Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 5: The Girl Shines Through

For Hermione's liking, Saturday rolled around all too soon. She was, on one hand, looking forward to spending sometime with Harry and Ron. On the other hand she was spending a weekend with Harry and Ron.

Harry, being the object of her undying affection.

And Ron being her boyfriend.

Where was the justice in that?

"Hermione!" Molly Weasley cried as Hermione stepped out of the chimney, and dusted her denim skirt down, placing her overnight bag on the floor.

"Hey everyone!" Hermione received a very big hug from Mrs Weasley, then from Ginny.

Hermione looked around the very familiar kitchen. Everything was perfectly normal for the Weasley residence apart from a black hold-all that caught her attention straight away. 'Harry must already be here,' she thought.

"Oh, Herm, the lads have just started the game," Ginny exclaimed clutching at her friend's arm. "I'm going to watch. I've never seen football before."

Ginny opened the back door and walked outside.

"Ron's outside with the lads, dear," Molly stated, walking back to the table which was littered with picnic food and a basket.

"Do you need a hand?" Hermione asked removing her robe and hanging it on the robe rack. It was good she'd worn it or her white shirt would be covered in soot.

Molly waved her hand at Hermione. "Don't be silly, dear. You're a guest. I'll float it outside in a few minutes."

Hermione gave her a big smile before exiting the kitchen through the back door.

It was a very sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. Ginny was sitting on the grass, plucking out small blades and twisting them mindlessly between her thumb and index finger.

Hermione walked up to her friend and sat beside her, watching the boys playing on the lawn.

George (she thought) was in goal, using two muggle lawn gnomes for the posts. Fred was in the opposite goal, using one bound and gagged live gnome and a red jumper for posts.

Ron and Harry were tackling each other for the white football whilst Mr Weasley, Bill and Percy were stood on the pitch, watching to see who got the ball.

"I didn't know Bill was home," Hermione stated, turning to Ginny, but looking out of the corner of her eye at Harry.

Ginny nodded. "He's got two weeks off so he Apparated home yesterday. Everybody's really proud of Ron, for getting in at Puddlemere."

Hermione smiled. "Yeah. He really deserves it."

She watched Harry run down the lawn with the ball and shot towards Fred (she thought). Unfortunately, Fred did a dive and caught the ball.

She chuckled a little as she watched Harry fake anger.

Ron was laughing at him. He was wearing white shorts and a white T-shirt. Harry was in blue shorts and a black sleeveless T-shirt. It looked like a vest.

Molly walked outside hovering the picnic basket and a blanket in front of her. Hermione and Ginny stood up so they could lay the blanket down.

"Dinner!" She called.

The lads immediately broke up their game, Fred and George were arguing over who won.

Harry and Ron ran over to the blanket as it settled on the floor.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, noticing her for what appeared to be the first time.

He enveloped her into a hug, tightening his arms around her protectively. She kissed him quickly on the cheek.

"Don't I get anything?" Ron asked with a wide grin.

Hermione shook her head jokingly and hugged Ron.

"It's great to see you both," She smiled as they both picked up a sandwich and sat down beside her.

"Great to see us?" Harry chuckled. "We're two weeks in!"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm still not used to being apart from you two for days. It doesn't feel right."

Harry bumped her with his shoulder. "Mushy pup."

She let her jaw drop in shock. "Me? Mushy? You can hardly talk!"

"When did I ever get 'mushy' on anyone?" Harry took a swig of a glass of lemonade.

Hermione simply looked at Ginny. "Your curtain call."

Ginny laughed. "You are mushy Harry."

"Stop ganging up on him, girls!" Fred said whilst George ate some cake.

Everybody was sent into rages of laughter.

"Don't worry about it," Ron said. "What score were we at anyway?"

"5-2 to me, Harry and George," Percy replied, pouring some butterbeer into a pint glass.

Harry looked up into the sky for a moment, then brought out his muggle sunglasses from his pocket.

"Are we playing to 10 gentlemen?" Mr Weasley asked, after having a nice conversation with his wife.

They all heard a scrambling noise from the goals. Everyone managed to see what the scrambling noise was. The supposedly bound and gagged gnome had escaped and was hoping over the hedge into the neighbour's garden.

