The Moment of Truth

It was the third day of classes at Hogwarts, but it was baking hot outside. Many students had retreated into the dungeons of Hogwarts, much to Snape's dismay, in an attempt to escape from the heat that was pounding into the very stones of the castle. Others were belly-flopping into the Great Lake, and still more were sneaking into every bathroom avaliable and attempting to drown themselves in the sink. Two girls, however, had found a much better way to deal with the heat.

Hermione and Ginny were sitting in Hermione's dorm, which was blessedly free of her dormmates. They lounged in shorts and tank tops, Hermione liberally casting a sort of cooling charm every five minutes. They reveled in the crisp air blasting from Hermione's wand, drinking copious amounts of water and moving as little as possible while chatting.

"What are the boys doing?" asked Ginny, laying prone on the ground.

"I have absolutely no idea," said Hermione, sprawled on her bed. "Probably playing Quidditch or something."

"In this heat?" squawked Ginny, lifting her head a little.

"Well, I love them, but I've never been able to vouch for their common sense," replied Hermione, lifting her arm and letting out another blast of cold air. Both girls sighed, and for several minutes, let the cold air drift over them.

"Did I tell you that Justin Finch-Fletchley asked me out?" asked Ginny abruptly. Hermione barely held in a rueful sigh; she loved Ginny to bits, but honestly, there was more to the world than the opposite sex.

"That's what, the third guy who's asked you out this week?" said Hermione, mentally ticking off names and thanking the powers that be that she was never in those situations.

"Fourth," chided Ginny. "Justin Finch-Fletchley, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, and Anthony Goldstein."

"Pardon me," said Hermione, laughing a little. "Honestly, Ginny, why do you even bother?"

"It's fun, having crushes, and having guys crush on you," replied Ginny, rolling over and looking up at Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes, and grinned rogueishly.

"I wouldn't know," she said in a mock-prissy voice. "Boys look at me, and they see a giant brain with a pair of legs and brown wire on top."

"What?" exclaimed Ginny. "Are you telling me that you've never had a crush?! That's not possible!"

"Between maintaining my marks and helping to save the Wizarding World," replied Hermione dryly, "I've precious little time to look around for a potential mate. Fighting evil and keeping the boys in line are full time jobs in and of themselves."

"You have a point," conceded Ginny, "but it's fun!"

"I rather think that losing sleep and good braincells over whether a boy fancies your legs is not something I want to spend my time doing," said Hermione. "Oh, it might be fun, but I've got tests to take, essays to write, and two boys to save. Snogging is not in it."

"So you're going to be an old maid?" queried Ginny. "All alone in life, smelling of cat droppings and stale chocolate cake?"

"Don't forget sour cabbage," added Hermione.

"The point is, Hermione," broke in Ginny, "is that you have to find someone. I won't have you turning into a shriveled prune."

"Thank you for your undying concern," retorted Hermione, a wry smile on her face. "It's good to know that someone's looking out for my best interests."

"My pleasure, Madame," said Ginny. "Now let's think. We need to find the perfect guy for Hermione. What would you want in a guy?"

"A pulse, I suppose," said Hermione. She laughed as Ginny smacked her in the head with a pillow. "Oh, we're being serious, are we? All right, all right, let me think." Hermione scrunched her nose as she began to debate it in her head.

"He'd have to be witty," she said, sitting up a little and letting out yet another cooling charm.

"Witty, got it. Who do we know that's witty?" asked Ginny.

"Let me think.... Harry, of course. Ron, when he wants to be... hmmm.... Fred and George also. Terry Boot's pretty sharp, and so is Anthony Goldstein, but I'd rather pull my toenails out than date that prat. Um, Dean is..." Hermione trailed off.

"Okay," said Ginny. "What else?"

"They'd have to be smart, obviously. I'd like to have a conversation that involves something other than the intricacies of a well-played Quidditch Match. And not just book savvy; I want someone who is fairly aware of what's going on in the world today," rattled off Hermione.

"Well, take Dean off that list, then," smiled Ginny. "That leaves us Harry, Ron, the twins, Terry Boot... Anthony Goldstein knows as much about the current events of the Wizarding World as Buckbeak does."

"Don't compared Anthony to Buckbeak; Buckbeak's fairly clever," smirked Hermione. "Justin Finch-Fletchley always keeps up to date; so does Ernie MacMillian. I don't know about the Slytherins... I suppse Malfoy does, but I'm not a fan of interspecies breeding. Hmm... Seamus is, too, but I'd sooner date Malfoy than him."

"Duly noted," murmured Ginny. "What's next?"

"Hmmm... I'd like a guy that will stand up to me. I don't want someone I can walk all over. I don't want someone I always fight with, but someone who respects himself enough not to always agree with me, especially if I might be wrong."

"Harry and Ron, of course," said Ginny, "Anthony Goldstein, I think Neville would, Seamus, Dean, Terry probably would... I'll leave Malfoy out of this... Ernie would in a heartbeat. I don't think the twins would; they're terrified of you."

