The Secret Heartache of Hermione Granger
Chapter Three
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The Secret Heartache of Hermione Granger
Chapter Three
By darthelwig
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I don’t own Harry Potter, so bugger off. J.K. Rowling is the
woman you want.
This is rated R for obvious reasons.
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'> The next
day dawned bright and clear. The Weasley boys were already outside practicing
Quidditch- yet again. Hermione and Ginny were sitting at the kitchen table
while Mrs. Weasley puttered around the house preparing for Ginny’s departure
for her last year at Hogwarts. She was two months early, but what did that
matter? There a myriad number of things left to do, like pick up her books and
supplies from Diagon Alley. Hermione felt odd not having schoolwork of her own
to do but she, Ron and Harry had all graduated from Hogwarts and were taking
some much needed time to recuperate. In fact, Harry was due to join them any
day now.
She and
Ginny hadn’t spoken about the events of the night before yet. Ner oer one of
them seemed to know what to say. Things seemed do different in the light of
day, like their happiness together had all been some sort of dream. Yet, they
both knew it had been real. They both still felt the same heated desire for
oth other.
An owl flew
in the window and landed delicately on the chair next to Hermione. She
recognized it immediately. The poor creature looked tired, but didn’t dawdle
after she removed the scroll, taking off again in a flurry of feathers.
“Is that
what I think it is?” Ginny asked, eyeing the note. Hermione nodded and ripped
open the letter. Her eyes scanned it quickly, but Ginny knew she was taking in
every word. It was just who Hermione was.
Unfortunately,
Ron chose that moment to come inside for a breather. He saw the scroll and his
face darkened, knowing who had sent it.
“So what
does Vicky have to say this time?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I told you
not to call him that, Ron,” she replied coldly.
“Fine,” he
snapped. “What does Victor want now?”
“None of
your business, Ronald Weasley,” she said her voice as cold as ice. Ginny
thought her brother should’ve known by now that he was pushing Hermione too
far, but he still hadn’t learned when to shut his mouth. She shook her head,
trying to catch his attention, but his gaze was focused on Hermione. She might
as well have not even been in the room with them, for all the attention they
were paying to her.
Hermione
was giving Ron her best McGonagall stare, but he refused to back down. Krum’s
letters always made him too angry to think clearly, especially because she
really seemed to like getting them.
“Come on,
Hermione. What have you got to hide?” he taunted, not caring how utterly
childish he sounded.
“I’m not style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>hiding anything, Ronald. I just don’t want to talk about it with style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>you.”
Ginny
shivered as the temperature in the room seemed to drop with Hermione’s frosty
words in the air. Everyone but Ron understood that there was nothing between
Hermione and Victor except friendship. Ron’s jealousy just wouldn’t allow him
to see it.
“And why
not?” he yelled, his barely-contained vehemence bursting out. It was Ron’s hot
anger against Hermione’s cold fury, and Ginny had no idea who was going to
break first. She stayed silent, not wanting to be drawn into this argument
anymore, hoping she would continue to go unnoticed.
“Because
you need to grow up!” Hermione shouted, and Ron drew back, startled. She
grabbed up her letter in her fist and got up from the table, glaring at Ron the
whole time.
“When you can
speak in a civil manner again, maybe we’ll talk,” she said. Her voice was no
longer raised, but was shaking with suppressed emotion. She stalked out of the
kitchen and Ron threw his hands up in defeat.
“Great,” he
muttered darkly as he stomped outside, still ignoring his younger sister. Ginny
watched the both of them go their separate ways with an aching sadness growing
in her heart.
Hermione
stayed away from everyone for the rest of the day. It wasn’t difficult since
the burrow was always a riot of activity. It seemed like the entire Weasley
family was here this summer.
She was
making her way upstairs to the room she shared with Ginny when Ron finally
found her. She knew he would eventually, but she’d been hoping it would be
later, after she’d had more time to cool down. She was still frustrated with
him. How dare he speak to her that way? He’d never laid any claim to her, so
her life was still hers to live. Her friendship with Victor had nothing to do
with him anyway.
Her
thoughts slid towards Ginny, but she forced them away from that subject. She
didn’t know what Ginny meant to her yet. She wasn’t even sure how to categorize
what she was feeling anymore. There was such a conflicting mixture of emotions
churning within her right now…
Ron’s hand
fell on her arm, stang hng her out of her reverie. She looked up at him,
carefully keeping her face neutral. She wasn’t going to let him know what she
was thinking or feeling until she as good and ready.
“Hermione,”
he said, looking bashful. “Um, I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I know you
and Victor are just friends.”
“And if we style='midi-idi-font-style:normal'>aren’t just friends, that’s none of your
business either, now is it?” She did her best to sound annoyed but it was hard
to do when he was looking at her like that. She had such a soft spot where Ron
was concerned.
“Look,
Hermione. I like you. I really do. I know I’ve been pretty thick about things,
but I want to make it better, okay?”
“I don’t
know what you want, Ron. When you
figure it out, come tell me. But I may not wait around.” She thought of Ginny
and her heart ached. It felt like such a betrayal to be saying these words
right now.
“You don’t
have to wait anymore, Hermione,” Ron said before bending down and capturing her
lips in a passion-filled kiss. His arms twined around her waist to pull her
closer.
Ron’s lips
melted her meager resistance in seconds and Hermione melded her lips to his as
their tongues danced. This was what she had waited so very long for. This was style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Ron.
Her mind
drifted back to Ginny’s sweet, tender kisses- so very different from her
brother’s more forceful nature. A hot seed of desire blossomed inside of her
and she pressed her body against Ron’s. She could feel his arousal against her
belly and it sent a shiver of anticipation through her.
She broke
their kiss, letting Ron trail his lips over the sensitive skin of her throat.
She wanted to let this happen. She wanted to forget everything else for a
little while and just revel in his desire. She wanted to throw consequences to
the wind and experience the culmination of years of waiting. She wanted style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>him.
“Take me to
your room,” she whispered hoarsely, passion choking her voice. Ron looked at
her, surprised, but lifted her up and walked the short distance to his door.
And
Hermione Granger lost the last piece of her innocence that night, in his arms.