4Hermione was sitting at a table in the far corner of the Gryffindor common room watching the rain fall outside the window. Sighing happily, she started humming to herself while she traced a single raindrop make its way down the window. Across from her, Ginny who had previously been silently copying notes from her textbook, paused and stared at her curly-haired friend. Smiling slightly, Ginny mimicked her friend and propped her legs up on the seat opposite her.
"What is up with you tonight?"
Hermione smiled and turned to her curious friend. "What do you mean?" She asked.
Ginny shrugged and crossed her arms. "You look like the cat that got the cream, is all. What are you taking and where can I get some?"
Hermione laughed loudly, attracting the attention of the students around them. She seemed not to have noticed.
"Seriously, Hermione. Why so happy?" Ginny asked leaning in.
Hermione shook her head slightly trying to find a reason. "I don't know. I just.." She trailed off slightly. "Life is good right now, that's all."
Ginny stared at her as if trying to figure something out. Suddenly a look of realisation came across her face and she gasped. "You like someone!" She pointed at her accusingly.
Hermione sighed and looked at Ginny incredulously. "You're not serious, are you? Where in the world would I have the time to like someone?" Ginny opened her mouth to respond and Hermione quickly interjected. "Don't answer that!" Glancing around her furtively, she noticed Harry looking questioningly at her from his seat by the fire. Next to him she saw Ron glance down quickly at his notes spread out in front of him. She frowned. Had he been looking at her?
Turning back to Ginny she saw that the girl had a look of delight on her face. "So am I thinking right? Have you and my brother finally..?" She hooked her index fingers together and looked meaningfully at Hermione.
She looked back with raised eyebrows. "What? Held fingers?" She laughed as Ginny rolled her eyes.
"No! Hooked up! It's what all the cool kids are calling it these days." She sighed. "And I can see quite clearly that my brother is a twat when it comes to the opposite sex." Hermione shrugged and sipped at her cup of coffee as Ginny continued talking. "Speaking of the opposite sex. Is the reason for your uncontrollable glee because of another certain someone?" Her voice had taken on an annoyingly singsong tone and Hermione knew what was coming next. "A certain someone by the name of Seamus Finnegan?"
Hermione then did a very unladylike thing and snorted into her coffee cup. The urge to burst out laughing overwhelmed her slight embarrassment and Ginny could only sit by and watch indulgently while Hermione clutched the table laughing. After a moment, Hermione regained her composure while Ginny crossed her arms and considered something.
"So I take it that's a no." She said thoughtfully. "Then why do you spend so much time with him?"
The surprise was evident on Hermione's face. "I don't- you think I spend too much time with him?"
Ginny nodded. "You seem to always be around him or Harry these days."
Hermione looked thoughtful. "I honestly haven't noticed. I guess-" she stopped herself from continuing but Ginny wanted to know.
"You guess what?"
"I guess when Ron got with Lavender we sort of, I don't know, leaned on each other. For support," she elaborated.
Ginny understood immediately. "You mean he had feelings for Lavender?"
Hermione nodded.
"Oh you poor things," Ginny murmured. "Well. You two certainly had much to talk about, then."
"Yeah." Hermione hesitated. "We made a pact, Seamus and I."
Ginny looked intrigued. "Go on."
Hermione fiddled with her quill and swept her hair up into a bun, twisting it around until finally securing it with her quill. "Have you ever heard of AA?" She asked.
Ginny frowned. "AA?"
"It stands for Alcoholics Anonymous-" She was interrupted by a loud gasp.
"Is Seamus an alcoholic?" She asked excitedly.
"What? No!" Hermione exclaimed loudly then lowered her voice. "Will you just listen and let me finish please?"
Ginny leaned back, disappointed. "Right. Continue."
"Thank you. So anyway, Alcoholics Anonymous is a support group for people who have an addiction to alcohol. Sometimes they have a sponsor who gives them encouragement and who they can call on for advice or help when they feel like they're going to slip up." She said hoping Ginny would understand. "That's kind of what Seamus and I are to each other. Sponsors."
"So, you and Seamus help each other get over Ron and Lavender?" Ginny asked.
Hermione felt embarrassed. "Yeah. Not in a romantic way. It's just having someone there for you when you need them. I know it sounds stupid-"
"It doesn't sound stupid at all. Believe me." Ginny interrupted. "I wish I had someone like that a couple of years ago."
Hermione smiled. "Yes, well, we came up with a pact. That we wouldn't let their relationship affect us anymore. We weren't going to fawn over them wishing for something that would never happen and we were going to put our feelings for them to rest."
Ginny was quiet for a moment. "So that's why you're happy right now? Because you're over Ron?"
"I guess I'm just happy because I've finally learnt how to stop worrying so much." She rolled her eyes at the incredulous look on Ginny's face. "Okay, well not totally.. but right now? In this moment? I'm happy."
