Disclaimer: All characters created by J.K. Rowling.
With Valentine's Day coming up, hearts and flowers were everywhere she looked. Hermione wasn't exactly thrilled. She was all for expressing romantic feelings but being told that it all should be said on one particular day was driving her crazy. Sure she hadn't had much luck in the romance department but she wasn't bitter. She just didn't care for all the irritating cheerfulness regarding being in love. Ok, maybe she was a little bitter but she had had her share of suitors. Just not lately. That was probably her own fault. Hermione had thrown herself into her work to a point where she barely had time for her friends. All that was going to stop since she was going to be changing positions and had been given two weeks vacation in between. After her time off she would have more regular hours and would be working in the same Ministry department as Harry and Ron. She couldn't wait.
As she walked through Diagon Alley, she smiled as she thought about her upcoming time off. She had wanted to go away to a wonderful wizarding island in the Mediterranean but she couldn't convince any of her friends to go with her. It wasn't that they didn't want to go but they had commitments. Ginny was extremely pregnant and was in no condition to travel. Draco wouldn't have let her out of his sight anyway. Who would have thought the former death eater would be such a softie when it came to his wife and unborn child? Ron wanted to go but Lavender was having none of that. Ever since they rekindled their relationship, she didn't let him spend any significant amount of time alone with Hermione. She and Ron were definitely in the past but Lavender was still unsure. Hermione didn't blame her entirely, and had tried to be cautious about her relationship with Ron. Hermione and Ron had been engaged at one time but it was a horrible mistake. They were so much happier being friends. Harry would have gone with her but he was too busy at work to get away. He claimed to be single and free but he and Luna were spending an awful lot of time together. Hermione thought it was cute the way Harry claimed to be a ladies man and went out to clubs but always ended up with the same lady. Luna was her normal self, waiting patiently for Harry to realize he was in love.
Since she couldn't find anyone to go away with her she decided to spend her vacation at the Burrow. It would be a change of scenery and she could spend the day reading by the fire. She also had easy access to her friends and family. Her purpose for shopping today was in fact to get a gift for Molly and to have lunch with Harry and Ron. She wanted to thank Molly for her hospitality and stay on her good side. Molly had never held anything against Hermione after she and Ron broke up but she always felt that there was a slight more strain than there had been before. The breakup hadn't been anyone's fault and Molly knew that but still Hermione suspected there was some disappointment. Especially since Molly was not a Lavender fan. Come to think of it, Ron was the only Lavender fan she knew.
She had already picked up an MP3 player for Mr. Weasley and had put several hundred songs on it. She knew he would take it apart sooner than later but she had a soft spot for him and didn't mind spending money on her favorite almost father in law. Molly was a little trickier. She almost bought her a muggle cookbook but she didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen explaining things for her whole vacation. Instead, she thought she would get Molly something relaxing, maybe some bubble bath or some soft slippers. She would head over to the dress shop after stopping in to see George.
The shop was doing a brisk Valentine's Day business. Love potions were all the rage this time of year and George was running from one customer to another. After waving hello she headed to the back to drop off her bag and coat and headed back out to see if she could help. She didn't see Alicia anywhere so she figured George could use the assistance. After the lunch time crush, George leaned against the counter and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Thanks. I don't know how I would have managed on my own."
"Where's Alicia? Strange that she would leave you at this time of day."
"She had to go to the healers. She's pregnant!"
"Really? George, that's great! Congratulations!" She hugged her friend. This would be his second baby and she knew he loved being a father. "Does Molly know? I'm surprised she didn't say anything."
"Nobody knows yet. We weren't ready to share but I just blabbed to you. I can trust you to keep a secret though."
"Of course you can. You are going to have to hire some help though. You won't be able to handle all of this on your own."
"I know. We've been talking about it. Alicia feels guilty about leaving Freddie every day, even if he is in good hands with Fleur. She wants to be home with him. With two little ones she doesn't want to work."
"I can understand that."
"Oh, I can too. I love having her here though. My wife has a wicked mind when it comes to thinking up new products. It's not like we can't afford to hire someone it's just hard to find someone I trust."
"I'm sure it is. Did you hear I'm staying at the Burrow for the next two weeks? It's the closest thing to a vacation that I'm going to get."
"That's nice. Mum will love the company. Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day?"
Hermione snorted as she sat down on a stool. "Not likely. I don't have anyone to do anything with. Single and free remember?"
"Just like Harry?" George asked with a laugh. She wasn't the only one that found Harry's dating status quite the joke.
"I'm actually here to meet Harry and Ron. I am supposed to help Ron pick out a gift for Lavender which of course I'm just thrilled about. I'm going to make sure Harry gets something for Luna too. Whether he wants to or not."