"Are they now?" said Hermione amusedly. "That'll be handy when I go to visit your family next summer. Let me think, what else would the perfect guy for me have? Ah yes - he'd respect me for my talents."

"And what would those talents be, eh?" joked Ginny.

"Besides being a walking, talking, breathing encyclopedia? Not much," said Hermione, resting her hands on her stomach.

"That's not true," protested Ginny. "When Ron first came back from Hogwarts, he went on and on about how smart you were, but also that you were really kind, even if it didn't always seem like it, and that you were a really caring person, and dead clever and helpful."

"I didn't know Ron thought of me that way," said Hermione in suprise. "I didn't know he was capable of thinking beyond broomsticks and bacon."

"He has his moments," chuckled Ginny, "although they are few and far between. So, what else is there?"

Hermione hesitated, fingering her bedspread. "I want..." she broke off for a moment, trying to think of a way to word what she wanted to convey properly. "I want a guy to like me for me, you know? Everyone sees me as really brave, or really smart, or really bossy and clever. But my favourite food is chicken and rice, my favourite colour is red, I like to watch old shows on the telly at night... I bite my lips when I'm nervous. Does this make sense?" Hermione laughed nervously. "I want someone who wants me despite all my bossiness and book loving. Someone who'll love me, warts and all."

Ginny sat up and looked at Hermione seriously. "I never knew you felt that way, Hermione."

"It's not something I care to advertise," Hermione said dryly. "I try to keep my insecurties to myself."

"Ah," said Ginny. "Well, in that case, that whittles the list down to Harry, Ron, and Neville."

"But there is no such thing as the perfect guy," shrugged Hermione. "So why bother? I've seen girls here go at their boyfriends; it's ridculous. I don't want to deal with that all the time."

"But there's much more to it," said Ginny wisely. "There are fights, true, but there are also secret kisses, and holding hands, and stealing glances, and cuddling on couches late at night. Being with someone isn't all mushy cuddling crap, but it's not all bickering, either. It's just a warm glow that flows from your fingers to your toes."

Hermione was silent, staring at the ceiling as she digested this information. She'd never quite viewed it like that.

"Anyways," remarked Ginny, "I think we have enough. We have two guys that fit every single trait."

"I'd shoot myself in the foot rather than date Harry," said Hermione. "I love him to pieces, but no."

"Gods," exclaimed Ginny, frustrated. "Isn't there any guy?"

"What, a guy that I can actually connect with, spend time with willingly, have fun with, that fits those traits?" shot back Hermione. "How would I know? I doubt that even such a guy exists, at least one that I like and likes me back! Come on, Ginny, a guy who likes me for me, and thinks that I'm clever, and stands up both for me and to me, and I know will always be there, and..."

A very large grin was growing on Ginny's face. Hermione trailed off at the look on her face. "What?" she asked suspciously. "What are you smiling about?"

"A guy you like," said Ginny, her smile still growing. "That likes you back. One that will stand up to you, appreciates your brains and cleverness, someone who has stood by your side through thick and thin?"

Hermione stood dumbfounded for a moment. Ginny smirked. "There WERE two men on that list, Hermione."

Hermione stared at her in confusion, before it occured to her. Someone that also made her feel safe, and had helped her for years, who obviously cared for her. Someone she cared for a great deal, without ever really understanding why she cared for him so much. Sometimes he drove her insane, but he could also make her smile.... he had always tried to comfort her... Harry had said that he had been heartbroken when she had gotten Petrified... and sometimes when he looked at her, her stomach did the tiniest of flips.

No. It couldn't be. It just wasn't possible. They always fought! Ginny's smile was maddening now. Hermione closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth.

Somewhere in Kenya, a pride of lions were resting on a large, heated rock. Giraffe were grazing a mile away, muching on the fresh leaves. Penguins were busily swimming in Antartica.

All of them began to go wild as a loud, piercing wail could be heard in the distance. Someone was in serious pain. In this case, it was Hermione Granger as realisation that she, Bookworm of the Century, had a crush on food-inhaling, Quidditch obsessed, thickheaded Prat of the Millinea Ron Weasley.

Ron and Harry heard Hermione scream, and ran to Gryffindor Tower. They climbed through the portrait door just as Hermione stormed down the stairs in a fury that radiated off of her.

"Hermione, are you alright?" asked Ron anxiously. Hermione whirled around and glared at him with such force, Harry was suprised Ron didn't fall over dead.

"I-hate-you," she seethed, stomping out of the Common Room. Ron, confused, turned and saw Ginny trailing down the stairs.

"Is Hermione mad?" he asked. Ginny smiled again.

"She'll get over it," she said, skipping out of the room.

Three years later, as Ron got ready to walk down the aisle, Ginny came to give him a hug. He hugged her back as she congradulated him.

"I still can't believe she's marrying me," said Ron in wonder. "I think I'm the happiest man alive. How did I do it?"

Ginny grinned and turned to go, and called out over her shoulder, "I told you she'd get over it."