I'm trying to keep to the main plot of Order of the Phoenix as much as possible, but of course I will take my own artistic liberties. In this story, Hermione and George will have a slow build, but they will have consistent interactions throughout the entire story. I already have the plot planned out exactly how I want it to go, so hopefully my posting will be consistent. I want this story to cover Order of the Phoenix as well as Half Blood Prince, so it's going to be a long one. I plan to post at least once a week, maybe more. This is my first fanfiction I have written in a really long time. This is the first time I've written in a while, period. So please be patient and not too harsh with me. I'm sure there are mistakes. Please review and help me out!

It is only 8 am and George's day is already looking to be complete shite. Molly Weasley, his kind but bossy mother, ordered him to take the car to southeast England to pick up none other than Hermione Granger. You see, Hermione and George do not get along very well. They aren't enemies by any means, but they aren't best friends either. It's just that Hermione and George each have two completely different personalities. George is a light-hearted prankster, whose personal mission is to make people laugh and enjoy life. Hermione is very intense and serious, and she doesn't approve of the majority of Fred and George's pranks. So, this is probably going to be a difficult car ride. With almost nothing in common personally, what will the two of them talk about? Of course there are the obvious "safe" topics, that is, if you consider Voldemort and the death of Cedric Diggory to be a safe topic. Harry is a mutual friend, and of course so is Ron, so yes they will probably discuss the events of last year that involved their mutual friends. But it is a lengthy car ride….that conversation will eventually end and they will be forced to talk about something else…

Hermione was patiently waiting for her ride to the Burrow. She had already said goodbye to her parents. That was always the hardest part of going back to Hogwarts each year. She has such a good, healthy relationship with her parents. She wished that they could be part of her world, she wished that she could share every little detail with them. She wishes for this for many reasons. Not only does she want her parents to be part of her life in a real way, but she also wants someone to tell the little details to. She wants to be able to vent and find comfort in someone. Of course she has her two best friends, Harry and Ron. She can tell them anything. But does she tell them how terrified she is? Does she tell Harry how unfair her life is when he is the one who is being attacked every single year? Does she tell Ron how she wishes she had a boyfriend, when something such as a boyfriend seems so little and insignificant compared to the situation at hand? No…however close they all may be, there are some conversations that aren't meant to enter into their friendship. Some conversations are meant to be had between parents and children. A child should be able to tell their parents anything and everything on their mind. And in the case that a parent isn't an option, then you should be able to turn to a significant other. Your partner. Hermione wishes so badly that she had such a relationship with another person. No one at Hogwarts looks at her as "girlfriend material". How trivial a statement, especially in this tense climate. But Hermione is, at the end of the day, a teenage girl. She has desires and dreams just like anyone else. Hermione wants a boyfriend. She thought that Victor might be able to fill that need in her life for a partner but there were too many variables to the situation. He was a little too old for her, lived too far away, and at the end of the day the connection just wasn't there. She is looking for a strong connection with someone, someone who she feels comfortable enough to share her deepest fears and craziest dreams with. Maybe someday, maybe with someone.

Finally she heard the familiar sound of the Weasley's flying car. She quickly gathered her bags and walked downstairs expecting to see Mr. Weasley. She always looked forward to their car rides to and from the Burrow. Conversation came naturally between the two of them, he truly has become a father figure to her in the last few years. Hermione opened the front door to someone very unexpected.

"George?" Hermione gasped, taking in the tall, broad (When did he get so much muscle?) red head. Shite, why is this happening to her?

"Wow nice to see you too, Granger! So if you are not interested in a ride back to the Burrow, then I will just be going. It was nice to see you, have a nice day. Let's do this again some time!" George was clearly annoyed by her response. As if he actually wanted to be picking up this stick in the mud in the first place? Hermione immediately regretted her reaction. Of course, how foolish of her to think that he even wanted to be here. Surely Molly forced him to do this little chore. Her face softened and she stepped a little closer to George.

"I'm sorry, George. I was just surprised to see you is all. You see, Mr. Weasley picking me up every year has kind of become a tradition for me that I look forward to over the summer. He likes to talk about silly muggle things." She laughed and nervously looked down at her shoes. Of course. George knew that Hermione and his dad had a strange relationship. They have always been kind of closer, she really was probably looking forward to seeing him.

