Thanks so much for the reviews! We've read-and discussed- them all.
We wanted to make one point. We didn't see Hermione as "checking out" Ron any more than any other red blooded teenage girl would've done if given the situation. That and the fact they were best friends, we thought the compulsion would be rather hard to resist on her part. We don't see that as her "liking" Ron any more than the lack of a hug in CoS (movie) indicated she liked him. We worked in the shower scene to highlight the dichotomy there. She was having issues looking at Harry -even though she was in his body and it was inevitable-she wasn't having issues checking out Ron. That's because she doesn't like Ron in that way…the same can't be said for Harry.
Anyway, hope that clears it up a bit from our perspective….
Without further ado-Cheering Charm and I would like to present the final installment of "A Slip of the Tongue."
We hoped you enjoyed the ride!
Vicarious Leigh
This feels sooooooo good!
Harry was flying around the Quidditch Pitch in large, loopy circles, searching for the Snitch. Below him, his fellow Gryffindors were battling with the Slytherins well into the second hour of the match. Malfoy, as usual, was following Harry around riding his coattails, letting him do the work of finding the Snitch, hoping to use the advantage of his broom speed when the chase for the Snitch began.
The score was 320 - 150, Gryffindor. At the rate Gryffindor was scoring goals, and with the Snitch being so elusive, this match was on track to break all school records. Ginny had already broken one record by scoring her 25th goal. Harry had never seen her play like this. She had always been good, probably the best chaser he had played with, but today she was a woman possessed. She was literally flying circles around the Slytherins, making their attempts at defending her look downright ridiculous. Just about the only chance Slytherin had for winning was if Malfoy caught the Snitch, which had never happened against Harry.
Harry didn't mind the extended game. He was so happy to be back up on his broomstick that he was secretly hoping that the Snitch remained elusive for a bit longer. It had only been three days that he had been in Hermione's body and unable to fly, and honestly he had gone longer stretches without getting on his broomstick before. But, upon reflection he now realized that it wasn't the fact that he hadn't flown. It was the fact that he, as Hermione, could not fly, that had been so difficult. Hermione, as evidenced by her worshipping at the porcelain God a few days ago, was not a flyer. He would not have been able to fly even if he had thought of it (which he honestly hadn't, due to other more pressing issues) or risk the exposure of their charade.
Harry thought back over the previous days, still absently looking for the Snitch and putting Draco through his paces on the broom. It had been an eye opener being in another person's body for three days. The fact that it was Hermione's put an entirely new wrinkle in his perspective. He would never be able to watch her absently twist her hair around her finger as she is was thinking and not remember what it felt like when he found himself doing the same thing in Potions. How had he never noticed that she chewed on her lip when she was concentrating? The memory of her chewing on his lip while putting make-up on him made him laugh. In fact, when he had returned to his body the day before, he noticed that his bottom lip was just a bit sore from her habit. Not that he had minded at all.
**
"In here," Ginny demanded, leading them into a vacant classroom off the third floor.
"Why don't we need to go to Pomfrey? Did you find a counter charm?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"No, I don't think we need a counter charm."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Have any of you used your wands since Wednesday night?"
"I'm sure I…." Hermione began. Comprehension dawned on her face as she made the connection Ginny had made minutes before.
"Neither have I," Ginny said. "I've had Potions, Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. None of them require wandwork."
"We took a written exam in Transfiguration. The practical exam is next week," Harry said.
"Malfoy?" Ginny said. "I know you have used your wand. I have Charms on Thursday. Did it work?"
Draco looked at the ground sheepishly. "No."
"Malfoy, you are unbelievable!" Ginny roared. "Let me guess. You were too taken with the thought that I would be receiving a failing grade than to clue in as to why the charm didn't work."
Harry and Hermione looked at Draco, who was studying a crack in the floor, in utter disbelief.
"Just great! I had to spend yet another night fighting off Pansy Parkinson because all you could think of was getting back at me for some perceived wrong or vague grudge you have against my family. You are really a piece of work. Here I was feeling sorry for you because no one in the entire school likes you." Ginny snatched her wand from Draco's hand and jabbed his toward him. Reluctantly, he took it from her. "Well, it is no wonder, now is it? I was wrong. You deserve Pansy. Have you not figured out that she's only interested in the Malfoy family fortune? I hope you are stupid enough to marry her and are miserable for the rest of your life."
