Disclaimer: JKR owns.
A Late Night Visit
Chapter 5: Revelation, Party of Two
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Ginny sat alone in the library, at the table hidden far away in the back of the shelves. It was Hermione's favorite table because it was secluded away from all the noise, and this is where she had told Ginny to meet her after classes.
They were partnered together for a Potions project and had decided to get started on it right away. But Hermione was running late.
Again.
Recent events had given reason for Ginny to start worrying about her older friend. Earlier today, after seeing that Hermione was about 20 minutes late for lunch, she finally agreed to confront her about her odd behavior.
That was before she seen them.
At first, Ginny had thought they were just messing around- play wrestling, or something. But then he swung the both of them around, and pressed her into the wall. From that angle, Ginny could see the embrace for what it was. The two kissed passionately without a care for where they were or who could see them. Ginny looked on in utter shock. Finally, she tore her eyes away from the image and hurried off to Divination.
And now, about two and a half hours later, Ginny sat alone in the library, waiting for Hermione, half-wishing she wouldn't show.
'What would I say to her? What would she say to me? Should I be angry with her? Should I bring it up at all?' Ginny was confused as hell, but if she knew one thing for sure, it was that she wasn't as upset as she thought she should be. Deep down, she knew this would happen eventually. She used to fear when this day would come, but now…
"Sorry!" she heard Hermione's voice breaking from around the corner. Already students in the library were shooting her dirty looks as she ran the rest of the distance to the table and practically jumped in her seat.
"Sorry I'm late, I got held up by-"
"Snogging Harry?" Ginny hadn't meant to let it slip so suddenly, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sit and study so innocently with Hermione with the image of her and her ex-boyfriend kissing on her mind.
The other girl's face had instantly paled, "W-What?"
Ginny looked stared straight into Hermione's eyes, "Snogging Harry? Is that what made you so late."
Hermione's mouth had now fallen open, leaving her gapping uncontrollably, "I, I um… you… I- err…"
"No use denying it, I seen you to going at it after lunch."
Hermione had stopped rambling but was still starring at Ginny in shock. A few moments passed when finally she decided to speak up.
"Gin, I'm so sorry-"
The red head shrugged and flipped through a few pages of the open book in front of her, "We should get to work on the project."
Hermione was further taken aback by her actions, "Ginny, please. I really-"
"How long?"
"Excuse me?"
Ginny looked up at Hermione, "How long have you two been going behind everyone's back?" She didn't feel bad about the bitterness in her tone.
"Only about six weeks," Hermione answered honestly.
Ginny raised an eyebrow at her response. By the way they were kissing, it didn't look like they had only been together for a few weeks, "So never when I was with Harry or when you were with Ron?"
"No, I swear," Hermione replied with a desperate note, the need to earn back Ginny's trust apparent in her tone.
"How long have you had feelings for him?" Ginny continued.
Hermione shook her head, "I don't know. None of this was planned Ginny, it just sort of happened."
"Yeah, I guess it's always like that with Harry."
It was a simple comment, but it made Hermione feel like she had been slapped in the face, hard.
After throwing out that last bit of spitefulness she felt, Ginny seemed to rationalize, "Look, I'm sorry. But you can't exactly expect me to be ecstatic for your new relationship."
Hermione nodded, "I know that, and I truly am sorry for it."
"What do you keep apologizing for?" Ginny frowned.
"I dunno, I just-" Hermione took a deep breath and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. If she wanted to salvage any friendship left with Ginny, then she might as well get on with it. "I was hoping this wouldn't ruin our friendship."
"Is that why you didn't tell me?" Ginny asked, but already figuring the obvious.
Hermione nodded and confessed, "Yes. I thought you would hate the both of us. We didn't want to hurt you."
"Yeah well, lousy attempt," Ginny said sarcastically, but not at all resentful. Honestly, she was just trying to lighten the mood but Hermione took it the wrong way and became silent once again.
Ginny sighed. She was grateful that Hermione was at least being honest with her now, so she figured she might as well give her back the same. She knew the girl truly didn't deserve to feel guilty about her feelings. Ginny felt mature enough to know that Hermione probably couldn't help her feelings towards Harry any more than she could.
"Hermione, just because I haven't totally moved on from him doesn't mean he can't. Yes, it hurts but I'm a big girl and I'll get over it. You shouldn't let people's opinions get in the way of your happiness."
Hermione didn't know what to be more in shock about. The fact that Ginny now actually knew about herself and Harry, or over what she had just said.
"Even if it was the opinion of a best friend?" she asked, almost in a way to reassure herself over Ginny's little speech.
Ginny smiled, "I'm still your best friend. And it's not like Harry was mine to steal, you know?"
"So… you're okay with it?" Hermione questioned a few seconds later, returning her smile.
Ginny gave her a sincere look, "If it's what makes the both of you happy, then yes."
Hermione couldn't help it and she doubted she'd be able to resist any longer, so she leaned over the table a gave Ginny a tight hug, "Thank you Gin. You're blessing means so much to me, and it will to Harry too."
"I'm glad. Just no more lying!" she answered, poking Hermione in the shoulder good-naturedly.
Hermione let out a laugh, "Promise."
Ginny then looked at her wristwatch, "Well, study session is, like, over…"
"Oh no, we didn't get any work done!" Hermione exclaimed, instantly her expression turning frantic.
Ginny smirked, "No one asked you to be thirty minutes late, Miss Granger." Hermione blushed modestly while Ginny grabbed her book and bag and stood from the table.
"Come on, let's go grab a snack in the kitchens and talk."
Admitting to herself that that sounded much better than cramming Potion's text, Hermione nodded, "Okay, let's go."