"That's okay, Granger. I was only joking! Geez, lighten up will you! Now, let's get this show on the road. Err…sky?" George knew the joke was lame but he just wanted to lighten the tension. Clearly this is going to be a bumpy ride.

Once Hermione's trunk was loaded into the car, she went back inside to grab Crookshanks, and then they were off. George, being the more outgoing of the two of them, decided that he should start the conversation off first. After a very awkward 10 minutes or so, he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Soooooo, that Voldemort…he is quite the creep, eh?" The red head tried to lighten the mood with a joke. Hermione immediately tensed up and whipped her head around to him.

"George! That is so unfunny and inappropriate! A man is dead. And more will surely pass in the coming months as well. That isn't something to joke about." She paused for a moment and looked out the window before looking down at her hands. "Don't worry, George. You don't have to make conversation with me. Obviously, we have absolutely nothing in common other than the fact that Ron is your brother and Harry is your friend. Let's just leave each other to our thoughts and enjoy these hours of peace." George was stunned by her little speech. Actually no, he wasn't stunned at all. Of course she would lecture him. Of course she would act like she is better than him. Merlin, why did he agree to this again?

George just nodded his head and continued to drive. The two sat in silence for about 30 minutes before Hermione spoke up. She had started to feel a little guilty about her outburst. She would never understand how he could make a joke out of something so dark, but that didn't give her the right to talk to him like that. After all, George knew Cedric and he was truly upset when Cedric was killed. Of course he didn't think it was funny. She knew that he was only trying to make light of their awkward situation.

"So George, are you looking forward to the next couple of days? We get to see Lupin and Sirius. I hear that an order meeting is happening at Grimmauld Place soon." She slowly but matter-of-factly spoke to the stewing red head in the seat next to her. George kept his eyes ahead and made no move to respond to her. After about two minutes he finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry, did you say something? I was really enjoying that peace you were screaming about a few minutes ago." Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head, allowing a stifled laugh to make its way out of her mouth. Wow, he actually managed to make the stick in the mud laugh for once.

"Well if you must know, yes, I am looking forward to the order meeting. Despite what you may think of me, Granger, I do have a brain and an interest in current events. I also have an interest in pranks, though, and once we arrive at Grimmauld Place, Gred and I will have many opportunites to prank the shite out of all those order members. I can't wait to see the look on Kingsley's face when Fred and I-"

"No, absolutely not, George! You and Fred will NOT be disrupting this order meeting! It is of the utmost importance that they discuss everything that has happened and everything that is to come. Besides, you aren't in the order and neither am I, so you won't even be there to prank anyone." The petite girl looked at him smugly with a confident smirk.

"Oh yes, Granger. You just have it all figured out don't you? You are absolutely right. Don't worry, Fred and I will not be pranking anyone during the order meeting." George said with a twinkle in his eye. Hermione knew that he was up to something but she thought it best to just let the subject go. Hermione decided to take a different approach to the conversation.

"Are there any classes you're looking forward to this year?" She was honestly curious if had any interests in school.

"Actually, yes. I always look forward to potions every term. I'm actually one term ahead of my year in the subject. Bet you didn't know that little fact about me, Granger." George smirked, looking over at her.

"Actually, no, I didn't know that about you. That's quite amazing, George. I'm sure your mum is very proud of you." Wow, maybe there was something more to him. Now that he mentions it, it does take quite some skill to develop some of those silly pranks they pull at Hogwarts. However annoying those pranks are, some of them are admittedly impressive. George looked over to see the girl next to him in deep thought. She had a small smile on her face and her nose was scrunched up a bit, looking as if she is confused about something. Suddenly she looked up at him about to say something, but she paused and blushed when she noticed him looking down at her. When did George Weasley get so handsome?

"See something you like, Granger?" The red head smirked.

"Quite. I see that we are almost to the Burrow and soon to be out of this car."

Ouch…she did burn him there. But it was obvious to George that Hermione had been checking him out at least a little bit.