"Well, we're a post short now," Bill said sadly. "Anybody willing to sacrifice a shirt?"

After a few moments of hesitation from the lads, Harry stood up and took his T-shirt off. He threw it to Bill.

"There you go," He smiled. "I was getting to hot anyway."

"Any excuse to flash, ey Potter?" Bill laughed. He ran up to the missing post and put the shirt down on the grass. "The game commences!"

Hermione realised that as the boys ran back onto the lawn to play their game, she wasn't the only one staring at Harry's bare chest. Ginny was too.

Only it wasn't just bare. He was wearing a chain with what looked like a ring on the end.

"When did he get such a fine body?" Ginny asked, taking a swig of butterbeer from Percy's pint glass.

Hermione shook her head. "Probably all the Quidditch. Gods, no wonder everyone was after him."

Of course, Hermione already knew what his chest looked like. You don't be friends with a boy for seven years and not see him change his shirt once in a while in front of you.

The innocence ploy seemed to working on Ginny, though. She didn't suspect a thing.

"So," Ginny turned back to Hermione just as Ron scored. "How long have you fancied Harry?"

Hermione nearly choked on her lemonade as she turned back to Ginny, who raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" She asked. "Fancy Harry? That Harry?"

Ginny nodded. "The one and only, Harry Potter. How long?"

"I don't fancy Harry," Hermione lied, gulping down the rest of her drink so she couldn't drown at Ginny's next statement.

"Oh Herm," Ginny shook her head smiling. "Nobody is as protective as you, or as devoted to that boy as you are. You can't try and kid me. Come on. 'fess up."

"I don't fancy Harry," She lied again, shaking her head.

"Okay, okay," Ginny relented holding her hands up in surrender. "Just make sure you tell Ron. He'll get hurt otherwise. I won't tell him."

'She rumbled us, girlie,' Hermione's mind interfered.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked smiling. "How did you find that out?"

Ginny shrugged. "Girls know girls. Plus, I went through the same thing. It's good to know you've got someone to talk to."

Hermione smiled brightly. "Thanks, Gin."

"Does Harry know?"

Hermione nodded. "That's what we were arguing about in the common room that night."

"Ah," Ginny replied, picking up another sandwich. "What're you going to do about Ron?"

"I have no idea," Hermione looked up at the boys.

Harry looked so happy. Ron was having a riot playing football. She'd really miss them. This would really be the longest time they'd be away from each other in seven years.

Sat there, on the Weasley's lawn, it didn't seem like seven years had gone past since she'd ran into their compartment looking for Neville's toad Trevor.

They were really the best friends she'd ever had or ever would have.

They were an essential part of her life now and they couldn't change that, no matter how much Ron ticked her off sometimes.

"Do you love him?" Ginny asked.

"He's all I can think about," She replied. "There's just something about Harry that makes me…go soppy on the inside."

Ginny chuckled a little.

"What?" Hermione asked, watching her friend laughing.

Ginny stopped laughing for a moment and cleared her throat.

"I asked you whether you loved 'him'," Ginny smiled. "And you immediately assumed I meant Harry."

Hermione felt her cheeks glowing.

"I thought I was in love with him once," Ginny clasped her hands in her lap. "But I was wrong. I've found who I'm in love with. Jeez, that was a shock."

"Why?" Hermione asked, drinking a bit of Ginny's butterbeer.

"It's…its Draco," Ginny said quickly.

Hermione nearly spluttered her drink for the second time. "Draco? As in Malfoy?"

Ginny nodded. "I've been going out with him for the past year."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "How come you didn't tell me? Someone must have known to keep everybody from finding out."

Ginny pointed to the bare chested guy running around on the lawn.

"He knew," she stated.

Hermione looked astonished for a moment. "Harry knew? How come he didn't hex his brains out?"

"Harry offered to keep it a secret for us. Honestly, nothing gets past that boy. He even made me walk up to a unicorn when he first found out."

Hermione laughed. "Only virgins can approach Unicorns. He's really protective sometimes."

"He's great friends with Draco now," Ginny brushed some grass off her leg. "He's sharing his dorms with him in Merlin's."