“Just Friends” by Desslok
-----------------------
Chapter 4: Ginny and Hermione
Ginny watched as Harry slunk around the edge of the wedding, tracking her brother down. He never even gave her the satisfaction of a glance, didn't even acknowledge her existence. Ginny was not stupid. She knew that Hermione loved Ron, that she thought of Harry like a brother, nothing more. Nothing had happened out there in the woods. Still, she felt her temper rising. It was bad enough her dear, loving, damned brother had seen through her like a glass window, made her lose control over herself. Then, he had to storm off in a huff, obviously full of wrong-headed ideas. Why couldn't he understand how Hermione felt about him? Why were all boys such total daft idiots?! The sight of Hermione making her way over to her did nothing to improve her foul mood. Just because she knew that nothing could have happened between Harry and Hermione didn't mean that Ginny was thrilled to know that Harry had been willing to talk to her. She hated feeling jealous of their friendship, but she couldn't help it, and that put her in an even worse mood.
Hermione approached Ginny warily, eyes still occasionally drifting back to where Ron and Harry had fled the wedding. She noted the scowl on her friend's face and the way she clenched her dress. “Ginny, you know that nothing...” she began.
“Merlin, Hermione, I'm not an idiot!” Ginny snapped, struggling to keep her voice down. “Just because Ron doesn't have a clue doesn't mean that all Weasleys are stupid, you know.”
Hermione's eyes widened. She could count on one hand the times she had been on the receiving end of Ginny's infamous temper and she had enjoyed none of those experiences. “I was just trying to help!” she replied angrily, just about to jump to her feet and storm off. Instead, she forced herself to take a deep breath. Ginny was one of her best friends, one of her only female friends, and Hermione knew she'd had a rough time of it since the end of the school year. She settled back into her chair, noting Ginny's surprise as she did so. She suddenly realized just how similar Harry and Ginny were. Perhaps the same tactics would work a second time tonight.
Ginny turned her head away from Hermione and away from the distant spot where she knew the boys had gone. Every direction seemed to hold something else to fan the flames of her anger. Happy couples dancing. That brat Gabrielle, simpering to someone from her family, probably about the great and wonderful 'arry Potter. Slowly, she realized that Hermione was still there, but not talking at her. She turned back with a guarded expression.
“He loves you, you know,” Hermione said once she had Ginny's attention back. “He's just scared. He's lost so much and he never really knew how to be loved anyway.”
This time, Ginny carefully controlled her expression, not letting the tumult of emotions swirling in her head show through. “Do you really think that I don't know these things, Hermione?” she said quietly, in a purposefully even tone. “I know that you've been friends with him longer than I have, but I think I know him pretty well.”
Hermione sighed sadly and leaned forward in her chair. “I'm not trying to compete with you, Ginny. He's one of my closest friends, but so are you. I love you both and I just want you both to be happy.”
“I don't know why everyone assumes that we have to get married just because we dated for a few months,” Ginny pointed out, waving her hand idly in the air. “It was fun, but it's not like I'd never dated anyone else or that we were engaged or anything. Can't a girl break up with the mystical Harry Potter, or does the world revolve around him so closely that even one kiss from his magical lips seals her fate forever?” Ginny asked flippantly, her mask sealing back firmly in place. She noted the same disbelieving stare she'd gotten from Ron recently and cursed silently to herself. Her temper flared again.
“He ended it, Hermione. I'm too stupid, inexperienced, and weak to fight alongside him. I have to be wrapped up in cloth and stuck in the attic until the Great Harry Potter saves the world and comes home for his prize.” Seeing that she'd left Hermione dumbstruck, Ginny smiled in savage pride, bitterness overriding her desire to seem aloof. “I'm just his precious little china doll, aren't I? I have to sit and wait and hope he comes home. If I don't, I'm the girl who broke the Chosen One's heart.” The words continued to flow now as Ginny finally let out everything that had dominated her mind since the funeral. “And you know the best part, Hermione? It's that I didn't get to decide any of this. He made all my decisions for me, just like my brothers, just like my parents. Everyone knows what's best for little Ginny. So now I get to sit here and worry about him every single day, not knowing what is going on, feeling more and more useless, more and more helpless. That's my big reward for loving Harry Potter.” Her voice dropped down to a whisper and Hermione had to scoot forward in her chair just to hear it. “And the worst part is that I'll do it, Hermione, but I'm afraid that when it's all over, I'll hate him for making me do it.” She fell silent then, emotions spent. She'd waited so long to get those feelings out her head and now that she had, she felt completely empty inside.
“I hate weddings,” she added after a moment.
Hermione, who had reached out and taken Ginny's hands in her own, suddenly began to laugh. She looked at Ginny with guilty eyes, but couldn't help herself. To her surprise, Ginny began to laugh, too.
“Maybe this is why people always get drunk at weddings,” Hermione theorized, “to drown out all these emotions.”
Ginny giggled and sniffled a bit, suddenly aware that at some point tears had started to fall. Hermione squeezed her hands gently and offered her a napkin. Ginny blew her nose and thanked her friend.
