… come out. But, at least it's done… right, babe?"
Hermione smiled, holding tighter and stepping closer.
"You're... you're right!"
They both grinned, and spent the rest of the night together, dancing and talking, not acting any different to ordinary. Unknown to them, whispers erupted at every touch, every glance, and the two witches were thrust into a new rumour.
By the time Hermione and Ginny had got into their respective beds (after being followed by all the eyes in the Gryffindor common room, both impressed with the speed of the Hogwarts Rumor Mill) the 'truth' was out.
The next morning Hermione was dreading leaving her dorm. Lavender and Parvati had given her giggling smiles, walking out for breakfast while whispering to each other.
Hermione was sat on her bed, absentmindedly petting Crookshanks while she thought about living the rest of her school year from her room, rather than die from embarrassment.
I can't believe I kissed her… and I can't believe it felt so... good?
Her hand came up to her lips, which were still kind of buzzing.
What does… what-
The door was barged open and Hermione's cheeks weren't ready for how red they got.
"Ah- Ginny!"
The red head pointed at her, scanning the room and kicking the door shut before placing towards her.
"We need to talk."
The muggleborn laughs awkwardly, which ended in a high-pitched squeak when Ginny knelt in front of her, hands on her cheeks and getting quite close.
"Ah, ha... what about?"
Ginny's brow furrowed, and she grinned.
"About last night! It got me thinking-"
"I'm sorry! It was-"
"Genius!"
"... What now?"
Ginny stood, arms out to express her apparent joy.
Don't look at her shirt rising don't look at- oh.
She looked, and almost missed Ginny's explanation.
Damn, Quidditch does her well.
"I've been trying to tell Dean for weeks to back off, but he doesn't get the fact I'm not interested in dating anyone, more specifically, him!"
Hermione is nodding, she thinks.
"So, can we… keep this up? Maybe? Just for a little while-"
Oh I see this going badly, maybe I shouldn't-
"Yeah absolutely, sounds like an excellent idea!"
… oh for Merlin's sake.
"Brilliant! So… do you want to work out… parameters?"
Seriously Hermione, back out of this-
"Yeah, what were you thinking?"
Do you hate yourself? Hermione Jean Granger, now is not the time to pretend to date your friend who you apparently have feelings for!
"Well, maybe just the same as we normally do? Meet up around lessons, eat together, go on walks like we usually do on the weekends, but with added hand holding? And, if you're alright with it, maybe some kissing?"
Oh… no.
"Yep! Sounds brilliant! It'll, eh, certainly help me with the whole Cormac issue."
"Awesome, thank you, love!"
Ginny winks, leans forward and kisses Hermione on the cheek. Leaning back and standing, she turns and points at the bathroom.
"I'm just gonna head to the loo, get ready, babe, we're coming out again today."
She winks again and makes her way over the room, and Hermione is staring, apparently. Crookshanks yowls to get her attention, and Hermione takes that as a hint to get dressed.
So… she does.
"So… how long have you been dating our sister?"
Hermione nearly chokes on her toast, and is thankful to have Harry next to her to smack her back.
"Wow, must've been a while, Fred, you nearly killed her!"
They're laughing, but it's uncomfortable. It's been a day since they came down from her room together, holding hands and acting as they usually would, only this time their hugs were stared at, their arms over shoulders gasped at.
It was official, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley were now a couple.
The thought practically rang through the students' minds.
"E-erm-"
"Mind your own business, darling brothers. Or I'll hitch up the PDA."
Hermione is relieved when Ginny sits next to her, hand going to her thigh and kissing her on the corner of her mouth.
The relief becomes awkward heat when the hand stays on her thigh and squeezes gently.
"Oh Merlin Gin, please don't."
Ginny shrugged, taking s slice of toast from Hermione's plate.
"A while, that's how long we've been together, to answer your question."
Ron grumbled to himself, and Harry, ever the innocent, asked the question they were dreading.
"Oh, cool! When?"
Hermione stuttered.
"E-erm-"
"Last year, in the Room of Requirement after DA."
Hermione paused, and several other students turned to listen in.
This was when Hermione finally got a good look at Ginny; shirt sleeves rolled past her elbows, tie loosely around her neck with her cardigan tied around her waist.
… How does she stay so warm?
Brown eyes met her own, and smiled.
"Care to share, Gin?"
Bless you Harry.
"Yeah, sure. It was a few weeks before we got caught actually."
The memory hit Hermione like a triple decker bus, and she almost gasped.
DA, Three Days Before the Ministry
Hermione was tired, Umbridge was exhausting, and teaching the DA with Harry was fun, but… Merlin, juggling this and school work tired her out.
Currently she was leaning over a desk, glaring at her wand, as for the life of her she couldn't summon a half decent patronus.
Why… why is this so hard?
Maybe she was overthinking it, maybe her memories just weren't… happy enough?
Lord, that's morbid.
"Thought I'd find you here!"
Hermione sighed, but grinned at the younger girl who walked in.
"Hey, Gin. What're you doing here this late?"
Ginny laughed, pulling up a chair to sit down behind Hermione.
"I could ask you the same thing! Not like you to break curfew."
Hermione sighed and shook her head.
"I just… I can't make a patronus!"
Ginny frowned.
"Yeah you can, I saw you!"
"No- it's weak, I wanted… I wanted to make it impressive, you know?"
Ginny tilted her head, fingering her wand from her sleeve.
"Like Harry's stag?"
