Supplements

5.8-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginny scrambled away from the woman at the foot of her bed and snatched her wand off the bedside table. She aimed at the stranger, running over her favorite hexes in her head.

“Who are you?” Ginny demanded in a surprisingly vicious tone.

“Ginny, I’m so sorry.” The faux-Hermione assured her, a fearful expression in her eyes. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want to-with me,” she rambled. “And I thought you might be kind of devoted to Hermione.”

“Who are you?” Ginny shouted again, sparks flying from her wand. “What is this?” she asked, eyes raking the body of the flawless look-a-like. “Polyjuice Potion?”

“No, Ginny,” the woman pleaded. “It’s-it’s me.” She pulled a pained thoughtful expression and her bushy hair turned from brown to bright pink.

“Tonks?” Ginny dropped her wand in shock; it rolled off the bed and onto the floor with a very audible clatter in the suddenly silent room.

“I’m really, really sorry, Ginny,” she was still speaking with Hermione’s voice and it sounded like she was close to crying. “I shouldn’t have-it was such a horrible idea-I just-I mean you’re not even ten years younger than me and I really do like you.”

“It’s not that I’m not flattered.” Ginny was now pulling up the bed covers, suddenly feeling entirely too naked. “You really are an attractive woman,” Ginny pledged kindly. “And I’m not just saying that because you look like Hermione. Which, by the way, could you go ahead and change all the way back to you?”

“Yeah,” said Hermione’s voice dryly. With the same thoughtful expression, like straining for the answer to a difficult test question, Tonks changed her entire body. The bushy pink hair turned straight and hung to her shoulders. Her breasts swelled slightly and her hips became a bit more pronounced as well. The fearful look in her eyes remained the same.

“Like I said, you are attractive,” Ginny repeated. “I would really consider, but Hermione and I have been seeing each other for years.”

“Exclusively?” Tonks questioned in confusion. “Because Hermione and I hooked up in the shower just a few days ago.”

“What?” Ginny’s eyes widened. She tried to think of a reason for Tonks to lie about this, but nothing solid came to mind. “Hermione had sex with you?”

“Yeah,” Tonks repeated blankly. “Blimey, I thought you knew.”

“I didn’t,” Ginny replied. “I mean I probably should have.” She frowned in thought. “We haven’t been connecting as well sexually. And emotionally,” Ginny suppressed a shudder as she reflected, “I don’t know if she’s really been there since my second year.”

“You were shagging Hermione in your second year?” Tonks raised her eyebrows.

“We actually got together on my first train ride to Hogwarts,” Ginny admitted with a blush.

“Isn’t that a bit young?”

“You just tried to seduce a fourteen year old girl,” Ginny accused.

“Well, fourteen’s one thing, but eleven is kind of creepy.”

“And disguising yourself as Hermione to seduce me, that wasn’t creepy at all,” said Ginny with heavy sarcasm.

“I said I was sorry about that,” Tonks defended.

They were both silent for a long moment. Ginny continued to ponder Hermione’s behavior. They had never directly stated that they should be exclusive to each other, but Ginny had assumed that it was implied. Hermione had told Ginny that she loved her. It stung to think of it, but part of her had always thought something was missing from their relationship. How many other people had Hermione been with?

And then Ginny’s mind started creating mental images of Hermione and Tonks in the shower together. She looked at Tonks’ still naked body and like what she saw. Maybe Hermione’s implication was supposed to be that they were free to see whomever they pleased. Ginny wanted to justify it to herself in that way, but she still felt like she had been lied to. Tonks was staring moodily at the ground, waiting to see what Ginny would say next. Ginny knew that part of her reaction was an emotional response to Hermione, but there had also been a definite chemistry between Tonks and herself.

“Tonks?” Ginny said to grab her attention.

“Ginny?” Tonks looked up at her.

“Kiss me?” she asked.

“With pleasure.”

Tonks clambered onto the bed and locked lips with Ginny. Their tongues danced passionately, struggling for dominance. Ginny released her hold on the bed sheets and ran her hands through Tonks’ hair. Tonks brought a hand to Ginny’s recently exposed left breast and traced it delicately with her fingers.

“Oh – I – Hi.” Hermione stood in the doorway, blushing a deep pink. She closed the door behind her and then looked back at the couple on the bed. “Tonks,” she nodded at her in greeting. “Ginny.”

There was a predictably awkward pause.

“Is no one going to address the hippogriff in the room?” Tonks asked.

Hermione looked around the room in surprise.

