Untamable
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Hermione sighed dejectedly as she stared out of her bedroom window at the Burrow. It had been weeks since she'd graduated as an informally dubbed "8th year" at Hogwarts and she was bored. She had applied around at several jobs and they all seemed very eager to have her, but none of them had seemed right for her. She wanted something that would keep her on her toes, something that would really test her and make her think, not some paper pushing job at the Ministry.
As much as she would love to make a difference for House Elves, she couldn't bring herself to accept the position at the Control of Magical Creatures office. She had job shadowed one of the employees and it was not at all what she had expected. She wouldn't be making a difference there. She would simply be preparing papers for some prejudice, pig-headed man to either sign off on or toss in the bin.
It was no wonder nothing was improving if this was the type of person that kept getting hired into positions of power. She shook her head roughly to rid herself of the angry thoughts that came to her when she thought of the man in charge of the well-being of all magical beings and creatures. Instead she decided to think of something happier, like Harry. She smiled.
Harry was doing brilliantly in Auror training. He had decided to forego completing his Hogwarts education and instead accepted Kingsley's offer for a spot in the training group. He'd been at it for a year now and had so far surpassed the other trainees that he had been offered to take his final Auror tests at the end of the summer, a year and a half early. Hermione couldn't be more proud of her best friend. Most people thought that it was natural talent that had gotten Harry so far so fast, but Hermione knew otherwise. Sure natural talent had something to do with it, but Harry had also worked his arse off to get to where he was.
These thoughts brought her around to her other best friend, Ron. She smiled happily as she thought of the ecstatic smile that had about split his face in half when he told her that the Cannons, the Chuddley Cannons, his favorite team, had asked him to be their keeper instead of him returning to Hogwarts. They, Hermione and Ron, had tried their hand at dating, but quickly realized they were much better at being friends. His invitation from the Cannons to join the team and travel with them around the world for games was the perfect excuse to end the relationship with no hard feelings on either side.
She grinned as she remembered Ron's last letter. He had mentioned some girl, a groupie named Maddie, several times and if Hermione wasn't mistaken Ron had a crush on the girl. So of course, Hermione being the wonderful friend she is, teased him mercilessly in her return letter while making it clear without having to say it that she had no problem whatsoever with him dating. It had been almost a year after all.
Two almost simultaneous sharp cracks brought Hermione out of her thoughts about her two oldest best friends and turned her attention to the arrival of her two newest ones. Fred and George had arrived at the Burrow and were currently teasing each other about something as they came up the walk. Hermione grinned as she watched George shove Fred playfully as Fred laughed hysterically about something or other.
Hermione stood from her perch on the window seat and stretched. She had learned rather quickly from the twins that they wouldn't hesitate to come barging into her room (their old one) and drag her (literally) outside with them if she didn't go greet them properly when they came to visit. She checked her hair quickly in the vanity mirror (she had been lazing about all day you know) and sighed. Still bushy as ever unfortunately. She smoothed it with her fingers hoping it would help some. The twins had teased her last time she had gone down to greet them in the middle of the day with freshly brushed hair, so fingers would have to do.
The front door slammed and Hermione knew she had to get down there now or face the consequences. With one last scowl at her uncooperative hair she turned and pulled open her door. She headed down the stairs and smiled widely when she saw the twins standing at the bottom of the staircase grinning up at her.
"Hey guys!" Hermione called out to them happily and she clambered down the stairs.
"Mione!"
"So nice to see-,"
"Your lovely face-,"
"After having to see this ugly mug all day!"
She laughed and rolled her eyes at the twin's customary greeting where George started and they finished together, each gesturing at the other. She hugged each of them tightly in turn as though she hadn't just seen them the day before.
She and the twins had surprised everyone when they'd struck up their rather close friendship the previous summer. It had started with Hermione's offer to help them first rebuild and then restock the shop that Death Eaters had ransacked. It had been hard work getting it ready for the public, but Hermione didn't regret a minute of it. The physical labor had worn her out to the point that she slept soundly with little to no nightmares and the friendship she had gained from the experience she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
Building up Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes stock had been a truly eye opening experience for Hermione. She had known the twins were smart; to be able to invent and create what they had, they had to be, but when she herself went through the process of creating at least one of everything they had ever made she discovered a newfound respect for the twins along with a new way of thinking. They were more than just smart. They were brilliant.
