Truth

(Hermione hates watching them.)

The common room that evening is crowded with Gryffindors. Younger students are scattered all over the floor, playing games of Gobstones and Exploding Snap, while the fifth-years study in the corners and the seventh-years chat about how rubbish N.E.W.T.s are going to be. Ginny Weasley is curled up in an armchair by the bookcase, fast asleep with her wand dangling loosely in her hand. Neville Longbottom is whispering words of encouragement to his mimbulus mimbletonia, which isn't dealing with the coldness of winter very well. Parvati Patil is growing visibly frustrated as she tries for the umpteenth time to teach Collin Creevey how to do a simple summoning spell. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan are engaged in a fierce battle of wizard's chess.

And Hermione Granger, the queen of concentration, sits behind her wall of books in the corner, flipping pages angrily and looking up every once in awhile to aim a glare at the couple on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"Won-Won," Lavender purrs as she snuggles up against the redhead. "It's my turn. Ask me."

Ron drapes an arm over her shoulders. "Truth or dare?" he asks, and Lavender lets out a giggle that doesn't seem to bother anyone but Hermione.

(She hates watching them.)

"Truth," Lavender says, leaning in to peck Ron's cheek.

"Okay. Truth. Hm." Ron rubs a hand through his tawny hair. Hermione only has an obstructed view of them - her books are piled too high to see anything more than the very tops of their heads - but she can imagine the expression on his face, and it makes her groan internally. He probably has his eyes squinted in concentration, she thinks. He probably has his jaw tightened, or his teeth clamped down on his bottom lip.

"Come on, Won-Won," Lavender says, and Hermione grimaces. She can picture Lavender's face, too: plump lips parted in an expectant smile, brown eyes wide with anticipation, her smooth skin creasing gently as she crinkles her nose the way she always does when she's happy - and Hermione knows exactly how happy Lavender is, she's heard all about it during late nights in the girls' dormitory, and it makes her sick to her stomach to know that Ron Weasley is the one bringing the word love to Lavender's lips.

"Okay," Ron says, and Hermione realizes she's been reading the same page in her Charms textbook for nearly ten minutes. "Truth: when did you notice me for the first time?"

Hermione begins to whisper the words in her textbook aloud to herself. "Non-verbal spells require a great deal of mental discipline. . . ."

"The first time I saw you playing Quidditch," Lavender declares, and Hermione closes her eyes and exhales slowly. "Walking onto the pitch dressed in your uniform, you just looked so . . . ugh. I turned to Parvati and I told her, 'Ron Weasley looks sexy.' And that was when I noticed you."

"I noticed you last year," Ron says, and Hermione opens her eyes so she can roll them. "Saw you in the Great Hall studying for the Divination O.W.L. You were bent over your book, and I saw your hair all spilled out over your shoulders. Thought you were Hermione for a mo', if I'm being honest, but then you looked up, and I saw how beautiful you were."

Hermione isn't sure whether she should be offended.

"Oh," Lavender breathes. "Won-Won." Hermione sees the top of Lavender's dirty-blonde head lean toward Ron's, followed by the familiar smacking sound of a kiss.

(She hates watching them.)

"Truth or dare?" Lavender says when they break apart.

"Truth, I s'pose," Ron says.

"D'you think Hermione Granger is beautiful?"

Hermione blinks, and then slams her textbook shut and chooses another one from the pile surrounding her. The flurry of pages isn't enough to cover Ron's answer, though, and Hermione goes beet red when he says, "She's not hard to look at. Cleans up nice. Did you see her at the Yule Ball two years ago?"

"Oh." Lavender sounds let down, and Hermione wishes she could beat Ron upside the head. That's not how you talk to your girlfriend, Ronald. You never tell her another girl is beautiful.

"She has nothing on you, of course," Ron says quickly.

"Okay."

"It's just that - she's my friend, you know? I don't really think of my friends that way. Hermione's brilliant, but I'm not attracted to her."

"Okay." But Lavender still sounds dejected. "My turn. Ask me, Won-Won."

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Do you think Hermione is beautiful?"

Hermione rolls her eyes again as she flips a page.

She doesn't know why she's so nervous to hear Lavender's answer, or why her heart is suddenly pounding double-time.

(Yes, she does.)

"What?" Lavender sounds surprised. "I'm not into girls, Ron."

