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Elemental Force	By : aikakone Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 3427 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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CHAPTER 5:

Surprise!

This is the place that I loved her, and these are the friends that she had.

Long may the mountain ring to the sound of her laughter.

~Neil Finn

Both of them knew that they weren't supposed to be out on the grounds after hours, and this was nearly pushing that limit. They hadn't been made prefects or Head Boy and Girl for nothing. This time, though, it was more important than others, and both somehow knew it.
Even though he realized it was now or never, as Ginny had warned him, Ron still felt nervousness all through him. His big hands were sweating profusely, and he rubbed them apprehensively on this robes. When he glanced over at Hermione, she looked on the outside to be as self-possessed as she had ever been. He damned her for appearing so calm and loved her all the more because it was part of what made her Hermione.
"Would you like to go to the Forbidden Forest?" she asked suddenly, shaking him out of his thoughts.
"No!" He looked at her as if she were possessed of some madness. "I have had my fill of gigantic spiders and murderous centaurs for one lifetime!"
"I wasn't being serious," she smiled. "But at least you're talking now."
"Oh, right. Talking." He had brought her outside for a reason. He took a deep breath and started to talk without censure. "It's been a long time since we were in fourth year. You looked really pretty at the Yule Ball, you know."
Hermione looked both surprised and pleased with his compliment, but he had to go on rambling in his clueless boy way.
"The thing is, you're not the most beautiful girl in school. Lavender and Parvati are prettier than you are. So is Padma, but she is Parvati's twin," Ron said in contemplation.
Hermione choked at his words. "You decided to go for a walk with me so you could insult me? That's low, even for you, Ron!"
Ron had the nerve to appear insulted himself. "Well, you're not the prettiest, and don't expect me to lie about it."
"What do you want?" she asked him with an air of exasperation.
"I want you to go with me to the Halloween Ball!" he blurted.
"Telling me I am uglier than Pansy Parkinson, for example, isn't the way to get me to go with you, Ron!"
"I didn't say that, and you don't understand me," Ron said hotly. "Will you let me finish?"
She crossed her arms in front of herself in a defiant stance and nodded for him to continue.
"I said you're not the prettiest in school, but do you really want to know something strange? You're beautiful to me." His shouted words came out in a rush.
When Ron saw Hermione's shocked expression, he added defensively, "Well, love makes everyone see people differently."
Because she still hadn't said anything, Ron's worry deepened. "What? Only Harry and Ginny are supposed to know what that is?" After he spoke, his insides were telling him to retreat while there was still time to save the remaining shreds of his dignity.
"You want me to be your date to the Halloween Ball..." For Hermione who had mastered almost every bit of book knowledge that had been thrown at her, the fact that Ron had finally asked her was quite the challenge. She was still wrapping her brain around it when Ron spoke next.
"No," he blushed hotly in the dark and was glad she couldn't see it. Hermione was equally glad he couldn't see her look of disappointment in the darkness.
"As my girlfriend. I had a date with Padma, but she's never been my girlfriend. That makes you more..." Ron momentarily let silence enfold him. "It means you're more important to me than other girls, and you always have been. There! Are you satisfied?"
Hermione merely nodded. All her book smarts failed her at that time.
"I love you, Hermione Granger, and if you don't go with me to the Halloween Ball, I'll... I'll throw myself in the lake! I'll live with the merpeople and visit the giant squid. It could be a good life, I suppose..." He looked off across the lake and avoided eye contact.
"Of course I will go with you, Ron!" She was so excited that tears started leaking out of her eyes. "I always did have a thing for a certain red-haired Weasley," she admitted quietly.
Ron turned to her with a look of concern. "Does Harry know?"
"What? What does Harry have to do with this?" If Hermione was confused by his confession of love, she was equally confused by his quick change of subject.
"Well, if you've got it for my sister Ginny, you should probably tell Harry you fancy his girlfriend. It could really make things complicated, but if that's what you really want, who am I to stop you?" He had regained his humor in full force and was shaking with mirth.
"Ron!" she punched him on the arm.
"Oww!" he pouted and protested with much drama.
"Baby!" Her eyes glittered. "Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?"
Ron momentarily stopped his mock complaining as he considered it, and then he returned to moaning and groaning with even more melodrama.
Hermione stood on her toes and tried to daintily kiss him on the cheek. Just as she neared his face, Ron quickly turned to put his arms around her and kiss her properly on the mouth. In their enthusiasm, they fell to the ground. Hermione only looked up at him and smiled a truly soul-satisfied smile.
They stayed on the grounds in front of the lake a long time kissing in each others' arms. When the time had passed beyond propriety, they got up and ran back to the castle. Hermione was picking tell-tale pieces of grass and leaves from her hair and laughing all the way back to the common room.
~*~*~*~
Ron and Hermione eased themselves back into the party without making too much of a spectacle of themselves. At least, that is what they thought they did. Though he was animatedly discussing the Quidditch victory with the rest of the boys and several of the girls, Ron kept shooting pleased looks at Hermione. She, on the other hand, had been chatting very animatedly with the other girls, even ones like Lavender and Parvati with whom she normally kept very little company.
Ron practically floated back to his bedroom at the end of the night. He was so enchanted that Hermione herself could have incanted Wingardium Leviosa as she had that day back in their first year. Not a thing was going to get him down because all was right in the world.
Except for one thing. Ron had a best friend named Harry who was also Hermione's best friend. He would not hear the end of this.
"So, mate, how'd it go?" Harry whispered from his bed.
Ron fought between giving him an annoyed look and telling him the events of the night. He really didn't want to share the special moment that had transpired between him and Hermione, so he chose to make Harry wait by avoiding the question.
