In the shadow of Hermione Granger.

The challenge

Friday January 1st

We go downstairs and in the Livingroom are Hermione and Ron waiting for us. Hermione sees us and says: "So are you up for the challenge"
"100 percent"
Hermione: "Great, then lets get to it"
Ginny: "So what are the rules for this"
Hermione: "Great question, so you have to stand close to each other, keeping eye contact, without touching each other, and we will keep time, so if your time is longer than our with keeping eye contact without kissing, then you win, simple"
"And what do we win?"
Hermione: "As we all know, you don't want to see me and Ron making out so the winning couple get to torture the other couple with a minutes make out"
"Really that's what we win?"
Hermione: "That and 50 galleon"
"its so on"
I turn to Ginny: "Are you ready?"
Ginny: "So ready"
Hermione: "Okay stand right here, look to the ground and when I say "Now" You look up and find eye contact"
We both nod and we look down.
Hermione: "Aaand Now"
We look up and our noses barely touch each other, but we keep eye contact and I can hear Ron saying: "Are they going to beat us?"
Hermione: "No way, we have to prove that older is better"
She whispers the last, but I still hear it, Ginny's eyes tell me that we have to win this, just because we are the youngest, so we always have to prove ourselves, and we will, and we will win this, because being youngest rules. I hear Hermione's knuckles crack, it's a nervous tic of hers and I enjoy it, this is painful for her, but I am loving it, I want to kiss Ginny but right now it doesn't feel natural, so I don't, and I don't want to lose. Ron starts to pace in the room, they are both nervous.
Ron: "We have to do something we can't go that long"
Hermione: "Shut up, they can hear us"
Ron: "can't we make them stand a little closer for two minutes and if they fail we win"
Hermione: "No we have to beat their time but letting them stand closer for two minutes is not a bad idea"
In my mind I think: "Shit, can we do this" But Ginny gives me a look saying that we can. Hermione walks over to us and says: "For the next two minutes your noses has to touch, and if you kiss in that time there will be taken 20 seconds from your actual time, understood?"
"Understood" we say in unison
Hermione: "Then touch"
I move slightly closer to Ginny and our noses touch as if we would kiss any second, while keeping eye contact I'm counting: "One, two three, four, five"
If I just keep counting I know when I can kiss Ginny: "fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty"
We are doing good, just keep going
"Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty"
One minute gone, one minute left.
In the corner of my eye I see Ginny licking her lips, I try hard not to kiss her, just keep counting: "seventy-five, seventy-six, seventy-seven, seventy-eight, seventy-nine, eighty"
Forty seconds left
"one-hundred and fifteen, one-hundred and sixteen, one-hundred and seventeen, one-hundred and eighteen, one-hundred and nineteen one-hundred and twenty"
Finally two minutes is done, just keep ten seconds more. I keep eye contact and I accidentally bite my lower lip and Ginny kisses me. Once, twice, until I've had a taste and realize I'll never have enough, her hand is everywhere up my back and over my arms and suddenly she's kissing me harder, deeper with a fervent urgent need I've never known before. I enjoy the moment but then I hear the silence from Ron and Hermione. Our lips slip each other, and I say: "Now its your turn, can you handle it?"
Hermione: "Of course we can, right Ron?"
Ron: "Hmm sure"
I know we lasted longer than they ever would and then Ginny asks: "What was out time?"
Ron: "Five minutes sixteen seconds."
"Not bad" I say, but inside I'm: "five minutes, we kept eye contact for five minutes, it didn't feel that long"
Ginny says: "Are you ready?"
Ron: "Mhmm"
"Then we start your time, now"
They look up and I can see on Ron that he wants to laugh,
---
Two minutes in and they are both very nervous, Hermione's hand is tapping on her thigh to keep her concentration, that's another nervous tic of hers, I do it too, but I do it more often, mostly in class. I have seen her do it twice in our lives.
Three minutes in and I say: "Now your noses have to touch too"
I look at Ginny and I know Ron can't last a minute without kissing Hermione when he's touching her. And I was right they have touched noses for twenty seconds and then Ron kisses Hermione, I start laughing, because Ginny and I won. I hug her and she says: "We did it, the youngest rules"
But when we turn around, we see that Ron and Hermione is still kissing. And I go over and say: "Guys you lost, you can stop making out now"
Ginny: "Yeah, I'm leaving, I don't want to see that"
"Me either, lets go"
We go upstairs.
---
At dinner we sit down and I say: "Hermione, you guys owe Ginny and I 50 galleons"
Hermione: "Why we won"
Ginny: "No you didn't your time was three minutes and twenty seconds"
"And ours were five minutes sixteen seconds, so we won"
Ginny: "Pay up"
Harry: "What is this about"
"Hermione had a challenge for Ginny and I, and she couldn't do it herself"
Harry: "Ah, I don't need to know anymore"
Ginny: "Understandable"
Hermione: "Fine you win, but now we have to be tortured"
"We could just drop that part and then you just pay 50 galleons each"
Ron: "Each, how does that work"
Harry: "50 galleons for Ginny and 50 galleons for Harlow"
Hermione: "But is that fair"
"We were tortured when you guys lost, so either you pay or we get to torture you tomorrow"
Ginny: "I want to torture them, yes, but not that way"
"You are right, Hermione, we aren't really comfortable kissing in front of anyone yet, and especially not if its forced"
Hermione: "Fine, you will get 50 galleons each and, we don't see you guys make out, deal?"
"Deal"
We shake hands on it and they pay up.
After dinner we go to Ginny's room
And Ginny says: "At least they agreed"
"Yeah, but most importantly, we won"
Ginny: "Yeah we did"
"What should we do for the rest of the break"
Ginny: "I don't know, just chill I guess"
"Then let's do that"
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