"Yeah, I just kinda struggle making things perfect, I guess."
The younger witch sighed and stood, taking Hermione's waist and turning her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her lightly.
"Hermione Jean Granger, you are by far the most amazing witch I know, so don't tell my mother, so I know that's not what's up. There's something else bothering you, isn't there?"
Chest racing, Hermione offered a small and weak smile.
"Kinda, yeah. But…"
"Come on, 'Mionie, tell me! If... if you want to, of course."
Ginny offered an awkward grin, realising how close they were and stepping away. Hermione didn't want to think about why she missed the contact.
"I can't think of a memory, like, a really happy one. None I think of are good enough to… to make a corporeal patronus."
Ginny bit her lip and tapped her chin in thought, a lightbulb going off a few moments before Hermione realised she'd stopped breathing.
"I know! Let's get some happy memories flowing!"
She shut her eyes with a furrowed brow, the Room reacting seconds later as a CD player appeared next to Hermione, who yelped at the sudden intrusion.
"Christ!"
"Yup, now, pick your favourite CD!"
"Will the Room even know what a CD is? How… how do you in fact?!"
Ginny laughed and shrugged.
"I listen to you, you know. Anyway, think up an album that makes you smile!"
Now it was Hermione's turn to think, several songs and albums came to mind, but if she really had to think… there was only one clear choice.
The bright yellow CD landed in her hands, and she put the CD in.
"What's a Mika?"
"Don't worry about it, so… are we just gonna listen to it or- oh!"
Ginny had rolled her eyes with a large grin and taken Hermione's hand, pulling her to her feet as the first song started to play.
I wanna talk to you!
The last time we talked, Mr. Smith, you reduced me to tears.
I promise you it won't happen again!
"No, we're gonna dance!"
After an initial awkwardness, it didn't take much convincing. Before long the two witches were messing around, twirling, jumping and spinning to the music, and several others after that. Belting out lyrics, or as close as Ginny could guess to them.
By the end of the evening the two girls were panting, exhausted but so happy. They were laying on a sofa, courtesy of the Room, and somewhat all over each other.
"Did that help, you think?"
"M? Oh! For the spell, well, I think so, yeah."
Ginny laughed, sitting up and offering her hand to Hermione.
"Excellent, come on then. I know the best way back to the dorms, especially when avoiding patrols.
Hermione laughed and took her hand, and neither girl let go until they were in their respective rooms.
The next day, thoughts of Grace Kelly and dancing fuelled her patronus, and an otter chased a horse around the Room of Requirement.
"Blimey, that was ages ago!"
"You sneaky devils!"
Hermione barely nodded, staring at the witch next to her with near tears in her eyes. She'd expected expert level lies, some hilarious fumble into a relationship which would keep their pursuers away for a good while, not… not the truth.
"Yeah, I didn't tell her but, that was the night I realised I was in love with her."
Oh, tears, really?
Ginny's gaze met her own as the surrounding listeners all seemed to coo in various stages.
"Isn't that right, love?"
Her throat was being crushed, her chest aching.
"Ah… excuse me."
She climbed over the bench and walked away with a quick pace, tears building as she heard Ginny and Harry call after her. With no plan or direction, she almost hexed herself when she realised where her feet had taken her.
Why.
The Room of Requirement was open, and she entered to a small reading nook, two armchairs by a roaring fireplace, a table holding the book she'd been reading innehe room, page open to where she'd got to.
Hermione barely got two steps in when the door barged in, of course it was Ginny.
"'mione, what's wrong?"
The muggleborn let out a loose breath.
"I just wasn't expecting to hear something… something real."
She stood before the fire, watching the flames crack. Ginny was lost, unsure as to what she'd done wrong.
"I'm… I'm sorry, Hermione, did I go too personal?"
"No, no. It's, oh Merlin!"
Hermione, you are a Gryffindor! You've faced a Basilisk, a werewolf, time travel and being stuck under a bloody lake for hours! Woman up!
"Herm-"
"I actually like you, okay! As in- as in really like you."
Ginny froze, so Hermione kept talking.
"That was when I first figured it out, here, listening to- to bloody Mika! Your eyes, hair, smile, personality, your heart! I just- Merlin, Ginny, I really like you, in that way! And I'm sorry for kissing you and using you and forcing this all on you now-"
"You didn't force anything on me, I kissed you too."
"But you wouldn't have had to if it wasn't for-"
"Hermione."
She stopped, unable to look away even if she wanted to, captured in the molten gaze.
"Hermione. I've liked you since First Year, when I woke up after the Chamber, terrified, and you'd say with me on my bed and gave me mints of all things! Sugar free, too."
Hermione was blushing, Ginny kept going.
"In your Third Year, when you made sure people stopped bullying me about the Chamber."
"Your brother's did most of it-"
"But they only got involved because of you! Not to mention the several other things you've done for me, not for any gain, but because you wanted to!"
Ginny seemed a little nervous now, hands shaking as she brushed hair behind Hermione's ear.
"'Mione, I've been in love with you for as long as I've known you, and I'm sorry for being a coward about telling you."
Tears in her eyes, Hermione laughed.
"You're serious?"
"More serious about this than I've ever been."
The kiss they shared then was different, it was softer, private, sweeter. One of confession and hope, and pure joy.
They became official then, but decided not to confuse anyone with explorations, not that it was any of their business, anyway.
All they had to know was this; Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley were in love, and that's all that mattered.