Hermione sat in living room of the Burrow, oblivious to the hustle and bustle around her. She was watching the Weasley's clock with great interest. The old clock had always been a point of intrigue to her, unless of course she actually wanted to know the time. Hermione's keen gaze was focused on the pair of silver hands that represented Fred and George. They were taking longer than usual, being gone for almost three hours more than they usually would.
The two hands still pointed at the word 'hospital', indicating that Fred wasn't done with his check-up yet. Ever since the battle ended, almost a month ago now, Madam Pomfrey insisted that the wounds needed to be checked at least twice a month. This was mostly for the purpose of re-bandaging the larger and more difficult to heal wounds and to apply a healing salve to the rest of Fred's body. This process did take a while, as the healers at St. Mungo's made sure to not aggravate the wounds and slow down the healing process, but today was taking exceptionally longer than usual. Hermione glanced away from the clock for a moment, only to hear the unmistakeable metallic click of the clock's hands moving. Her gaze jerked back to the clock as the silver hands tick-tocked their way to the 'travelling' label.
Hermione perked up at this sight and slid her worn bookmark in between the pages of the book she had been trying to occupy herself with.
Hermione had been trying to distract herself since the battle. She'd had many job offers from the Ministry of Magic and other esteemed organisations but she had turned them all down. It had only been a month since she had stopped running and the feeling of having to not worry about anything too momentous was most enjoyable for Hermione. There was one thing that did worry her, however…
After the battle and her constant vigil over Fred ended, she was consumed by how suddenly these feelings for Fred had revealed themselves. She had always fancied Fred just a little bit. She always brushed off the feeling as just a silly schoolgirl crush. He was clever, charming and devious in a way that Hermione admired. That rebellious attitude was something that Hermione found refreshing as her own demeanour was, in her opinion, dull. Especially when compared to that of the boisterous twins or even her two best friends, Harry and Ron. Hermione hummed softly as she thought, her heart getting that strange tickling feeling, growing stronger the more she thought about Fred.
Whirr… click!
The clock handles with Fred and George's names on them moved again, this time resting on the 'home' label. Hermione looked up at the clock just as the twins walked through the front door of the Burrow.
"We have returned!" George hooted as he took off his travelling cloak. "I know, I know. You all missed us."
"How was Healer Marjory? Did she say how your wounds are healing?" Hermione called to Fred, who was being smothered by Mrs Weasley in a tight embrace.
Fred detached himself from his mother and meandered his way over to Hermione, plopping himself down in the armchair across from her. "She was alright, y'know, as far as healers go," Fred shrugged. "She said I was healing at a 'moderate rate' too, which I s'pose is better than healing slowly."
Hermione nodded, fiddling with a frayed corner of her book as he spoke. "That's great, Fred. You'll be fully healed before long."
"Yeah. I can't wait til then. I can barely bloody move," Fred whined, stretching gingerly.
Whirr… click!
"Looks like your father is home," Mrs Weasley announced after consulting the clock. "I'll have dinner on the table in five minutes and you had all better be washed and ready for dinner!"
Mrs Weasley's bellowed statement could be heard by everyone in the Burrow, sparking a flurry of movement. Fred stood carefully, gave Hermione a wink and left, leaving Hermione to blush furiously.
