Brown Eyes

Chapter 7: Friendship?

Hermione's POV

I buried my head in a book. A nice thick book. Numerology and Grammatica to be precise. Arithmancy was my favourite subject and I never seemed to tire of dealing with numbers. No matter what, one plus one was always going to equal two. It was the same in all cultures, all languages, and it always made sense. Math has always been my strongest subject, and I turn to it whenever I'm feeling overly confused with day to day life.

I carefully read over the text for the thousandth time. I had matched up the numbers with my friend's names many times, but this time I slowly found my way around spelling out G-I-N-E-V-R...

"Hermione?" I looked up and there was the very person I was thinking about.

"Uh, hi, Ginny. Do you need something?"

"Um, yeah, actually. Sorry to be bothering you, but I really do not understand the theory behind Vanishing Spells. Professor McGonagall had us working on them weeks ago, but now she wants us back to studying the theory!"

"It's ok, Ginny, just sit down and we'll look at this together..."

I spent the next hour leaning over Ginny trying to explain how vanishing spells worked, and how understand the concept behind them could improve her work a lot more. I had to remind myself several times to thank god for making me a girl, because I would have embarrassed myself a lot if I were male.

I was wonderful to be around her. She was funny and witty; always had something to say about people's quirks, but none of it was overly hurtful. She grinned at me in a fashion that made my heart seem to do the cliché flip people always talk about, but never truly made sense to me.

It was also hurtful to be around her. I so dreadfully wanted to be able to touch her. To take her in my arms and just hold her. When she would get so frustrated that tears came into her eyes, I wished to somehow comfort her, but I did not know how without seeming to force myself on her. I dreadfully wished she were not with Dean and weren't straight! I felt embarrassed to want her so badly. Falling for straight girls was one of the reasons everyone felt uncomfortable around gay people! I needed to move on. I needed to think about something else. Somebody else.

After several hours of work, and the essay was pretty much done, I told Ginny I was heading for bed. I was tired, but I also felt an extreme need to relieve some tension my body had gathered from being around this beautiful girl.

"Oh, wait, I have something to tell you." She sounded nervous.

"What is it?" I said, turning back to her with full attention; stopping my clearing up.

"I, um, did something Bill suggested to me about starting a club. One for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. For support. And, er, Dumbledore approved it."

"Oh, uh, thanks, Ginny..." She had done what? For me? I don't want a club! This is just going to make everything worse! I tried to keep my face impassive. She was just trying to help.

"It isn't just for you, although I do hope you'll join. It's for allies too. It's to help stop all the homophobia in this school, you know? It's hurting a lot of people, I'm sure, and I want to try and stop it. Have a place where it's safe to be yourself." She looked at me expectantly, but I could only nod and try to look encouraging. I felt very mixed about this whole club idea.

"Also, well, I've been wondering for a long time, but your coming-out sort made me think a lot harder about everything, and I've decided I'm bisexual. Like Bill." Oh. Oh!

"Oh, wow, Ginny, I didn't even think... Well, I think this club thing is a great idea. Don't we need an advisor and a constitution?"

"Yeah, Dumbledore suggested Professor Vector. And I thought I should probably do some more research on these before I wrote up a constitution and started advertising." She gave me a shy look; something not seen often on Ginevra Weasley.

"Will you help me?" I leapt at the chance.

"Of course. I have Arithmancy tomorrow. I'll ask the professor then, and we can meet in the library after dinner to try and find some books on these, uh, queer issues." My emotions were spinning again. From angry to confused to horny to delighted.

I went to sleep feeling more content than I had in a long time.

In the morning Ginny and I sat next to each other as Dean glared on. I could not fathom what he was upset about, but it seemed the rest of the 6^th year Gryffindors had noticed as well. Ron even poked to ask what was going on. He wanted to know if Ginny and Dean had been fighting last night. I whispered back that I doubted it--Ginny had seemed quite happy last night, except with her essay--but that he would have to ask Ginny or Dean for answers because I had none. Ron said it was a first.

I felt Harry was being abnormally quiet. So I asked about that, and he refused to answer.

"He had bad dreams again," Ron answered for him, while Harry looked angry at his betrayal on this matter once again.

"Oh, Harry...you really should start your lessons with Snape again..." I was worried.

"Never. It's bad enough that I still have to take Potions so I can be an Auror. There is no way I am going to take more lessons! Not that he would take me again anyway."

I lost my reply as students began exiting the hall loudly on their way to class. I was glad, however, because it was Arithmancy.

Professor Vector has always reminded me of myself. She is strict, but can be fun. She adores her subject but also cares a lot about people. She is Indian with long, wavy black hair, dark skin, and is very tall. I have always had a strange suspicion that she might be gay. Now I began to wonder if the rumours about her and Professor Sinistra were true...

"Good morning, Miss Granger," spoke a grinning face from the front of the class. Professor Vector was opening up her brief case to take out her notes from the day. I was the first person to enter the class, as usual.

"Good morning." I knew I needed to speak now, but I was nervous. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about, er, a club Ginny Weasley and I wanted to start. Dumbledore's approved it."

"Good, good. What is the club about?" She began to draw a diagram on the chalk board, her back to me.

"Um, I think Ginny said it was usually just called an LGBT club for, er, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender... So basically it's a gay club," I finally blurted out. "To help stop the...the homophobia and to have, er, a safe place for gays to come to.

"I think that is an excellent idea." A few more people entered the classroom. "What do you need me for, though?"

"Oh, well, I was hoping... Dumbledore recommended you as the advisor."

"Did he now? Well, he never misses a trick now does he? I would be delighted to advise this club, but we must discuss the details after class. Everyone, please take your seats."