“You know he's an idiot, right Gin?” Hermione finally said.
“That's what Ron said.”
“Well, your brother is much more perceptive than we give him credit for.” Hermione smiled fondly, briefly looking again towards the garden.
“Sometimes, but generally he's an idiot, too,” Ginny suggested. “I think they all are.”
Hermione meditated on the issue for a moment. “Well, I've found nothing in my studies, or my experience, to suggest otherwise, so yes, I think you are correct, Ms. Weasley. Boys are idiots.” Both girls laughed again, though Ginny still dabbed some tears with her napkin.
“So what can we do about it?” Ginny finally asked. “He won't even look at me, let alone talk to me or let me tell him what a prat he's being.”
“I told you, Ginny, he's scared.”
“But why? How could he be scared of me?” Ginny asked incredulously.
“He doesn't understand why you love him. It's bad enough he loves you, when he can barely understand what love is, but mainly it's just that he doesn't think that he's worthy of anyone loving him.”
“What exactly did he say?” Ginny asked anxiously, struggling to understand.
Hermione took the time to recall his words as best she could. “He said he didn't want to lead you down a false trail, that he could love you. He called it the forever kind of love,” Hermione smiled. Harry could be so romantic sometimes. “He said that you were perfect for him and he was scared that he was selfish enough to let himself love you and let you love him. He doesn't understand why you'd love him and thinks he's somehow lying to you.”
“But that's completely daft,” Ginny replied. “Our whole family loves him. Lots of people love him.”
“Not like you do,” her friend pointed out, smiling fondly as Ginny blushed and dropped her gaze to the ground. With a sigh, Hermione went on. “He promised me, Gin, that he'd try to stop pushing everyone away, especially you.”
“Did he really say a forever kind of love?” Ginny asked quietly, her eyes lighting up with a hope that Hermione had feared gone forever.
Hermione nodded, sniffing back some tears of her own, dreaming of hearing words like that from Ron someday.
Ginny pondered what her friend had told her. All of her anger melted away, replaced by a fierce determination. Enough was enough. This was all going to end tonight. Secure in her new resolve, something else occurred to her. She looked back up at Hermione shrewdly. “What did you have to do to get him to make that promise?”
Now it was Hermione's turn to blush. “I had to promise him that I'd stop worrying about what was going to happen and just take a chance with Ron.”
Ginny laughed suddenly, “That's exactly what I told Ron to do, to stop being so damn scared all the time and take a risk for once.” Ginny reached out and grabbed Hermione's hands in her own. Looking up, she noticed that Harry and Ron had returned and were walking purposefully toward them. After a final, reassuring squeeze, she pulled Hermione up with her and released her hands.
“I say you give him one last chance to do things on his own and then jump his bones,” Ginny whispered quickly to her friend. Hermione giggled and nodded in agreement.
“You're a great friend, Gin.” Hermione whispered back.
“You too, Hermione,” Ginny replied with a warm smile. Then, she turned to face Harry with a steely gaze. With a fierce smile, she took his hand and pulled him toward the dance floor. “Dance with me, Harry,” she asked in a tone that brooked no dissent. She didn't notice the light punch on the arm that her brother gave Harry nor Harry's happy look of embarrassment as he meekly let her lead him away.
“Hey Hermione. . .” Ron began, stumbling a bit over his words.
'One last chance,' she thought, watching him expectantly. '10...9...'
“I was wondering... ummm.. well, that it is...”
'6...5.. 4...'
------
Across the room, Harry and Ginny swayed slowly in each other's arms. At first, they did not speak at all, instead they just stared into each other's eyes, communicating far more directly than they ever could with mere words. Not too long into their dance, though, Ginny's gaze drifted over his shoulder and her eyes widened. With a happy laugh, she spun him quickly so that he could see for himself. Under the gazebo, Hermione had Ron pinned to the pillar and was kissing him fiercely. “You go, Hermione,” Harry muttered happily under his breath. Ginny just giggled and rested her head against his chest.
“Ginny,” Harry said quietly, “there's so much I need to tell you, and probably quite a bit of groveling and begging.” He felt her head nod on his chest and could clearly visualize the smile on her face. “But, to be perfectly honest, I feel like I've talked more tonight than I have in the last six years and I'm just too tired.”
She looked up at him fondly, still wearing that wicked smile. “Tomorrow then, but don't think you'll get out of it, Potter. You're mine, now.”
“I promise,” Harry replied happily. As his girlfriend laid her head back down against him, he added, “You know, I think I like weddings.” Ginny just laughed and whispered, “Join the club.”
-----------------------
The final chapter. I had planned a follow-up story, but the planned fluff fit perfectly into this one, so I just went where the story took me. I don't think it needs any more at this point, but if lots of folks disagree, I'll reconsider. I hope you've enjoyed it. At first, I was unsure about continuing what had originally been planned as a one-shot about Harry and Hermione, but in the end, I'm glad I did. Big props to my wife, Heather, for all her help with this last chapter. It was the hardest to write and really benefited from her female insights.