This revelation led to Hermione treating them as more than the immature jokesters she had once assumed them to be. They in turn began treating her as more than just their younger brother's bookish friend after she defended them and their products in front of all of the Weasleys (and Harry) at dinner one night. Percy questioned her choice in helping with the shop rather than head starting her career and she told him off. She recognized that the shop was more than just a shop, more than just a job, to the twins, it was their dream. She was the first person they had heard verbalize that and it created the foundation for the tight friendship they found themselves in today.
They had helped Hermione laugh and heal after the war. It had been harder than Hermione had ever anticipated to pick up the pieces of her normal life and try to put them back together again. Especially after she had found her parents and reversed the memory charm she had placed on them before the Horcrux Hunt. They had said they understood why she had done what she'd done, but their eyes spoke of betrayal. Those first two weeks living back with her parents had been some of the most awkward of her life, despite the fact that she was rarely home because she spent most of her time with the twins fixing up the shop.
It was at one of the (mandatory) Sunday night Weasley dinners that Mrs. Weasley had offered up a room at the Burrow after seeing how depressed Hermione was becoming. Her parents just didn't treat her the same. They no longer trusted her and it was hard being so removed from the magical world that she had become so engrained in. She would always love her parents, but they would never be as close as they once were.
Fred and George had helped her through that hard time. They listened when she ranted and they always had something up their sleeves to cheer her up when she was finished. They also helped when Harry and Ron both left. She hadn't spent a significant amount of time away from Harry since the summer before sixth year. It had only been about a month between sixth year and the hunt and to Hermione it had passed in the blink of an eye. It was just as hard being away from Ron with only letters as contact. Her two best friends, the two who she had trusted with her very life, were scarce in her life now. They were as close as always, nothing had really changed. They just didn't get to see each other as often as they would prefer.
In return for all of the help the twins gave Hermione she put every ounce of energy she had into getting their shop back into working condition. More than a few times they had forced her to go home and get some sleep or to leave earlier than she would like. And when she was there they would have her take (in her opinion) far too many breaks. She was also there for them to talk to about Fred's near fatal experience in the final battle at Hogwarts. It had shaken them more than they let on that Fred had come so close to death. George in particular had struggled with being separated from his twin for the first several months. He was prone to panic attacks when Fred was gone somewhere for longer than he had said he'd be and Hermione was almost always the one with him, George, when they happened.
The first time it had happened Hermione had sent a desperate Patronus to Fred telling him to get back to the shop immediately. Fred had apparated back seconds later. His arms were full of unpurchased merchandise and he dropped it all to the floor when he saw George on the floor hyperventilating and Hermione looking terrified and helpless with her arms wrapped around him. Fred had rushed to his brother and knelt in front of him, taking his face in his hands. The instant George saw Fred he ripped away from Hermione and threw himself at his twin. Fred had gripped him tightly in his arms and whispered apologies and reassurances while George buried his face in Fred's chest and fought to regain control.
As it had turned out the cause of the delay had simply been an extra-long line at the apothecary. Hermione had allowed the twins their privacy after the incident and had taken the items Fred had accidently stolen and returned to the store to pay for them and apologize profusely. When she had returned, the twins were still sitting on the floor leaning back against the counter that housed the register and had been laughing and joking. She made no mention of the episode and instead took a seat beside George and began describing the furious reaction of the shop keeper about the stolen goods. They all found it hilarious when Hermione told them how the shop keeper hadn't appreciated Hermione's comment about how if they wanted to cut down on theft they would do well to put up anti-disapparation wards.
Before Hermione left to return to the Burrow that night the twins had surprised her by coming up on either side of her and subjecting her to a rib cracking hug. They didn't have to say anything else and neither did she. From that moment on they were best friends and not even the distance of Hermione leaving for Hogwarts at the end of that summer could change that. They had exchanged letters more often than Hermione had with anyone else (much to Ginny's amusement) and had even snuck into the castle a few times when they had something they wanted to share with her in person, or just because they missed her pretty face (or so they said). In short, Hermione couldn't shake them off no matter how hard she tried.
