It was nearly two in the morning when George burst awake at the sound of a woman screaming. Then he realized that it was just Fred and that girl from the leaky cauldron earlier. His git of a twin was never any good at silencing charms. George quickly cast a charm so that he couldn't hear the couples' intense fuck fest.
George laid down again, but couldn't fall asleep. Fred was lucky. One near death experience and he didn't miss his chance at any bird that looked his way or any challenge that faced him, as well. George figured the affect of the experience would wear off soon. It was almost six months since they had defeated Voldemort and George could tell that on some level Fred was getting bored with his lifestyle. Still, George was happy for him.
It was no secret that George had always been the more sensitive twin, the more rational twin. The word rational being used very loosely here, but nonetheless, he was more serious than his twin. They may have looked identical, but their personalities differed. When they were younger it was harder to see, but since the war the differences had become more noticeable.
The Weasley twins had done well for themselves. The shop was a great success, they would never have to worry about money for the rest of their days if they kept going at this rate. Neither George or Fred ever thought they'd have that luxury, but both of their vaults were filled with gold. Unfortunately though when you are a successful man many women throw themselves at you, but they just wanted your money, not you. He remembered Hermione describing them as goldbangers or goldringers or something like that.
Hermione she knew everything. She always did. They didn't call her the brightest of her age for nothing, but she never noticed George watching her. She never picked up when he was flirting with her. She giggled and patted his cheek, like she would a brother, at the sweet compliments he gave her. She didn't realize the reason he spent so much time at the Burrow wasn't just for his mother's home cooking. She didn't know that he often dreamt about her. And he would never admit that more than a few times when he'd taken a woman to bed he'd imagine it was her writhing in pleasure beneath him.
Now here he was twenty-one years of age hung up on Hermione Granger. George hadn't been able to get her out of her head since the yule ball, the way she looked that night. Hermione put every other girl to shame. Before that night she had just been his kid brothers' best friend. She was cute in an annoying sort of way, but he never thought that he find himself years later trying to figure out ways to woo her.
After the Yule Ball, things seemed to go back to normal he was happily dating Katie Bell. The two of them shagging whenever they got the chance. George figured he was just happy for Hermione finally coming into herself and getting Ron's attention. Years passed things became tense, Katie had ended things after seven months together, right around the time when Fred and he had dropped out of Hogwarts in a fantastic spectacle that is still the talk of the school.
George rolled over deciding that was enough reminiscing for one night, but his memory thought other wise. In the middle of the battle almost immediately after Fred had dodged the Avada Kedavra, Ron came out to his family, confessing what only Hermione knew. George supposed it was the right time. No one was upset, not even his mother, they were just thankful everyone was alive.
George smiled remembering that moment. Everyone was wrong, Ron and Hermione would not wind up together like expected. She was missing the correct smirked in the darkness. It was then he acknowledged his feelings for Hermione. He admitted it to himself what he had ignored for so many years.
He was in love with Hermione. This was why he always loved being near her, why he always wanted to be close to her, always making sure she was safe and happy, the tingling in his belly and groin whenever she smiled at him, or merlin forbid, when she wore those tight muggle jeans and a t-shirt that showed every curve of her beautiful, voluptuous body. Little did he know that in a few days, fate (or the ministry) would throw them together.
The next day, Saturday, the busiest day of the week George was left to tend to the shop by himself. Fred having a massive hangover that even the hangover potion they kept in the cupboard couldn't lessen the blow. As George was making his way down to the shop from the apartment they shared above he could see the girl that Fred spent the night with leaving. He shook his head and started setting up for the day.