"Morning Mum."
Each sibling slowly descended the stairs and ate breakfast at their own pace. Molly kept a steady stream of fresh toast and bacon on the table, filling each glass with as much pumpkin juice as each child wanted. George was the most recent addition to the table, slowly blinking and crunching a piece of bacon.
"Morning, Fred!" Mrs. Weasley chirped happily, not looking up from her pan.
"I'm George!" he protested. "Twenty years on this Earth and you still can't tel—OUCH!"
George rubbed his shoulder, nursing the bruise he was going to receive from his encounter with the handle of his mother's spatula. He muttered, "Sorry, Mum."
She shot him a look before changing the subject. "Anyone seen Fred this morning?"
George shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Hmph," Mrs. Weasley remarked. "I've been up since six. Wonder where he's been off to— George, would you go upstairs and check on him?"
George rolled his eyes, muttering as he sauntered upstairs.
"Ginny, have you seen Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley yelled.
Harry and Ginny were planning on taking Teddy to Diagon Alley to finish some last-minute shopping. At the moment, Ginny was waiting impatiently by the steps for the boys to finish getting ready. She called back, "I haven't seen her all morning, Mum. Want me to go check on her?"
"Go and see if she wants breakfast— it's nearly half nine, and she's usually an early riser— but don't pester the poor girl!"
Ginny rolled her eyes but bounced up the stairs behind George anyway. As they climbed, George whispered, "This is going to be just like the time she was about to call the Ministry because she thought Fred was missing. She needs to learn to check the showers before she reports people!"
They both snickered all the way to the third-floor landing. George turned right, cracking his door to glance lazily at Fred's side of the room. It was completely empty, as he expected. He grumbled, turning to go back down the stairs, when he caught sight of Ginny. She was frozen in the doorway across from the landing, eyes wide. George strode over, peeking over her shoulder.
"Ginny, what's the ma—"
He hastily cut himself off after getting a good look. Fred and Hermione were… asleep? Fred's arms were wrapped protectively around her, and Hermione's head was pressed lightly against his chest.
"Erm, George?" Ginny whispered. "Did you know about this?"
"Would have given him a proper handshake if I had," George praised, under his breath.
Ginny's incredulous look was enough response for him to wipe off the grin that was quickly forming on his face. She shut the door as quietly as she could, spinning to face him.
"What? He hasn't slept this late in months. She's not fighting him, so obviously she's not being held against her will. It looks fine to me."
"We've been inseparable at Hogwarts this year, but apparently she's left out this little detail about her love life. I can't believe this."
George shrugged. "Then don't."
"What?"
"Don't believe it. Ginny, he slept over the blankets. She was in them. Do couples do that? No. Besides, it's not like we found a pile of clothes by the bedside."
She threw her hands in the air. "Oh, you're a detective now?"
"At your service. But really, Ginny, I wouldn't worry. Talk to them when they wake if you really want to, but don't jump to a conclusion, a conclusion that could really hurt your best friend, before you know the facts."
"Oh, fine. But if they've been secretly snogging for weeks, she will never hear the end of it."
George chuckled. "Fred would never. I raised a chivalrous old chap. Now, Hermione, I can't speak for…"
She crossed her arms, glaring holes into George's skull, and began descending the stairs. George followed suit, taking them in twos. His mother was waiting at the bottom, a half-knitted sweater floating absently behind her. "Find them?"
"Oh, we found them alright," Ginny said plainly.
George moved in front of his sister, stealing his mother's worried gaze away from his volatile sister. "Fred's decided he needs extra beauty sleep today, probably because he's finally realized he's the less attractive twin. I'll go ahead of him and open up the shop, though, if you don't mind relaying the message."
"Of course, dear. Ginny, is Hermione alright?"
"Yep," she said in passing. Mrs. Weasley was satisfied enough with the exchange to move back toward the kitchen, though she missed Ginny's glaring silent warning at George, as if to say, You'd better be right.
Fred's eyes blinked open slowly, sighing as he inhaled the lingering smell of bacon from breakfast. As he turned to look out the window, he was met with an unfamiliar view. Instead of their short, grassy Quidditch pitch in the side yard, he caught a glimpse of what seemed like endless mossy forest. He jumped, realizing where he was.
The jolt caused Hermione to bolt straight up, breathing heavily. Fred sheepishly unhooked his arms from around her, and she met his stare with bleary, glazed eyes.
"Wh… What?" she stammered.
"We, uh, must've both fallen asleep last night…" Fred trailed off, his voice gravelly and dark. It took her a moment to process, but she eventually nodded, smiling softly.
"I guess we did. Did you have any nightmares?"
Fred paused for a moment. "Well, no, actually. Did you?"
She shook her head. Suddenly, without warning, he pulled her in for a deep embrace. She froze initially, but she found herself readily leaning into him. He smelled warm, like cinnamon and ash.
"Thank you," he mumbled into her hair. However, he pulled apart and moved to the door before she had the chance to blink. "But I think I'm late for work. Have a good day, love!"
She flopped back onto her bed, rolling into the thin indent he left behind. Smiling from ear to her, she found she couldn't help but let herself get a little lost in the memory of the night before. He kept her laughing and relaxed, something even Ginny had fallen short of since the War. She felt safe with him, and she almost wouldn't mind if their paths converged in that way again soon.
Something in her chest rose when she thought about him, and she chuckled to herself at the absurdity of it. After all, this was Fred she was talking about, the brother of two of her closest friends. He was a prankster with a big heart, and that was it. Why pine over a single night, even if it was something they clearly both needed…
Pining? She shuddered. Who was she turning into, Lavender?
A/N: Okay, I decided to keep this story going. They've been discovered, by a protective best friend and a twin… Keep sticking with it to find out how each one reacts…
Please review and let me know what you think so far!