"So Mione darling," Fred drawled slowly as he snaked his arm around her shoulders.
"How was the day in the life of the brightest witch of her age?" George finished, wrapping his arm around her waist.
The twins began leading Hermione towards the front door of the Burrow to go on one of their Wednesday night adventures. Every Wednesday night the twins would come collect Hermione after closing the shop and they would go do something random and fun. It was their one night that no matter what else was going on in their lives that they could get together and catch up. Every week they rotated between the three of them on who would get to pick what they did. Hermione had taken to referring to their nights as "Organized Spontaneity" which the twins loved. Tonight was George's choice.
"Deathly boring unfortunately," Hermione said with an exaggerated sigh. "It's so quiet here anymore with everyone up and gone." The twins didn't get a chance to reply before Mrs. Weasley exited the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel.
"Oh I thought I heard someone come in. Should have known it'd be the two of you," she said with a smile to her boys. "You really weren't planning on leaving without even a hello to your own mother were you?" she demanded with her hands on her hips. Fred and George immediately dropped their arms from Hermione and rushed at their mother.
"MUM!" they cried in unison as they wrapped her in one of their exuberant dual hugs, lifting her feet off the ground.
"Haven't seen you in AGES!" Fred exclaimed.
"You never floo-," George began naggingly.
"Or write-,"
"Or visit-,"
"Oh stop it you two," Mrs. Weasley said with a happy grin as she swatted at her sons. "I'm just lucky that Hermione let me make her move in or none of my kids would ever come home. The only time I ever see any of my own children is when they come here for you dear," Mrs. Weasley confessed to Hermione with a warm smile. Hermione smiled back.
"Not true!" George gasped in mock outrage.
"A dastardly lie!" Fred bellowed.
"Outrageous!"
"Blasphemy!"
"We come for food as well," George confessed with a wink.
"Oh you two!" Mrs. Weasley cried out. "Now you two be good to Hermione, you hear? Don't get her into any trouble," she warned.
"Course we won't mum!" they replied indignantly. "What do you take us for?"
She simply gave them a stern look that had them grinning back unabashedly.
"Now, do you plan on being back for dinner? I can whip something up-?"
"No, no-," Fred began.
"Completely unnecessary," George added.
"We've got plans," Fred said with a wink.
"Speaking of which," George said, glancing at his bare wrist.
"We're running late," Fred informed her and the boys moved back to Hermione and placed their arms around her again.
"It was delightful to be seeing you mother dearest,"
"But we really must be off now."
Mrs. Weasley shook her head with a smile stretching her lips at their behavior.
"Goodbye Mrs. Weasley," Hermione called after her as the twins dragged her out the door. "I won't be back too late."
"Oh don't worry about it dear," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she stood in the doorway. "And I've told you, it's Molly." Hermione smiled at her and then Fred and George spun on the spot and disapparated them away.
"So what are we doing tonight?" Hermione asked curiously as she tucked each of her hands into the crooks of Fred and George's respective arms; Fred on her right and George on her left. She looked around curiously as they exited the dirty alleyway they had apparated into and noticed they were in muggle London. She grinned. Some of her favorite nights with the twins had happened in the muggle world.
"It's a surprise," Fred said at the same time George answered,
"Bowling."
Fred mock glared at his brother who just grinned mischievously back. Hermione squealed excitedly and began dragging the twins faster along down the walkway. The twins grinned at each other and lengthened their strides to match Hermione's quick steps.
An hour later saw Hermione happily doing a victory dance to yet another strike while Fred and George sat grumpily with their arms crossed and pouty expressions on their faces. They were only in the fifth frame and Hermione had already broken 100 while Fred and George were battling it out in the 30's. Needless to say they weren't very good at this.
"Aww c'mon boys. Cheer up," Hermione said to them as she plopped down across from them and snagged a slice of pizza from the tray in front of her. "No need to be sore losers. It's just a game after all."
The pep talk might have had a better effect on the twins had Hermione not had a large teasing grin plastered across her face while her eyes shinned in amusement. They glared at her.
"Why did you pick this ridiculous sport, if you can call it that, again George?" Fred asked his twin.
"I thought we'd be good at it," he responded grumpily. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Alright what if I let you two bowl for me and mess up my score and I'll bowl for the two of you?" she suggested as she took a bite of her pizza. Fred and George didn't even have to glance at each other.
