Disclaimer The Harry Potter universe and all the characters in it belong to J. K. Rowling. No infringement intended, just borrowing.
Chapter 4 - Love Potion #9
Hermione was almost done packing when she walked over to Ginny's desk to grab a few books she had brought to read over the weekend. She really didn't get a chance to read them, she noted sadly, as she put them in her bag. Hermione realized that one of the books she picked up wasn't hers and was about to put it back when she noticed the title on its frayed, worn cover.
Under Your Spell - How to Get Your Heart's Desire with Magic
Her curiosity piqued, Hermione picked up the book and opened it. Her eyes were drawn to an inscription on the inside cover, written in a silvery ink against a purple background.
To my darling only daughter-
Happy 15th Birthday! This was my favorite spell book when I was your age and I thought you might need it as you become a young woman. Merlin knows, I would have never thought to give it to your brothers, especially the twins!
Use this book with great care and caution. Ginny, if you use these spells on a certain young man; you must remember to use them sparingly. He will not truly love you with magic alone; it must come from his heart.
Just between us, I used the love potion on page 201 on your father to make him notice me when I was around your age. Of course, once I got him, I stopped using it to make sure he really loved me. And he did.
Love always,
Mum
Hermione remembered long ago that Molly had told her and Ginny stories about using love spells when she was a girl. Hermione wondered if it were possible that Ginny used a love spell on Harry. After all, he barely paid attention to her for years, with the exception of saving her life, of course. Then, during their sixth year he was suddenly infatuated with her, which would coincide with the timing of her mother's birthday present.
Like mother, like daughter.
Just then, Ginny came into the room and saw Hermione with the book in her hand. She immediately snatched it away, looking more than a little guilty. Hermione had a curious look on her face but didn't say anything, not wanting to have yet another Weasley hate her.
"I haven't used any of these on Harry, if that's what you're thinking." Ginny said, a bit defensively as she put the book back on her desk.
"Of course not, why would you need a spell, Ginny? You're smart, pretty and popular. Harry likes you for you." Hermione replied, sitting on the bed.
And she was being sincere. Why would a girl like Ginny need to cast a spell on any guy? If anything, Hermione, being the plainer of the two, might turn to such a book. Not like she would ever use it, of course.
"You mean he loves me for me. He just told me that he's falling for me." Ginny said with a satisfied smile. "And not only that, he's going to marry me someday."
Hermione was shocked, her heart sinking. "Harry proposed?"
Ginny shook her head. "No, but I told him that Mum made me promise when she was ill that I would marry him. Even though she's better, Mum and I still think it's something we should plan for someday. Harry said he'll consider it but he can't really think about our future until he defeats you-know-who."
"Telling you he'll think about it isn't the same as ensuring your future as Mrs. Ginny Potter." Hermione said, relieved.
"Oh he'll marry me someday, I'm sure of it." Ginny said, folding her arms in front of her chest. "And if you hadn't gone and broken Ron's heart, we could've had a double wedding."
Hermione tried to ignore her comment about Ron. "Ginny, if you're thinking of getting him to marry you by using that book, it won't work."
"But Mum got Dad that way." Ginny protested.
Well she obviously didn't take her mother's entire inscription to heart, she thought. Hermione decided not to waste her breath arguing with Ginny about this. If Hermione knew anything about Ginny, it was that she had a stubborn streak.
"Just be careful, Ginny," was all she would say. "I'm going to get changed and go to bed."
Later that night as Ginny slept beside her, Hermione looked over at her with a mixture of envy and pity, if that were possible. She had a feeling Ginny had lied to her about not using a love spell on Harry last year. And even if she were telling the truth, she was obviously planning to use magic on Harry at some point to get him to the altar. What kind of faith did she have in their relationship if she needed to resort to a spell book to get him to love her?
And what about Harry? He seemed so ambivalent about Ginny during their conversation about marrying into the Weasley clan, but now he was considering it? Perhaps he just told Ginny that as to not to hurt her feelings, or had things changed again?
As close as they were and as well as she knew him, Harry could be hard to read sometimes.
Her thoughts and body exhausted, Hermione finally fell asleep. She had a dream she was walking down the aisle at her wedding; gazing at Harry through her veil as he stood waiting for her, Ron smiling beside him as best man. When she finally reached him, he lifted her veil. Instead of saying her vows, she suddenly she found herself sitting in the audience, watching in horror as Harry and Ginny exchanged vows and kissed.
A/N: Molly's love spell is canon - there's a sentence about it in POA, but I'm not sure if she used it on Arthur in the book. Can anyone else recall when it was mentioned?