"Well, just pretend you are, for a mo'. If you were to date a girl, who would you want to date?"

(Doesn't know why she can't breathe all of a sudden - yes, she does - or why her palms have gone sweaty - yes, she does.)

"Anyone in the world, you mean?" Lavender asks. "Or only girls at Hogwarts?"

"Only girls who are here," Ron says. "At Hogwarts. Hell, only girls in Gryffindor."

(She knows precisely why she's nervous, and she hates watching them, she hates it, she hates it, she hates it. . . .)

"Girls in Gryffindor," Lavender muses quietly, and Hermione knows exactly what Lavender's face looks like, she can picture the furrowed brow, the clear eyes, the round cheeks, she can picture the small hands and the pale throat and the delicate curve of her shoulders - but she can't picture the word Hermione on Lavender's lips, even as she hopes against hope, and that hurts.

"Parvati," Lavender decides, and Hermione exhales so heavily that the pages in her textbook flutter. "But don't worry. I only have eyes for my Won-Won."

"Disgusting, aren't they?" Ginny murmurs from Hermione's left. She turns to see the youngest Weasley, still curled up in her armchair, blinking sleep from her eyes. "Truth or dare?" she asks in a nasally voice that sounds vaguely reminiscent of Lavender's.

Hermione tries to smirk. "Truth," she says in a low mockery of Ron.

Ginny lets out a high-pitched giggle that turns a few heads. "Honestly," she says in her normal voice, "if it doesn't stop soon, I'm going to hex them both."

"Don't," Hermione says. "I'm a Prefect, I'll have to give you detention if you do."

"Worth it," Ginny says, but she doesn't sound like she's serious. "Can you use your power as Prefect to make them get a bloody room?"

Hermione shakes her head and tries to ignore the peals of laughter coming from the couch. "Common room's public space. And anyway, it's none of my business what they - "

"Oh, come off it, Hermione." Ginny stretches and rubs at her eyes. "I see the way you've been looking at them - at her, specifically. I know what's going on."

Her heart is suddenly in her throat. "I haven't been - "

"You have, and you know it." Ginny sits up in her chair. "You're allowed to want them broken up, you know," she says. "You have a right."

She swallows and tries to look anywhere but the couch. "Who says I want them broken up?"

"Oh, please. It's all over your face."

"What is?"

"The jealousy," Ginny says, as if it's obvious. "Everyone can see it, except for Ron, apparently. Even 'Lav-Lav' can see it. Why d'you think she asked him if he thinks you're beautiful?"

Hermione shakes her head. "I'm not jealous," she says, and she hopes her blush comes across as annoyance and not embarrassment - because yes, she is jealous, but she doesn't think she'll be able to stand it if anyone finds out the truth about how she feels about Lavender Brown. "I'm just irritated. I've been trying to study all night, and these two - "

"No one will judge you for liking Ron," Ginny says gently.

Hermione blinks. "Ron?"

"Yes, Hermione, stop playing dumb. You keep looking wistfully at Lavender, like you wish you were in her place. You're in love with Ron - for what reason, I have no idea, but to each her own."

"I'm in love with Ron," Hermione repeats.

"You're miles out of his league, if you want my opinion," Ginny says. "But you can't help who you fall in love with. I know that better than anyone."

"Right." Hermione glances back to the couch, where Lav-Lav and Won-Won are snogging loudly. "Can't help who you fall in love with."

Ginny stands and reaches over the wall of books to put a gentle hand on Hermione's shoulder. "It's just a phase," she says. "You'll get over him. And if you decide you absolutely must have a Weasley, there's always Percy. Merlin knows he won't be dating someone else."

Hermione forces herself to laugh.

"I'm here if you need anything," Ginny says with a small smile, and then she heads for the staircase that leads to the girls' dormitory.

"In love with Ron," Hermione says under her breath, rolling her eyes. "Honestly."

She turns back to her book just as Lavender says, "Ask me, Won-Won. Truth or dare."

"Truth or dare?" Ron asks, and Lavender's giggle sends thrills down Hermione's spine, and for the briefest of moments she wishes she were the one making Lav-Lav laugh that way.

(She hates watching them.)

[2015 Gift Giving Extravaganza: Hermione/Lavender, for Samantha]

[2015 New Years Resolution Competition: Write femslash]

[Open Category Competition: Trio Era]