"Deal," the agreed instantly.
"Alright. I'll go now for you then, George," she said as she dropped her pizza on her plate and wiped her hands on a napkin. She stood and returned down to the lane and grabbed her ball. She set herself up in her stance and weighed the ball in her hand and she mentally reviewed what she had to do. Then she moved forward doing her run up, swung the ball back behind her and then forward again and released it… Straight into the gutter.
"Oops," Hermione said with a shameless smile on her lips after she turned back to the twins. "It slipped."
Fred and George stared after her incredulously for a moment and then turned to each other.
"Harry was right. We are rubbing off on her," Fred said. George nodded grimly.
"And I'm reevaluating the thought that it was a good thing," he admitted. They sat in grim silence for another moment before turning to each other simultaneously and nodding. They stood in unison and rushed down to where Hermione was laughing to herself over the looks on their faces. She immediately stopped and tried to run when she saw them coming after her, but it was too late.
George grabbed her around the middle and pinned her arms to her sides while Fred tickled her relentlessly wherever he could reach. Hermione's shrieking laughter and death threats rang through the air as she fought for freedom. The muggles in the room turned to see what the commotion was, but thought nothing of it and went back about their own business. Young people these days…
.
.
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"Mione?"
Later that night, Hermione was woken up by a soft tapping on her door and a whispering voice.
"Mione you up?" the voice whispered again. Hermione groaned and rolled out of bed. She flung her mess of hair out of her face and padded to the door. She flung it open and then blinked in surprise when she saw George standing there. He was in his night clothes looking rumpled like he'd tried to sleep and failed.
"George, what's wrong?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"Oh nothing, nothing," he assured her hastily and then looked past her into her room. "Er- May I come in?" he asked.
"Oh. Sure," Hermione said and stepped out of his way.
"Nice hair by the way," he said with a smirk as he passed her. Hermione glared at him and smacked his arm before shutting the door behind him.
"So what brings you here in your pajamas in the middle of the night?" Hermione asked and she sat down at the head of her bed. George seated himself at the foot of her bed and they turned to face each other.
"How do you always know the difference between Fred and me?" he asked, avoiding her question. "You always know who's who." Hermione smirked at him.
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but it's rather obvious George. One of you only has one ear," she teased as she reached forward and brushed his long hair away from the side of his face so the empty hole where his ear used to be was visible. George shook his head, adamant that she give him the real answer.
"Everyone else still mixes us up," he insisted. "When my hair is covering my lack of ear you still know. And you know from a distance too. How do you do it?"
Hermione frowned and thought about it.
"I don't know," she told him. "It's just… It's not anything physically different. But there's just… This is going to sound stupid," Hermione said shyly as she looked down at her hands in her lap.
"I solemnly swear that I won't laugh or judge," George said, raising his right hand in the air. Hermione smiled softly at him.
"Alright. It's not so much that I can tell the two of you apart, but more like I can tell which one of you is… you," she admitted, thanking the darkness for hiding the light blush that was currently dusted across her cheeks. George was sitting very still and examining her carefully while she examined her hands in her lap.
"So… You always know which one of us is me?" George asked just to be clear.
"Yes," Hermione confessed in barely above a whisper.
"I was hoping it'd be something like that," George muttered.
Hermione's head snapped up and the next thing she knew George's lips were covering hers as he kissed her softly. She gasped against his lips and her brain seemed to freeze. She was snapped out of her shock when George's hand came up to the back of her head and stroked her hair softly. Then she allowed herself to melt into the kiss and was kissing him back.
George moaned softly as she nibbled his bottom lip and he drew her closer. She was now seated comfortably in his lap and her arms had, without her knowledge, wound themselves around his neck and her hands were threaded through his hair, holding his face against hers. She shivered when his hands found the bottom edge of her night shirt and ghosted along the exposed skin there.
She pulled her lips away from George's to gasp for air and he took that as an invitation to trail open mouth kisses down her throat. Her breath caught in her throat and she closed her eyes to revel in the sensation.
"George," she moaned quietly as she tried to pull him away from her.
"Hmmm?" George ignored her half-hearted attempts to stop him and began sucking her collarbone.