"It wasn't a very good walk. It was rather chilly out there. I would have rather had a butterbeer back here." He then yawned exaggeratedly as a diversion tactic.
Harry was having none of it and uncharacteristically snorted. "Sure. If that's your story."
"What, Harry? I just went for a walk by the lake with our best friend." Ron wasn't doing a very good job of sounding innocent or indignant.
"Okay, I get it–you don't want to tell me." Harry threw up his hands and went back lying on his bed. "I'll just leave you alone."
"Thank you!" Ron huffed.
A moment of silence passed until Harry added, "By the way, Ron... your shirt is inside out. It's been that way ever since you came back from your 'walk'."
Ron heard Harry's uncontrollable laughter and blushed with more ferocity than he'd ever before known. He threw his blankets over his head and hid in mortification from the rest of the world.
~*~*~*~
The week leading up to the Halloween Ball was filled with excitement for the student body. Students who had waited to find a partner were scurrying to find dates. Those that did have dates seemed to spend more time with their respective partners. For Ginny, still full of the feeling of Fall Fever, it was exactly how the world should be.
The best part of it all was the shiny, new and official couple, Ron and Hermione. Ginny smiled at them every time she saw them together with an almost proprietary air. Most of the rest of the students and many of the teachers thought that it was due time that the pair had finally become a couple. They, on the other hand, knew little of the rest of the world around them as they were encapsulated into their own personal bubble.
Life as they knew it went on for the rest of the students, though. On the Thursday right before the dance and Ginny's birthday, Harry decided to have Quidditch practice. Ginny had gotten back her Pleiades 7 so she could use it, and Harry had suggested forgoing the Saturday practice because of the busy events on Friday. Harry worked the team hard, and when Ginny returned to Gryffindor tower she trudged up to bed and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.
Ginny was in the middle of having another recurring nightmare of Tom when a hand reached out of nowhere and grabbed her on the mouth. She awoke with a jolt, completely disoriented in her surroundings, but the hand stifled her screams. Her heart raced and she reached for her wand, but it wasn't there.
When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw that it was Hermione who had awoken her so horribly. The older girl had her finger to her lips in a sign of silence. Ginny nodded almost imperceptibly. When Hermione was satisfied that Ginny would be quiet, she took her by the hand and led her in the darkness out of her room and down the stairs to the common room.
When they arrived, Hermione took her hand off Ginny, who turned to her worriedly. "What's wrong, Hermione?" she asked in a quiet and urgent voice.
"I had something I couldn't do without you. This is important," Hermione replied full of drama and urgency.
"What?" Ginny asked as she worriedly started to stroke her own arms.
Hermione, playing her part to the fullest, looked to Ginny with a look of deepest sorrow. "It's just this," she said as she held her wand aloft and shouted. "LUMOS!"
At Hermione's call, the others who had been quietly assembled in the darkness of the common room held up their wands to light the room. Without waiting for Ginny to catalogue all their faces, each of the gathered Gryffindors shouted "Happy Birthday!" to Ginny.
She stared in shock at each one of them. Harry, Ron and the rest of the Quidditch team were there with several of the other friends she had, including Lavender, Parvati, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Colin and Dennis. On the low table in front of the fire was a cake, flagons of pumpkin juice, and an assortment of presents from her friends.
Ginny's eyes misted with tears of surprise. The act of friendship left a humbling feeling inside of her. She went with a smile to each person who had gathered and gave a hug of thanks.
Several of Ginny's friends inundated her with presents all at once. Hermione, ever a practical witch, subtly guided Ginny to sit in the seat of honor by the fireplace and the table so she could open her gifts in front of everyone. Ron, Hermione and Harry gave chocolates and sweets, but all three together bought Ginny her own owl. She didn't realize that she wanted one, but upon seeing the gift, she knew it was perfect.
"I know Pigwidgeon is practically yours, but Sirius did give him to me," Ron started to explain.
"And I know you love animals, especially cats," Hermione supplied.
"But this owl really needed someone to love it and take care of it," Harry finished.
The wonder in Ginny's eyes showed her appreciation for the present before she could even say the words. "He's wonderful!" she said almost reverently.
"What will you name him?" Dennis asked her from across the room.
Ginny paused and looked over to her brother. Since she had named his owl, it seemed almost right that he should name hers. "Ron, would you…"
He smiled widely and refused. "He's your owl, Ginny. You name him."
"Fahren," she replied after a moment's thought.
"Very Muggle of you," Harry joked as he came up behind her and pulled her into a hug. "Mr. Weasley would be proud."
Ginny laughed and smiled at him as she took her new owl to perch in the new cage that had been given to her as an accompaniment gift from both Neville and Luna. She made sure to give it several owl treats before walking back to the crowd of her friends.
"Open mine next, please," Colin urged Ginny after she had settled her new owl.
She smiled at him and took the rectangle-shaped package from his hands. Without ceremony she ripped off the paper and found an ornate silver picture frame.
"It's beautiful," she said in appreciation and thanks. Then Ginny kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Colin blushed at the kiss and said in return, "That's not nearly as beautiful as this."
He tapped the top of the frame with his wand and Ginny's photo appeared inside it. In the photo she was standing in the sunlight on the lawn of Hogwarts with a huge smile on her face and her vibrant red hair blowing in the breeze.
"That is the one I took in September, and I wanted to save it for a special occasion," Colin said.
"Wow," Ginny said in a small voice because it really was a stunning image. "You really are a great photographer," she sputtered.
Colin smiled softly, though his delight at her compliment was shown clearly in his eyes. He stepped back for another of Ginny's friends to give her a present. She received several more odds and ends, and the group laughed and enjoyed the party until two in the morning when Hermione decided to go back into Head Girl mode and threaten them with not being able to attend the Halloween Ball if they didn't get enough sleep.
~*~*~*~