Ginny smiled. "And I'm happy that you're happy."
"And I'm happy that we're all happy," said a deeper voice. Both girls turned to see Seamus slide in the seat next to Hermione. "How are the happy girls at the laughter table?"
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, sharing a look with Ginny.
"Everyone's jealous about you two over here, talking and laughing up a storm all night." He leaned in conspiratorially, bringing Hermione and Ginny in with him. "They all think you're both high," he whispered.
"What?" Hermione said shrilly eliciting a roar of laughter from Seamus before calming down slightly and joining in with Ginny. After a while their laughter subsided and only then did Hermione notice the guitar that was slung over Seamus' right shoulder.
"Are you going to play for us," she asked hopefully.
"Nope," he replied cheerfully. "You are."
Hermione felt a nervous jolt in her gut. "What? No way. No sir. Uh-uh."
"I didn't know you could play the guitar, Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed. "Come on, then! Dazzle us with your mad skills."
For a moment, Hermione forgot her nerves. "Mad skills? Now, I know the cool kids aren't saying that."
"Stop trying to change the subject." Seamus interjected. "She taught herself," he said to Ginny. "To take her mind off you-know-who-."
"Voldemort?" Ginny whispered and Seamus flinched.
"Just kidding. I know you're talking about my git of a brother. I'm not completely daft, Mr AA man." She winked exaggeratedly and turned her attention back to Hermione. "So come on, then. We're waiting."
"But, I, wait-" Hermione spluttered as Seamus put the guitar in her arms and raised the strap over her head to rest on her shoulders. Her hands automatically came up to grasp the guitar and Ginny clapped her hands in delight. Hermione looked distraught and Ginny took pity on her.
"Oh, Hermione, just one song. Nobody will care. They all think we're high anyway."
"True story," Seamus nodded.
Hermione sighed knowing she wasn't going to win this fight. "Fine," she said halfheartedly, not wanting to admit that she actually did want to play.
"Play that one that you sang out by the lake the other day," Seamus spoke up.
Hermione stared down at her hands as they began to strum the chords and she didn't notice when she began singing that everyone in the room had gone quiet to listen to her sing.
I'm stumbling towards the stars tonight
Not sure of when or how I lost the fight
My world is spinning
Can you see it fall?
I'm slipping away but I can hear you call
Ginny leaned her head against the wall and smiled, suddenly feeling a rush of warmth and love for her singing friend. Hermione had a lovely singing voice, soft and soothing and it was hard not to get pulled in by her words. Looking around the room, Ginny saw that many people were smiling and looking at one another in surprise. Her eyes fell on Harry who looked back at her with his eyebrows raised as if to ask if it was really Hermione singing. She shrugged and smiled at him before turning her gaze towards her brother, who was looking at Hermione with such longing in his eyes that she felt embarrassed by the intensity of his gaze.
At that moment Hermione finished her song and started when the room erupted in applause. She blushed when Seamus stood and raised her hand, taking a bow for her, knowing that she would be too embarrassed to do so herself. "Thank you! Thank you very much, Hogwarts! You've been a great audience!"
Everyone laughed and Hermione stood, handing Seamus back his guitar. "Here you go, Mr rockstar. I think I've had my fair share of the limelight tonight, I'm going to bed."
"Fair enough," Seamus replied. "You sounded great tonight, by the way," he said leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. It was Ginny's turn next as she hugged Hermione. "You are my star, Granger," she whispered. Hermione smiled at her and turned to head for the stairs when she bumped into Harry. He was smiling.
"You've been keeping secrets! Where did that come from?"
She shrugged, happy. "Seamus has taught me a few things, I suppose."
She noticed him sneak a look behind him and Hermione looked to see what had distracted him. Ron still sat in his seat by the fire and was staring straight at her. She waited for him to look away as he always did but he didn't. This time she broke their gaze and turned back to Harry.
"Yes, about that," he stepped closer. "Are you and Seamus, you know?"
Hermione sighed inwardly. "Not you too. Look, I'll talk to you later, okay? Goodnight Harry." She kissed him on the cheek and turned toward the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ron get up to follow her. She quickened her pace and hoped she managed to run up the stairs in a casual manner. Just as she reached her dormitory she hastily opened the door and just as she was about to close it she heard him call her name. She hoped that he thought she hadn't heard him as she did not want to break the system that she and Seamus had going. She was getting over Ron Weasley. She was moving forward in her life but every time he said her name she felt herself moving backwards again.
She listened by the door and convinced that he had gone back to sitting with Lavender by the fire, readied herself for bed. She didn't know that he stood waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase or that he whispered her name longingly once more before retiring up to the boy's dormitory.
I'm slipping away but I can hear you call