"Oh," Hermione gasped. She stopped trying to pull him off of her for a moment and then redoubled her efforts.
"Really George," she insisted weakly. "You need to stop that," she said, pulling his hand away from her bare back where it had sneaked up under her shirt. She backed away from him slightly and tried to control her heavy breathing.
"Why?" George pouted.
"Because if you keep doing that to me we're going to end up doing a lot more and I'm not ready for it," she informed him.
"Oh," George replied.
"Yeah. Oh," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. George grinned at her.
"C'mere," he said while holding out his arms for her. Hermione eyed him suspiciously causing him to roll his eyes.
"I won't try anything. Just come here," he insisted. Hermione crawled over to him and he pulled her back into his lap and tucked her head against his chest. He sighed in contentment and simply stroked her hair with a small but happy smile on his face.
"How long?" Hermione's voice broke the silence several minutes later.
"How long what?" George asked.
"How long have you wanted to do that?" she questioned. George smirked over the top of her head.
"Snog you senseless you mean?" he clarified. Hermione blushed and nodded against his chest.
"Well I've wanted to kiss you since you chewed out Percy over dinner last summer, but it wasn't quite to the level of snog-you-senseless that it became after that football game that you took me and Fred to," he told her calmly. Hermione scrunched her nose in thought.
"The one when it started pouring down rain on us and we got stuck in it in the mob of people trying to leave?" she asked. Actually she remembered that day well. Very well. Fred and George had been soaked to the bone and their shirts had been clinging to their bodies and showing off way more toned muscle than Hermione was comfortable looking at on her friends. George in particular had drawn her eye and she had spent most of their time in the rain staring at the concrete below her sneakers.
"Yeah," George answered quietly. "You were just so damn beautiful in the rain." Hermione snorted.
"I looked like a drowned rat. My hair was an even bigger mess than usual and that's an achievement," she told him.
"I love your hair," George told her as he stroked his hand down her wild tangles. "It's untamable, just like you." Hermione lifted her head from his chest to level him with a look.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. "That I'm untamable." George grinned at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear only to have it spring forward again. His grin widened.
"It's not a bad thing, Mione," he reassured her. "In fact, I think it's a very good thing. You don't let anyone tell you who to be or what to believe in and if that means standing on your own for a while, then so be it. I think you're amazing."
Hermione was sure her face was bright red. She had never received these kinds of compliments before and certainly not so many all at once.
"You should have," she told him.
"Should have what?" George asked in confusion.
"Kissed me," she said. "That day in the rain, I would have let you." George grinned at her.
"It was a very near thing that I didn't. I think that if Fred hadn't been there I would have," he responded. Hermione scowled.
"Damn Fred," she muttered. George had to stifle the laugh that wanted to erupt so he wouldn't wake the house.
"So how long for you?" he returned the question.
"Er…" Hermione hesitated.
"Oh c'mon! I told you!" George complained although he was still grinning.
"Oh alright. Since you bought me that new Hogwarts, A History to replace the one that Fred set on fire," she admitted reluctantly. George blinked in surprise.
"But that was last August!" he exclaimed, forgetting for a moment the need to be quiet.
"Shh!" Hermione hushed him. "Yes I am aware. Your point is?"
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" he asked more calmly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"What was I supposed to say?" she demanded. "I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship and besides, what would Fred think?" George snorted.
"Fred has been pushing me after you since my very first episode when you were there and called him back with your Patronus," he told her dryly. "He is going to be ecstatic when I tell him that we're together."
"Are we together?" Hermione asked shyly. George blinked at her and looked insecure for the first time since he'd entered the room.
"Well I was hoping… I thought, you know, we both… Mione do you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked, stumbling over his words. Hermione smiled widely at him.
"I'd love to," she told him. George looked immensely relieved and then his typical self-confident demeanor returned.
"Fred will be so excited. I'd expect a prank if I were you," he warned. Hermione scoffed.
"Like I haven't learned that by now. Every special occasion gets marked by a prank along with several ordinary occasions just to keep you on your guard." George beamed at her.
'Too right!" he agreed happily before moving in and capturing her lips with his own.
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AN: Hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review and let me know what you think! I personally liked their interaction with Mrs. Weasley.