She stalked away from the three of them, who were staring at her stunned, positioning herself where Malfoy had been when the erroneous hex had been performed. "Let's get this over with. And, lets pray to Merlin that it works. Otherwise, I'm marching right out this door and proposing to Pansy for you Malfoy."
The other three obliged, more out of sheer terror of Ginny than anything else. Harry and Hermione swapped wands and took their respective places. With fire in her eyes, Ginny roared the hex at Hermione as she executed the hex Harry had performed. Bright light shot out of their wands and joined, engulfing the four in a familiar purple glow.
When the light dissipated, the four of them stood there, staring at each other. Ginny walked up to Malfoy, her wand raised. "Here," she said, thrusting Malfoy's ebony wand at him, while snatching her willow wand from his hand. "Now I can hex you," she said with a smirk. She snapped her wand level with Malfoy's eyes.
"Hold on!" Hermione interjected, switching wands with Harry once more. "That is what got us into this mess in the first place." She gently pushed Ginny's wand down, pointing it to the floor. "We need to talk about something though."
"What?" Malfoy asked, still watching Ginny for signs of an impending jinx.
"Well, no one but the four of us know about this…masquerade, right?"
The three of them nodded their heads in agreement.
"We need to keep it that way. We cannot tell a single soul." She turned to Ginny. "You can't tell Dean, we can't tell Ron, and you, Malfoy, can't tell…whomever it is you tell stuff to." Harry smirked at Malfoy's apparent confusion.
The look on Malfoy's face was not lost on Hermione. She rolled her eyes and appeared to search for small words Malfoy would understand. "If anyone finds out…if Dumbledore finds out…there will be hell to pay. Most likely we will be expelled, since technically we spent two nights in the dorms of the opposite sex. Not to mention the fact that we were using magic in the halls. Throw on top of it the fact that it involves Harry and you," she stressed, " and there is absolutely no way they will only give us detention."
"I have no desire to tell anyone that I spent three days in Malfoy's body." Ginny said dryly.
"I won't tell," Harry said. "Even though Ron thinks I'm gay."
Malfoy sniggered at that remark. "Thinks?"
"Malfoy!" Hermione snapped. "Do you agree to keep your mouth shut?"
He looked at the three Gryffindors that he had hated for seven years. "I agree."
Hermione visibly relaxed. "Great. Let's get out of here."
They separated at the Great Hall, Malfoy turning to walk to the Slytherin common room and Ginny going to find Dean. Harry and Hermione stood watching them go.
"Do you think we can trust Malfoy?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know," Harry replied. "I'm hoping his dislike of the Weasley's will keep him from broadcasting the fact that he was in a Weasley body for three days."
"At least he can't hide behind his father anymore. If Dumbledore finds out, he will get in just as much trouble as we will. That's what I'm pinning my hopes on."
They stood there for a moment, avoiding each other's eyes. Harry looked at his watch. "It is almost time for dinner."
"Is it?"
"Are you hungry."
"Not really."
"Me either."
Their eyes met, both thinking how strange it was to be looking at the other again. Although it had only been three days, they had gotten somewhat accustomed to their new point of view. Now that their correct perspective had been restored, they both wanted to do what would have seemed somewhat incestuous only an hour before.
Harry grabbed Hermione's hand. "Come on."
He led her to classroom eleven, in a corridor off of the ground floor. Poking his head in the door he called, "Firenze?"
Harry looked around and listened for the sound of approaching hooves. Hearing only silence, he opened the door wider and pulled Hermione inside the classroom.
"Wow!" Hermione said, looking around. She took in the unbelievable sight of a forest in the castle, the tall towering trees and verdant green grass. "I've always meant to come in here, but…"
Harry cut her off with a crushing kiss. He had wanted to do this for so long, long before he had lived inside her body. Earlier today in front of the bathroom mirror, he had traced his fingers along her lips, becoming familiar with every curve, hoping to use that knowledge to his advantage when he was himself again. Nothing could have prepared him for the feel of her lips on his. He ran his tongue along her lips, tracing from memory the path his fingers had gone before. She opened her mouth and pulled him down to her, arching her body against his.
He wrapped his hand in her hair, the hair he had cursed just days before, but now was appreciating for its softness and appealing green apple scent.
I don't even like apples.
I do now.
He wrapped his other hand around her waist and pulled her even closer, trailing his hand down lower and lower, until he remembered…a red thong.
**
"Harry! HARRY! The Snitch!!"