“Buckbeak’s in Sirius’ mother’s room,” she said.

“It’s an expression,” Tonks said with a sigh. Ginny giggled.

“Oh,” Hermione blushed even deeper, “I should have realized that.”

“Well,” Tonks leaned away from Ginny to sit comfortably at the foot of the bed, “Ginny and I were getting kind of touchy feely.”

“I can see that,” Hermione said, sitting in the chair over which Ginny had draped her robes. “That actually makes what I want to say a little easier.”

“You weren’t exactly honest with me in that shower,” Tonks stated.

“You didn’t exactly ask,” Hermione countered.

“Did you know Ginny was of the impression that you two were exclusive?” Tonks tried not to sound accusatory, but failed in the attempt.

“You seem to be dealing with it well enough,” Hermione addressed Ginny.

“Hermione,” Ginny began slowly, questioning each of her words as they passed from her mind to her lips, “you should have told me what was going on.”

“Would you have kept sleeping with me if I had?” Hermione questioned skeptically.

“Probably not,” Ginny admitted, “but Hermione-”

“I needed you, Ginny.” There was a quiet desperation in Hermione’s tone.

“Needed,” Ginny repeated. “Past tense.”

“I think so,” Hermione stated.

“And what did you need me for?”

“Love,” Hermione answered with a shrug. “Sex. Friendship. Sanity.”

“And who’s giving you all of that now if it’s not me?” Ginny looked to Tonks questioningly.

“Your brother,” said Hermione flatly.

“And how long has that been going on?” Ginny’s eyes widened.

“Um,” Hermione hesitated, wondering how to define the beginning of her relationship with Ron.

“Oh!” Ginny pulled a sour expression. “I’m squicked,” she proclaimed. “What’d you do, run back and forth between our rooms?”

“It wasn’t like that,” Hermione defended feebly. “We only went all the way just a few weeks ago.”

“And you’ve been shagging me here for a few weeks too,” Ginny protested. “That’s sick, Hermione.”

“I don’t know what to say apart from I’m sorry.”

“Am I the only one who thinks this could be solved with a three-way,” Tonks interrupted. Ginny glared at her.

Hermione imagined it for a moment. Knees on the foot of the bed, head between Ginny’s spread legs and receiving Tonks’ masculine member from behind. There was a strong part of her mind that encouraged this fantasy, but then she remembered that she had come up here to tell Ginny that she preferred Ron. She still wasn’t completely sure what she and Ron had shared, but she knew that it was the thing she wanted most in the world.

“You’re nutters, the pair of you,” said Ginny in a scandalized tone. “You’re as bad as her, aren’t you Tonks?”

“I’m not exactly sure how bad she is,” Tonks pointed out.

“I had sex with Gilderoy Lockhart in my second year.” Hermione clapped a hand over her own mouth, shocked that she had allowed herself to admit this. Tonks’ jaw actually dropped in astonishment and Ginny’s face seemed to freeze in place.

“She’s worse,” Tonks decided.

“Get out,” Ginny said coldly. She got off the bed and retrieved her wand and aimed it in Hermione’s direction. “Accio!” Her clothes flew from the chair and draped themselves in all the appropriate places on her body. With another flick of her wand Tonks’ bathrobe soared back onto its owner and tied itself firmly. “Both of you, get out.”

“I sleep up here,” Hermione reminded her.

“Then come up when you feel like sleeping.”

“Ginny, I want to talk.”

“I can’t do this right now, Hermione.” She aimed her wand again. “Just go.”

“I won’t,” Hermione said defiantly.

“I’ll hex you,” Ginny threatened.

The three of them were still and silent for a moment. Ginny’s expression was fierce and Tonks’ eyes flicked to the door. There were several noises including two loud cracks. Fred and George appeared in the room just as Hermione and Tonks bolted for the door. Fred watched the two of them fleeing.

“Nice one,” he complimented Ginny. “Bat Bogey Hex?”

“Wonder what they did to get her angry,” said George to his twin.

“What do you want?” Ginny asked them flatly.

“You know technically you’re not supposed be doing magic outside of school,” Fred informed her.

“It’s the job of responsible adults like us to keep an eye on you.” George stuck out his chest in a pompous way that echoed Percy’s grandiose manner.

“Is that why you’re in here then?” Ginny asked, knowing full well that they didn’t care if she used magic outside of school.

“Actually, we were hoping you’d volunteer to test one of our Skiving Snackbox products,” said George hopefully.

“Clear out,” she answered in the same flat tone.