"So what grade did you get in potions last year? Surely not better than me. I received an E, which means Exceeds Expectations. I'm sure you're used to receiving an admirable A for Acceptable." When did Granger get so sarcastically clever?

"Actually, Ms. Granger, I received O. That means I did Outstanding." He dragged out that last word, getting every bit out of it he could. Hermione's face turned beet red and she looked away from his smug face. George just let a loud, barking laugh out.

"Although you get an A, for Acceptable, for that nice little joke you pulled a second ago." He reached out and patted her leg for good measure. She felt his strong hand grip her leg and blushed a little, but George didn't notice. If Hermione didn't know any better, she would think George was flirting with her. But he's a flirt, or is that Fred?

The burrow was only a few minutes away, but George and Hermione had just started to slip into comfortable conversation. It only took two hours.

"So George, are you looking forward to playing quidditch again this year?"

"Actually, I am considering stepping away from it this year." Hermione gasped in shock. George loves quidditch. He keeps up with all of the professional teams and nearly cried at the quidditch world cup last summer. Plus, it's no secret that he looks quite attractive out on the pitch. There's a reason why every girl in Gryffindor adores him, and even some in Slytherin.

"I love quidditch of course, but there are more important things to focus on right now. Fred and I have a lot of pranks planned for this year, and that requires a lot of time and energy. Pranks are dangerous; I'll be the first to admit it. I don't want something to go wrong and injure someone in a bad way." There it is again. That side to George that Hermione was noticing. The more thoughtful, intelligent side of him was starting to show.

Wow, since when was this soul-revealing hour? Why did he just say that? What a lame thing to say.

"Well as admirable as that is, George, I think you would be making a huge mistake. You love quidditch and you are talented at it. Gryffindor would miss you. And even though I agree that if you are going to pull pranks then they need to be safe and efficient, I also think it is important to focus on doing things you love. Things that make you happy. It's nice to make other people laugh, but you should be laughing and enjoying yourself as well." Hermione reached over and gently squeezed his leg. George suddenly felt a warm pool form in his stomach and his ears turned a bright pink. Dang.

"Geez, Granger. Hold yourself back over there. I know I'm sexy, but I'm not a piece of meat you can just grab at whenever you want." He looked over at her coolly while a blush rose to her cheeks.

"George Weasley! You are so conceited and unfunny sometimes! I was trying to be sincere."

"Merlin, Hermione! Take a joke for once. Please I'm begging you!" He laughed while making the desperate plea to the distraught girl in the seat next to him.

"Thank God, we're here. Now I can get out of this car and away from you and your nonsense." Her harsh words struck a cord with the red head. He had started to actually enjoy her company and getting to know her more. Clearly she is as stuck up as he originally thought before the ride.

"Yes we are here. You are welcome for the ride and you are also welcome for the stimulating conversation." He said dryly, looking straight ahead.

"I'm sorry, George. That was harsh and abrupt. Truly, I have enjoyed this car ride. It's not what I'm used to with Mr. Weasley…but still, I enjoyed parts of it." She said sincerely with a genuine smile. George just nodded and allowed a small smile to form. Hermione thought he was quite handsome when he smiled. Out of politeness, George responded to her sentiment.

"We should continue our conversation at some point. It's been nice getting to know you a bit more, Granger." That would be nice, she thought. Of course George was just being polite, though.

"Yes, that would be quite nice." She said curtly.

They had finally touched down at the Burrow, and exited the car. George helped Hermione with her trunk and bags. Ginny and the rest of the family ran out to greet Hermione. She was well loved by the Weasleys, and always welcome in their home. She is considered family, but George never thought of her as a sister. He cares for her and is protective of her, but their relationship has never been that of family. He thought she was far too attractive to be his sister. Just because she was a stick in the mud didn't mean that she couldn't be attractive. The bloke has eyes.

Once the hugs and greetings were over, they all went inside to bed. The rest of the Weasley family had already eaten, as it was pretty late when they arrived at the house. So George went up to his room and Hermione went up to her room she shared with Ginny. Neither of them said goodnight to the other.

That night, Hermione lay awake in her bed and George lay awake in his bed, both bashfully thinking how they hoped they would get to continue their conversation.