October 31st

Hogsmeade, afternoon

The students were required to attend their morning classes, so their trip to Hogsmeade did not begin until midday. Most chose not to eat in the Great Hall because they preferred to fill themselves on sweets or other treats in the shops. Quickly after their classes, the students flooded the town in their excitement to be free.
Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione met at the Great Hall when their classes were over and walked to Hogsmeade together. One of the first destinations the two couples went to was the same shop where Harry had gone with Cho back in his fifth year. He hadn't returned since, and at first he felt edgy because it brought back uncomfortable memories.
It was cutesy and romantic, but not really what the four wanted to do. They decided to go their separate ways for a while. Ginny teased that it if they left them alone for a while, they would be sure to come up with a surprise they'd love. Hermione, being practical about her male friends suggested they go find something in Zonko's to explode, and that worked well enough for Ron who pulled Harry away.
After the boys were safely doing boy things, Hermione and Ginny raced giggling for the dress shop to get some last minute frills for the ball. Immediately upon entering, Ginny saw the very dress she wanted. It was a perfect emerald green with a heart neckline and thin waist that would show off her feminine side.
She asked to try on the dress while Hermione herself was finding a dress to her liking. Ginny came out of the changing room and twirled around in the shiny green dress. The color really complimented her flaming hair and smooth complexion so that she looked fantastic. Hermione said Ginny reminded her of one of the princesses or witches from Arthurian legend.
"This is the perfect dress for the ball! Thanks to all my friends, I can buy the dress, too!" the younger girl enthused.
"I'm happy for you, Ginny," Hermione said distractedly as she fingered a set of tortoiseshell hair combs.
Seeing the small motion, Ginny turned and looked. "Those are pretty. They would really look nice in your hair and bring out the sparkly highlights."
Hermione laughed derisively at the notion that she had highlights in her hair or anything else good about the bushy mess on her head. "My hair is hopeless! It's just lucky for me that your brother is, too. He'll be happy no matter what I wear."
Ginny agreed when Hermione showed her the slim-fitting sleeveless red dress with a low-cut back that she was planning on wearing to the Ball. It was so daring that it didn't seem like something the sensible Hermione would wear, but Gryffindor bravery might in this case be applied to fashion choices.
After Ginny stopped staring at Hermione, she said with a sound of approval in her voice, "Ron will love that."
There was no doubt Ron was going to love the dress. Ginny was willing to wager that he might spontaneously combust before the first dance was over.
~*~*~*~
After the dress excursion, the two witches met their respective wizards at the Three Broomsticks for butterbeers. Several of the other students were already there, including Hobie with Artemis, Dina, Colin, Luna and David. The mixed Ravenclaw and Gryffindor couples seemed to be having an uproarious time at their corner table. The quartet waved and smiled to them before selecting their own vantage underneath one of the windows.
"Did you find anything interesting at Zonko's?" Hermione began conversationally.
"Of course not!" Ron said with a hint of brotherly pride. "Nothing beats Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."
"Maybe your brothers want to expand the business and open another shop here since they are so successful," she stated pragmatically.
Ginny snickered. "I don't know that Hogwarts could ever survive with them coming back. They'd be such horrible influences on the students," she said in mocking tones.
"That sounds like reason enough for Fred and George," Harry commented.
Ginny turned to her boyfriend to ask, "Did you get anything, Harry?"
"A few chocolate frogs. Nothing special except this," he said as he put a present down on the table.
Ginny looked at it skeptically. "Did this come from Zonko's or Honeyduke's?"
"Honeyduke's. You're getting suspicious in your old age. Now happy birthday and open it up!" He teased her so that the brilliance of his smile lit up his green eyes.