Harry was startled out of his daydream by Ginny, Ron, and the entire Gryffindor team yelling at him and pointing. He looked down to see Malfoy streaking after what Harry could only assume was the Snitch. He took off with really no chance of catching Malfoy on his newer, faster broom. His only hope was that, like so many times before, Malfoy would flub it and miss the Snitch all together, thus giving Harry another chance.
There is a first time for everything.
Before Harry was even within thirty feet of Malfoy, he saw Draco raise his hand in triumph, little fluttering wings framing his hand, giving the illusion that Malfoy's hand was flying in the air. Harry expected to see the Slytherins bombard Draco with congratulatory back slaps and hugs. Instead, they flew down to the ground with disgusted looks on their faces, leaving Malfoy alone on his broom, the triumphant smile sliding from his face. Harry looked up at the scoreboard and saw the final tally: Gryffindor 340, Slytherin 330.
"You know," Ginny said sagely, flying to a stop beside Harry. "I almost feel sorry for him. He looks so pathetic."
Harry looked at Malfoy. "No, he looks lonely."
"Harry! Where was your mind today, mate?" Ron said as he flew up on the other side of Harry.
Harry looked down sheepishly, remembering the red thong. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione waiting for him on the edge of the Quidditch Pitch. She waved at him and smiled.
Ron followed his gaze and grinned. "It is a good thing our next match isn't for a month. Maybe by then you will be over your puppy love stage," he said, slapping Harry on the back.
**
Hermione was waiting outside the Gryffindor locker room for Harry, Ron and Ginny when Draco walked out of the Slytherin locker room, head down, a dejected look on his face.
Draco looked up and saw Hermione. Remembering her comment, "It means I don't think much of you, Draco" from the day before, he continued past her without breaking stride.
"Draco?"
He turned around to see a completely unfamiliar expression on Hermione's face; compassion.
"Congratulations on catching the Snitch. You did a," Hermione cleared her throat a bit, as if choking on the words, "good job."
Surprise etched on his face, he stared at her for a moment, wondering what in the world had come over her.
I must look really pathetic if Granger is trying to pep me up.
At that moment, Ron, Harry and Ginny exited the locker room, laughing and smiling. The smiles froze on Harry and Ginny's face, and slid from Ron's upon seeing Draco standing there. As if by instinct, a thousand insults popped into his mind that he could have said, but didn't. Instead he said, "Good game, Ginny. Ron. Congratulations," and turned to walk up to the castle.
Ron stood there watching Malfoy go, a stunned expression on his face. "Did he just call me, Ron?"
"Sounded like it," Ginny said, regarding Malfoy with a bit more respect that she had just a few days ago.
"I didn't even realize he knew my first name," Ron said sarcastically.
"Oh, come on Ron, he's not…"
"Don't even say, 'he's not that bad.' I told you yesterday, yes he is." Ron interrupted.
"Give him a break. He has to kiss Pansy Parkinson, after all. That would make anyone a surly git," Ginny replied, beginning to walk to the castle.
"Well, no one is forcing him to do that. That's his choice," Ron said, following Ginny.
Harry and Hermione followed along at a slower pace, holding hands, letting the distance between them and Ron and Ginny lengthen.
"Great game today."
"Ginny was great. I was horrible."
"NO! You weren't horrible," Hermione disagreed, too vehemently.
Harry looked at her and grinned. "You don't have to lie because you are my girlfriend. I know I played poorly."
"Am I your girlfriend?"
"As far as I'm concerned you are. That is, unless you don't want to be," he added uncertainly.
Hermione wrapped her arm through his and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "Of course I do. That should have been apparent in classroom eleven last night."
"Blatantly apparent."
"So what was wrong? Why did you play so poorly?"
"Hey! You said I played great!" Harry nudged her playfully in the ribs. "If you must know…" he hesitated, and upon reflection felt he might as well get it off his chest. "I was thinking about your red thong."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Really? You like that, do you?"
"I like it much better on you than me."
"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "I can think of another thing or two you like," she said suggestively.
"Oh really? Like what?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh I don't know. Maybe I'll show you tonight."
"Show me?" Harry said puzzled. He saw a mischievous grin on Hermione's face and comprehension dawned.
"But, I thought you said you didn't…that you closed your eyes!" Harry said in disbelief.
Hermione leaned up and whispered to Harry, her warm breath tickling his ear, "I lied."
THE END!!!