“It wouldn’t take a minute,” Fred assured her. “We already know that they work on us, we just need to-”

“I said clear out,” Ginny repeated slightly more fiercely.

“Or what?” Fred prompted.

She aimed her wand again.

* * *

Hermione left Tonks in the hall after performing the countercurse to Ginny’s hex. She returned to Ron’s room again and was thankful to see that Harry had not yet come back. She curled up next to Ron on the bed and draped an arm over his chest.

“Ron,” she said softly. “Ron, could you wake up? I’d like to talk to you.”

Ron stirred groggily and clasped Hermione’s hand in one of his own.

“Hey there,” he greeted her warmly. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“That’s alright,” she assured him.

“What were you saying just now?”

“I was saying I’d like to talk to you,” Hermione repeated.

“What about?” He snaked an arm around her shoulder.

“I just wanted you to know,” Hermione hesitated, “that I love you.”

“You’ve told me that before, Hermione,” Ron said with a smile.

“Well, that’s not all.” Hermione focused on her hand stroking his chest rather than looking him in the eyes. “I want you to know that…that I have a past.”

“You mentioned that you were raped, Hermione. That’s not a past, it wasn’t your fault.”

“W-well,” Hermione stumbled over the words. Part of her was very afraid to talk to Ron about this, but she needed to open up to someone. “Well, I was raped. It was after that Quidditch World Cup. Before the Death Eaters went on the rampage, they turned up in our tent.”

“Did…” Ron started. “Was Ginny…?” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

“We heard them coming. She hid under the bed. I was going to duel them, but they disarmed me before I could think of any useful spells.”

“It still wasn’t your fault, Hermione.”

“But I wasn’t a v-virgin even before that,” Hermione blurted out. Ron stiffened. “I’ve had sex with other people who didn’t rape me.”

“When?” Ron croaked, forgetting to breathe for a moment.

“I…erm…I went all the way in second year,” Hermione admitted, hoping Ron wouldn’t ask who she had slept with.

“And then you kissed me in third year.” Hermione was surprised that Ron had remembered it, given his abysmal recall of school-related facts and dates. “After you had sex with another man, you decided to go after me.”

“It wasn’t like that.” Hermione was worried that Ron’s tone was becoming aggravated. “None of the others ever meant as much to me as you. That’s why I took it so slow with you.”

“Others.” Ron repeated the word, removing his arm from Hermione’s shoulder. “As in more than one?”

“Ron,” Hermione pleaded, “what I’m trying to say is that I like you best.”

“And did you shag other people while you were trying to figure that out?” asked Ron. “I mean obviously there was that dance with Krum, but that was just dancing, right?” Hermione was silent. “You shagged Krum?”

“Ron, I’m sorry.” Hermione’s eyes began to get watery.

“You sucked my dick over that summer. Maybe I’m thick, but I thought that was a good sign.” Ron got off the bed and began looking for the rest of his clothes. “And then bloody famous Krum comes along and you’re throwing you knickers at him like some stupid fangirl.”

“Ron, it wasn’t like that,” Hermione responded heatedly, fighting the tears that were now spilling over.

“You keep saying that. It wasn’t like that.” Ron put on a horrible simpering tone. “What the bloody hell was it like, Hermione?”

“I was hurting, Ron. You hadn’t paid me any attention since that kiss in Hogsmeade, I got raped in the arse by Death Eaters, you were being an absolute pig about the Yule Ball and still not thinking of me until you got done throwing your knickers at Fleur bloody Delacour!” Hermione tried to keep her shouting to a minimum, not wanting to be overheard.

“That’s completely different,” Ron defended immediately.

“Like you wouldn’t have shagged Fleur after that ball.”

“It’s different.”

“If my situation is limited to what it sounds like, then so is yours.”

“Blimey are you two bickering again?” Harry had just opened the door and wondered what Ron and Hermione were on about this time.

“We just finished,” Ron said angrily.

“This conversation isn’t over, Ron,” Hermione threatened before sweeping from the room angrily.

“Was she crying?” Harry asked, puzzled.

“She’ll get over it,” Ron said darkly.

“Care to mention what that was all about?” Harry tried.

“Not really.”

* * *

Mrs. Weasely kept them all working very hard over the next few days. The drawing room took three days to decontaminate; finally the only undesirable things left in it were the tapestry of the Black family tree, which resisted all their attempts to remove it from the wall, and the rattling writing desk; Moody had not dropped by headquarters yet, so they could not be sure what was inside it.