"You are changing the subject. Back to Valentine's day. Isn't there someone special that you would like to spend it with?"
"George! You know bloody well I'm not dating anyone."
"I'm not talking about dating. Don't you have a crush on anyone?"
"That's personal. I'm not telling."
"It's Harry isn't it? You like Harry."
"Ha! That's funny George. Just because I had a crush on him once doesn't mean I still do. I love Harry but not like that. I had a crush on you once too. Or it could have been Fred." She laughed as he gave her a scowl. "Ron and Harry will be here any minute so I'm going to get my things and you can drop the subject."
George stood there for a moment. He was very protective of Hermione and she was the pretty much the last of his friends to be alone. She didn't deny having a crush so that meant that if he could get it out of her, he could cook something up with Ginny and help Hermione get her man. It came to him like a brick through a window. He had already invented the perfect product. He rushed to open a box and poured the contents into a candy dish just as Hermione came out of the back room.
"Want a candy while you wait?" George offered her a bowl of candy hearts.
Hermione looked at the bowl. "Oh, I love these! I haven't had these in years." Hermione picked up a heart and read the wording. "Be mine. Huh." She was just about to put it in her mouth when she stopped and looked at George. "What's wrong with it? What did you do to it?"
"Nothing! It's just a normal piece of candy. Look, I'll eat one." George grabbed a heart and popped it in his mouth. After waiting for some reaction, Hermione ate hers as well.
Alicia came in from her appointment right then and George yelled out "Hey sexy!" Alicia looked at him with a strange look in her eyes.
"Hi George. Hello Hermione! George, are you eating that candy again?" Alicia asked as she came over to give her husband a kiss. He gave her a cheeky grin.
"I'm just sharing with Hermione. She likes candy."
Hermione became panicked. "What's wrong with the candy? Is my hair green? What did he do to me?"
Alicia put a hand on Hermione's arm. "Don't worry. It's nothing really bad. You know the words printed on the heart? After you eat a candy, you will say those words to the person you love the next time you see them."
"Oh, well I don't love anybody. Romantic love I mean." Hermione was relieved. She could handle this.
"It's not just about full-fledged love. If there is someone you are attracted to on a deep level, sort of like a crush, you will tell them too." George explained.
"Who do you have a crush on Hermione?" Alicia asked.
"She's not talking. I think it's Harry."
"It's not Harry." Hermione wasn't too worried since her crush lived so far away. "How long until this wears off?"
"We aren't really sure. We know it will last at least two weeks but that is the longest any of our test subjects were able to avoid their crushes."
"Great." Hermione muttered. Just then Harry, Ron, and Draco came into the shop. George looked expectantly at Hermione but she didn't yell anything out so he realized she was telling the truth about Harry.
"Draco! I didn't expect to see you. How is Ginny?" Hermione walked over to give her friend a hug.
"She's fine. She's with her mum. She made me come shopping so that I could pick out a present for her. She said you had good taste."
"Well, we'll have to see about that. Are you ready to go?" They waved their goodbyes to George and Alicia and headed out into the day.
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A few days later Hermione apparated to the Burrow burdened with luggage and gifts. She could have made a couple trips but since she wanted this to feel like a real vacation, she decided to pack her bags and not return to her flat until she had to. Molly must have heard her coming as she rushed out to help her with her luggage.
"Why didn't you use a shrinking spell? Goodness Hermione, these bags are terribly heavy."
"Sorry Molly. I brought a lot of books. I didn't even think to do a shrinking spell. I'm not sure where my head was."
They managed to get into the house and Molly quickly cast a levitating charm on her bags and sent them up to her room. She'd be staying in Ginny's room while she was there. Ron still officially lived at home but he spent most of his time living with Harry, Lavender or sometimes Hermione. She'd probably only see him in passing as he came to get a change of clothes or a hot meal.
"Are you hungry? I've got some stew cooking."
"No, not right now. I have something for you." Hermione pulled out a flowered bag and handed it to Molly. As Molly looked inside and saw the bubble bath, novel and pink fluffy slippers, she started to cry.
"Molly? I'm sorry, did I do something wrong? I shouldn't have gotten pink. I'm so sorry."
"Oh no dear, it's wonderful! I usually get gifts of kitchen utensils or cookbooks. I rarely get anything so decadent. Thank you." Molly pulled Hermione into a strong motherly hug as she continued to sniffle back the tears.
"I thought since I was here to help out a bit, you might have time to enjoy yourself."
"I will. I'll enjoy every minute. Now, you should start your vacation so don't worry about me."
"Any big family events happening?" Hermione asked. There was one person that she really wanted to see, but at the same time was hoping to avoid entirely.
