Ginny Weasley sat mesmerized on the steps of the statue in the middle of Trafalgar Square. It was very cold on this New Year’s Eve night in London. She was with her brother Ron and her two best friends, Harry and Hermione. She breathed deeply, filling her lungs with the icy British winter air. They were sitting on the steps with pink, warm, fuzzy blankets draped around them. Hermione had invited them to her house for Christmas break. During the break, Hermione found out that Ginny, Ron, and Harry had never seen fireworks. So, she immediately got tickets and before they knew it, they were sitting down in Trafalgar Square.
Hermione had told them to bundle up, so they wore blue jeans and the heaviest sweaters they could find. It was very cold outside on this night, so they were all glad they had bundled up and brought blankets.
Ginny leaned over and excitedly whispered in Hermione’s ear, “They are so pretty!” Hermione nodded back in agreement.
“It’s cold! Ginny, stop hogging all the blankets! Why I swear…it must be…it must be negative fifty degrees out here!” Ron yelled.
“Ron, stop swearing!” Hermione responded, sweetly. Hermione and Ron had been together for the last six months. Ron had finally figured out what everyone else figured out years before him. Hermione was a girl. He liked Hermione. So, now they hung around each other as much as possible to make up for the lost time. Poor Harry was left with only Ginny as company most of the time. Not that either of them cared that much. Everyone knew Ginny liked Harry and he liked her…well, everyone but Harry and Ginny that is.
“Oh look!” Ginny said excitedly, “its eleven o’clock! Only one more hour to go!”
Suddenly, Ginny jumped up, and in doing so, took all the blankets with her.
“GINNY!” the trio yelled.
“What? I’m cold,” Ginny responded innocently. The trio just responded by giving her dirty looks. She didn’t want to ruin a otherwise perfect night, so she handed back three blankets and kept one for herself.
“I’m going to get some hot chocolate before they run out. ‘Mione, do you want to come with me?” she asked. Hermione jumped up, gave Ron a knowing look, grabbed her blanket, and headed to get some hot chocolate with Ginny.
While the girls were gone, the guys sat on the cold grass shivering. “Boy, its cold outside!” Harry said quickly, “Why’d Ginny have to take all the blankets?” An eerie silence came over them.
“So Harry, when are you going to tell her?” Ron asked.
Harry replied, “Tell who what?”
Ron gave Harry a look of serious disbelief. “Are you stupid? Tell Ginny you like her!”
Harry said nervously, “Me? Like Ginny? Ha! You have to be kidding! We’re just friends!” Ron stared at him more serious than ever before.
“That’s what they all say, Harry.” Harry looked down and tried to avoid Ron’s knowing glaze.
Meanwhile, Hermione was walking back from the hot chocolate line with Ginny. They were about halfway back when she casually asked, “So, are you over your crush yet?”
Ginny laughed, “Ha ha, that’s very funny. Who are you talking about?” Hermione gave her a stare. “OH! You mean Har…yeah! That was so…umm…” Ginny’s voice faded off.
“Oh come on Ginny, everyone knows you still do,” Hermione urged her to say more.
Ginny froze up, not knowing what to say and replied, intentionally ignoring Hermione’s comment, “Race you back!”
The girls raced back to the guys. When they arrived, they were panting very hard. Even though it was a close race, Ginny won. Growing up with six older brothers, she had learned how to run very early in life. When they arrived, there was silence on the blankets, which had now been returned to the ground. They went through about five minutes of eerie silence when Hermione stood up and grabbed Ron’s arm.
“Ronald? Would you accompany me to…to… to the lemonade stand! A glass of ice cold lemonade would be great on a night like this!” She said enthusiastically.
Ron gave her a confused look and asked, “‘Mione? Are you feeling okay? It is like negative seventy degrees out her and you want an OH! Yes, why certainly.” He grabbed her hand like a proper English gentleman, and they ran off to the “lemonade stand” leaving Harry and Ginny all alone.
Ginny laughed, “Oh, this is so typical! I should have known they’d sneak off and ““
She was interrupted by Harry’s “Do you really want to finish that?”
Ginny laughed, “No, oh no. The studious, perfect Hermione would never sneak off to kiss my brother!
Harry asked, “So that’s what you were saying! I thought you were saying…never mind.”
Ginny slapped Harry’s arm. He yelped, “OW! What was that for?”
Ginny laughed, “Harry, it’s not nice to think those things!”
They both laughed, but then the eerie silence came once again. Harry and Ginny both started talking at the same time. “
You first,” Ginny said.
“Ginny, what would you say if I told you I loved you?”
Ginny thought for a moment. It really was an awkward question. Ginny thought, “Tell him, don’t tell him…what do I say? What would Hermione do?” Ginny blushed. “Thank you?” She replied uncertainly.
Harry look at her questioningly. He wasn’t expecting that answer. “Really?” He asked.
“Well, no…I’d have to say that I…that I…um…well…”
With that, she faded off. Harry cleared his throat out of nervousness. “Well, um…Ginny? I …oh this is hard….I love you!” He mumbled.
Ginny gasped and looked up in surprise. Harry didn’t know whether this was good or bad. He waited anxiously for her reply.
“Um…thank you?” She asked. Then, she realized what she had said and started to giggle nervously. “I mean, I love you too.”
As Ron and Hermione watched from behind a bush, they gave each other high fives as their mission was accomplished. The couple in front of them was now sharing their first kiss.
On A Cold London Night by hermionejane
Chapter Notes: All of this belongs to Mrs. Rowling and the lovely people at Warner Bros. I’d like to thank my betas, Lucypevensie and bittersweet_lullaby from Mugglenet and my friends Nichole and Alicia for helping me bit by bit with this story, and anyone else who helped me in any way, Thanks guys! Enjoy!