When Ginny opened the package, it was one of her favorite chocolate bars. The simplicity of the gift made it endearing to her. "Thank you, Harry," she said before kissing him on the cheek.
Across from them Ron and Hermione were holding hands. Ron kept shooting looks at Hermione as if he would like to be kissing her again. Hermione was looking back at him in much the same way so that she appeared flushed from all the blushing she was doing.
"Ron," a feminine voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What?" he said in annoyance as he realized it was Ginny and not Hermione talking sweetly to him.
"Kiss her!" Ginny encouraged with a laugh. "You know you want to!"
"Ginny, please," Hermione protested with a hot blush.
At the same time, Ron said, "I can't kiss her in public!"
Harry laughed because he remembered their conversation after the Quidditch victory party. "You don't have a problem with kissing her in private, though!"
"Harry!" Ron whined at his best friend's teasing.
"Ron," Hermione said while gently putting her hand on top of his.
"What?" he asked with a miserable sound in his voice. He turned to her just as she brought her lips over to his cheek and kissed him softly.
Ron looked dazed after the fairly innocent kiss. Despite the presence of the others around him, he decided to give in to his wants and he kissed her back several times.
"If you keep kissing me, my hair will be mussed," Hermione joked. Everyone at the table knew her normal state of hair was almost uncontrollably bushy.
"I like your hair the way it is," Ron said.
"That's what I told Ginny," Hermione said to Ron and then offered Ginny a wink.
Ginny laughed at them. Ron was obviously madly in love with Hermione, but unlike all the rest of the time he'd been loving her, it was now out in the open.
The two couples continued to enjoy their time at the Three Broomsticks until the strike of the clock. All the students realized at the sound that it was time to leave the pub if they were to make it back to Hogwarts and, consequently, the dance on time. They rose from their chairs to go, a few of them grudgingly and some others with animated anticipation.
"I can't wait to dance with you at the Ball tonight, Ginny," Harry said in her ear while they were walking.
Ginny could not believe what she was hearing. "Harry, are you ill? You actually want to dance?"
"If it's the right girl, I do," he said while looking at her pointedly. "And it is my girl's birthday."
"Yes, life is good," she smiled as they walked and hugged each other at the wait.
As they were making their way back to the castle, Ginny remembered Hermione's genuine liking for the combs they had seen in the fancy dress shop. She knew her friend had few concessions toward vanity, and she wanted to make Hermione as happy as she had made her with the surprise birthday party. Even though they were supposed to be going back, Ginny thought she could quickly fetch them and return without any problems.
Ginny resolved then and there to go back to the shop and buy the combs for her friend as a gift. Hermione might even be able to wear them tonight when she was on her date with Ron. It would simply be marvelous.
"Oh, I forgot something, Harry. Let me run back and get it. I won't be just a moment."
"Ginny, we're supposed to stick together. It's time to go," Harry pointed out the time as they were going back to the castle and to ready for the Halloween Ball.
"I know, but I don't want to spoil the surprise!" She tried to convince him with another one of her winning smiles.
"Surprise for whom?" he asked with eyes narrowed.
Ginny laughed. "Not for you, Harry, but it's a good surprise. You'll see. And for the record, Mr. Potter, since when have you been known to follow the rules?"
"You're not supposed to go alone, Gin." he replied firmly.
She sighed in frustration. "You know, you're starting to sound like Hermione when she's determined to follow the rules! Look, I won't take long; I swear. The longer we talk about it, the longer it will take me to run and get back."
Harry looked at her skeptically.
"I'll be fine!" Ginny assured him. "Now go, or else I'll hex you!"
Harry paused and kissed her on the cheek before catching up with the others. Little did he know at the time that Ginny's last words to him in Hogsmeade would haunt him for many months to come.

~*~*~*~

The Neil Finn quote in this chapter is from "She Goes On", performed by Crowded House on Woodface.
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