"Well, as a matter of fact, we are having a big dinner on Sunday. George asked if we could have one. He has some sort of announcement. The whole family is invited and some friends. Of course, I just assumed you would be here since you were staying with us. I know that Ginny and Draco are going to be here along with Ron and that woman." Hermione smiled at the tone in Molly's voice as she couldn't even bring herself to say Lavender's name. "Harry will be here and I told him to invite Luna but I decided to invite her myself just in case. I don't know when he is going to wise up. That boy is worse than Charlie."
At the mention of Charlie's name Hermione felt a blush coming on. It was just a normal reaction of a woman who admired a very sexy, good looking man. "Is Charlie coming to the dinner?" Hermione asked in what she hoped was a normal tone of voice.
"Yes! He'll be here on Sunday morning actually. He's going to be home for a few weeks. He said it was time to re-evaluate his career." Molly sounded absolutely thrilled that she was going to have her son home. Hermione was terrified that her crush would be exposed, all because of that bloody candy of George's. She would just have to avoid him and hope that when she did see him there would be enough people and noise around that nobody would hear her declaration.
"Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll go up to my room and get settled in."
"You go right ahead dear. Dinner is at 6. Arthur will be home and Ron said he would be here. He might bring that woman though."
Hermione smiled again as she headed upstairs. Ginny's room was still very much the same as it was before she got married. The art was more grown up, abstract paintings having replaced the rock bands and Quidditch stars that Ginny used to love. The colors were the same and the quilt on the bed had been there for many years and was well worn and loved.
After settling into her home for the next two weeks she checked her watch. Realizing that dinner was only a short time away, she decided not to take the walk like she'd planned and instead sat down on the bed to read for a few moments. She needed to get ready for dinner and clean herself up just a little. There wasn't anybody that she was trying to impress. Charlie wouldn't be home until Sunday. That left tonight and tomorrow for her to figure out a way to avoid him. Easier said than done. She finally got up off the bed and ran a brush through her hair. She had finally learned to tame it and was usually happy with the results. She just hoped that if she ever had a daughter, she wouldn't inherit her hair. After putting on a little lipstick and a fresh shirt, she made her way down to see if she could help with last minute dinner preparations.
Molly had it all under control. No surprise there. About the time they had put the last bowl of vegetables on the table, Mr. Weasley walked in the door.
"Hermione! How good to see you! Of course I see you regularly at work but it's always a treat to have you in my kitchen." He came over to give her a hug.
"Thanks Mr. Weasley. I appreciate you letting me spend my vacation here."
"You are always welcome here. Never a need to ask. Besides, this house is pretty lonely these days, it's wonderful to have you. "
"Go clean up Arthur. Ron and that woman will be here soon. Dinner is ready." Molly shooed her husband out of the kitchen just as Ron and Lavender opened the door.
"Hi Mum! Hermione! How is your vacation going?" Ron exclaimed as he gave his mother a peck on the cheek.
"Hi Ron. Hi Lavender. My vacation is starting out pretty well. Thanks for asking."
"Why you want to spend two weeks off at the Burrow is beyond me. I'd prefer a nice island somewhere myself." Ron said, his mouth already full of bread.
"You've never been on an island Ron." Hermione laughed
"I know, but I'm sure it would be nice."
"Well, the Burrow is very nice as well. It should be very relaxing which is the whole point of this vacation. "
"So you are staying here? At the Burrow?" Lavender asked suspiciously. Hermione had to answer correctly or Ron would be in trouble.
"Just for two weeks. I am going to be spending my days reading and enjoying the countryside." Hermione answered, hoping it sounded innocent.
"Which room are you staying in?"
"Ginny's of course. It was always my room during summers so I'm quite comfortable in there."
"Ron, don't you think it's time you start looking for your own flat? " Lavender asked sweetly.
"Why? I'm usually not here anyway. I usually stay with you or Harry or Her -um - sometimes I stay with George and Alicia. Why spend the money on rent when I can mooch off of my friends and family?"
"You need to grow up eventually Ron." Lavender huffed as Hermione gave Ron a look to keep his mouth shut. If Lavender knew that he regularly spent the night in her guest room, she would never forgive him.
Hermione wisely walked away from the argument that she knew was coming. Lavender really was a shrew of a woman and she wouldn't be unhappy to see Ron with someone else. She had no idea who she'd like to see him with but he needed someone like Molly. Someone who was willing to cook him a good meal but not take any crap. She would have to think about all her friends and see if she could come up with someone better for Ron. Then she'd have to figure out a way for them to meet and fall in love. She really didn't have time to worry about it now. She couldn't stop thinking of the potential for disaster that Charlie's arrival would bring. She could play sick and stay in her room, but she really wanted to see her friends. She would just have to face her fears as a strong confident woman. A woman who wanted to go hide.
