I settle myself deeper in my bar stool at the Leaky Couldron and sigh into my steaming cup of butterbeer. The dingy, dark lit pub has never been a place that holds a lot of value in cleanliness but has always held an air of homeyness for me that has always comforted me. But I've never felt more alone tonight. Tonight, I'm surrounded by strangers and sitting next to an empty stool, an emptiness I feel in every nerve of my body.

He should be there.

A night that I had originally planned for celebrating has somehow turned into a night devoted to self pity. I finger the envelope that is the direct object of blame for my conflicting feelings of joy and sadness, and wince at how deeply creased it is from the amount of fidgeting I've done with it.

"Hermione?" I turn toward the voice and am instantly met with the sight of a grinning Weasley twin swathed in a vibrant shade of magenta. I search for the left ear peeking out from underneath a fringe of red and conjure up what I hope to be a convincing smile as he plops into the seat next me.

The seat he should he in.

"Hello Fred. Done with the shop for the day?" After ordering a drink for himself, he nods.

"George is closing up right now and should be meeting me here soon." A comfortable silence falls over us and any normal night I would strike up a conversation with him, but I'm too busy with my thoughts.

"What's this!" His pale speckled fingers snatch my worn envelope out of my hands before I can react.

"The Ministry?" He traces the golden seal on the envelope.

"Yes," I say emotionless. "They informed me that they've decided to pass my bill."

"Hermione, that's great! We need to celebrate! More drinks over here kind sir!" Before I can protest, the bartender brings two Firewhiskeys to me and Fred, who has a blinding smile on his face and pride in his eyes. He scoops up his Firewhiskey and holds it in front of him, waiting for me to clink my drink with his own. His smile starts to fade when he realizes I'm making no move towards the drink.

"What's wrong? Isn't this what you've always wanted?" And he's right, it is what I've always wanted. It's a milestone in my career at the Ministry and one of the reasons why I had enlisted a job there in the first place. My supervisor in my department had been skeptical on my bill on elvish rights and I've been pestering her for the better part of a year to legalize it. I received the letter today on it's passing.

"Of course it is..." I fidget under his searching eyes and suddenly his light bulb goes off.

"What'd he do," he asks in a tone that's part anger and part frustration. Fred had never been a serious guy. Always one quick to crack a joke even in the most serious of times. But even with all that on his side, he still shares the Weasley temper. I can sense the storm brewing underneath his quickly cracking calm facade.

"He didn't do anything; he just-"

"Hermione. What'd my brother do."

I sigh and reach for the Firewhiskey he got me, wincing as it burns it's way down my throat. "You know that he's been waiting for that promotion in the Auror department and-"

"So he once again got angry when someone else got the spotlight over him?" He poses it as a statement more than a question.

"Fred, you know how bad of an inferiority complex he has after growing up in a big family and being best friends with Harry Potter."

As an only child, I was always first in my parents' eyes so I can't even begin to imagine having to share my parents' attention like Ron did. And even though I had to deal with being overlooked when next to Harry, it's different because they're both boys. There's more competition that way. So can I really fault him for acting a way that circumstances have shaped him into acting?

"But that's the issue," Fred says. "Someone with an inferiority complex shouldn't start a relationship with the great Hermione Granger."

I blush and fight the grin that's beginning to creep onto my face. "Stop Fred, it's not like that."

"Not like that? How could any of us compare to THE Hermione Granger?" His teasing lilt has me full out beaming at this point.

"He's an idiot. He should've been prepared for the job of being your boyfriend when he signed up for it." He downs the rest of his Firewhiskey and gives me a surprisingly serious look that melts my smile off my face. "You're going places. Its not fair of him to put you down for living up to your potential. It's like what I told you the other day at the Burrow. You and Ron are not perfect. And as harsh as it may sound, you need to realize that Ron isn't the one for you."

I frown at his words. After our talk a few days ago, I know now that Fred doesn't see me and Ron as the perfect pair. But I had never realized that it's not just that he's not a fan of us, but that he's completely against us. I still don't know how to react to the strange way that Fred goes from making jokes at my relationship to insulting it. Fred's never shown much interest in my and Ron's relationship in the past and I'm not sure when it all changed. He's always seemed fairly supportive up until the other night.

I roll my eyes at him. "And who's the guy for me? You?"

He doesn't let my sarcastic tone faze him and grins at me mischievously. "Maybe so."

I blush and search for words, any words, to wipe that grin off his face but come up short. We stare each other down, neither of us willing to back down. His gaze sets me on edge and I feel all of my nerves bunch into a ball of apprehension. He continues to give me a challenging look with one eyebrow arched up and a smirk.

"Am I interrupting?" With the moment ruined, Fred turns to his twin with a large smile, the dangerous aura slipping away.

"It's about time you got here, Forge. Granger here wouldn't stop bragging about her elf bill getting passed." I bristle at his sarcastic tone but note that its underlying the pride in his voice.

"Your bill passed?" George turns to me. "That's brilliant, Hermione! We must celebrate; BARTENDER!" He waves him down frantically and doesn't look much different than a chicken.

"It okay, George. I think it's time for me to get home."

He visibly wilts. "But that's not fair. I just got here while Freddy got to celebrate with you for the better part of an hour."

"Oh we weren't really celebrating," I peek at Fred out of the corner of my eye as I say this. The only sign of any tension in him is the clench of his jaw. "I should get back home to Ron."

After another ten minutes of George's begging and Fred's strange silence, I finally get away and am able to apparate to mine and Ron's flat. Tugging my jacket off in the hallway, I listen out for any sounds of Ron.

Must be another late night out in town for him. I try to ignore the pang of hurt in me but I really thought he'd be here after cooling off from our fight. I hear a tapping noise at our window and open it to reveal a scruffy owl carrying a large bouquet of sunflowers. I pull off the note and smile gratefully as I read it.

'Congratulations Hermione. Just know that at least one Weasley brother is happy for you. This is what he should've done for you. Don't let him convince you that you deserve any less.'