…
The two girls sat in the kitchens, peacefully snacking on pumpkin bread and chocolate chip muffins.
"So how'd this all start out?" asked Ginny, genuinely wanting to know how her best friend got into her current predicament.
Hermione shrugged, "I don't know. I think when we started sleeping together-"
Ginny gagged on the water she'd been drinking, "You're sleeping with him?!"
"No, no, no- not like that," Hermione quickly rectified, "He was having nightmares, so he'd come in my room to talk about them."
"Oh…"
"So we'd fall asleep talking and the next morning I'd wake up to find him holding me. Naturally, that confused the hell out of me…" Hermione trailed off while Ginny sent her a Cheshire grin.
"Yeah, I doubt it was dreams that kept him coming in night after night."
Again, Hermione blushed, "Yeah well, a few weeks later I worked up the courage to confront him about them, and a minute later we kissed for the first time."
Ginny nodded with a light smile on her face, before she sent Hermione a more serious look, "I take it Ron doesn't know?"
Hermione shook her head and scratched her eyebrow, maybe subconsciously trying to cover up the guilt she felt about that, "He hasn't the slightest clue. But then again, he hasn't been around me much at all because I guess it's awkward for him."
"Out of respect for your guys' friendship, you need to tell him," Ginny told her wisely, though not surprised at all. She felt that Hermione was probably more scared to come clean to Ron than she was with her.
A second later, Hermione confirmed Ginny's thoughts, "We know we need to tell him… just, I dunno. I think it'll be ten times worse with Ron. He'll turn it into Harry stealing another thing from him and probably never forgive him for it."
"Just try to explain it to him like you did to me," Ginny advised, knowing that it was probably easier said than done.
Hermione shook her head, "He's not calm like you, Gin."
"I know, but if you want to save his and Harry's friendship especially, then you should do it asap."
Hermione sighed and nodded her head knowingly, "You're right."
"So…" Ginny voiced, drumming her fingers on the table. Hermione had a feeling Ginny had something else on her mind.
"Have you guys done it?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow, "It, Ginny?"
Ginny knew Hermione would try and avoid the question, "Have you two shagged?"
"No," Hermione finally answered honestly, "I think we're both waiting to tell everybody important to us before we take that next step…"
"That's a good idea- then it's more real than some scandalous affair."
Hermione chuckled despite herself, "I never thought of it like that."
"Do you think it's all they're hyped up to be?" Ginny asked with a grin.
"I will tell you once I get out of being in one," she finished with a tinge of anticipation, hopefully awaiting for the day when she and Harry would be able to walk down the street, hand-in-hand.
…
Later that night, Harry and Hermione were curled up together in her bed like normal, in the middle of another important snog session.
Suddenly, Hermione broke away, "Harry, do you think we're having a secret affair?"
Harry looked a little light headed, and gazed at her with confused eyes, "Yes… I mean it's definitely a secret when nobody knows."
"Ginny knows."
Harry seemed to sober up immediately, and he sat up to stare at her, "What? You told Ginny?"
Hermione too sat up, "No, I didn't tell her, she seen you jump me in the halls earlier."
"Shit…" Harry muttered, now expecting to hear that Ginny had totally flipped out all over Hermione.
"Are you mad she knows?" Hermione asked as she observed his expression.
Harry answered with a cautious look, "Is she going to tell people?"
Hermione frowned, somewhat disappointed that that was the first response that came to Harry's mind. "No, she wouldn't do that, Harry."
"Are you sure she wouldn't tell Ron?" Harry asked in concern.
"Yes Harry- she knows that's something we have to do. She was actually very understanding about it all."
Harry now looked surprised, "She didn't go bonkers on you?"
"No, I mean she was a little upset that I didn't tell her sooner. But she was mature enough to accept that we were both free to fall in love with whoever we wanted," she finished, laying back down in her warm bed and looking up to Harry.
"Well that's good…"
Hermione nodded and continued, "She just got me thinking though."
"About our 'secret affair'?" Harry asked, trying to hide his grin.
Hermione smiled, "Ginny referred to it as a 'scandalous' one." From that, Harry burst into laughter as Hermione smiled up at him.
"She said the longer we keep it secret the harder it will be for people to accept when we do go public," Hermione went on a few moments later.
The lopsided smile drifted away from Harry's face and instead was replaced with an unsure one. He gulped and looked off into the room as he responded, "Um, I thought we both agreed that for right now this is what was best. It's not the right time, remember?"
Hermione sighed, again disappointed at his lack of enthusiasm to actually be with her, "Will we ever know when the right time is?"
"I-I don't know."
Hermione closed her eyes and took another deep breath, "Look, whatever our relationship is about, it won't be real until we can kiss in public… I just don't want to continue lying to people I care about."
Harry's heart was racing. He didn't know what Hermione was getting at, but he knew that if he didn't say something soon it'd be too late.
Unfortunately, Hermione didn't give him the chance as she started speaking in a whisper, "Maybe it'd be best if we took the holiday to find out if this is what we really want."
Harry stared at her, desperation and confusion combined into one unhappy expression. He wanted to tell her that he knew what he wanted, but he knew that the words themselves would be meaningless without the follow up. He had no idea what to say to make Hermione feel reassured about their relationship, and that was what bothered him most. The thing he knew she wanted was what truly scared him.
"Hermione-"
"It's late," she cut in, "we should go to sleep."
Without another word, Hermione rolled over, away from Harry. The young wizard stared at her back for another few moments before he waved off the light, and settled in next to her, in their usual fashion.
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Thank you for the continuous support. Now, for you diehard Ginny-haters reading this, I want to make it clear that her intentions are genuine in this story. Thank you again, and plllllllleeeeeeeeeaaaassssssssssssssssssssseeeee review!