CHAPTER 2

George scoffed and threw some band-aids to his twin brother. He had a very broad smile plastered on his face and turned his attention back to the stove, not being able to hide his amusement. Meanwhile, Hermione was blushing hard and Fred was ruffling his hair. The awkward silence was broken when he finally opened his mouth. "Hey, Mione. I didn't know you'd be here, otherwise I would have put on a shirt." He had regained his normal, playful tone and even managed a smile. "It- uhm, it's alright, really. I just thought I'd visit you as I was in town anyway and needed some stuff for university, so… and George really just took me with him." She stuttered a bit and was relieved when Fred just smiled, took the band-aids and disappeared again into his room.

"One could think you two like each other with that much blushing." It came from George who was very much amused and had just finished with the cooking. "Plates and cutlery is in the wardrobe in front of you." Hermione turned and took out three sets of plates to put them onto the table. "It's really nice of you guys to invite me over to dinner, I sometimes simply survive on Instant Noodles for weeks." She said and smiled at the Weasley twin who sat down next to her. George's expression changed for a moment, showing concern. He wanted to say something but chose not to as Fred had entered the room again. He knew how Fred became very overprotective when it came to Hermione as well as his younger siblings and he didn't want to upset him. The other redhead sat down opposite his brother and smiled at the girl next to him. Fred offered Hermione the pot of noodles and meat which she gladly took. She hadn't really had a decent meal since the last time at the Burrow. They ate while talking a lot about the memories they shared of Hogwarts and the times at the Burrow they spend together. It was late at night when Hermione finally returned to her flat. She smiled hugely as she fell onto her bed. The twins always knew how to make someone smile and how to have a good time.

The weeks passed by and Hermione made it a habit to meet with the twins on a regular basis. They took turns in cooking and the Weasleys would get her to test some of their new stuff for the joke shop, sometimes even without her knowing. They would reminisce about all the times Fred and George pulled stunts on their family and on Hermione, laughing loudly until Hannah came out of her room and told them to turn it down a bit as it was already two in the morning.

During that time, Hermione also got updates on what was going on with all the others as she herself didn't have too much time for catching up. Harry and Ron were mostly at work, Ginny at Hogwarts and she had to study for university and finish her papers. But as Christmas drew nearer, George had an idea for their weekly meeting: Instead of cooking and just talking, he wanted to go out and visit one of the infamous parties on campus. After some persuasion, Hermione finally gave in and even got Hannah to join. She brought Seamus and Dean along, which was a huge surprise for not only Hermione, but also the twins. They hadn't seen each other in so long and chatted lividly on their way to the party. Hannah and Hermione had taken some time to get ready, but it most definitely had been worth the while: They both look stunning in their dresses, Hannah wearing a dark red one and Hermione's was emerald green. The club was packed with students and the blonde Hannah dragged her along onto the dancefloor. The boys went to the bar first, got drinks and looked for a spot at one of the standing tables. "Hermione looks really good, you gotta say that." Dean nodded approvingly as he watched her on the floor. There was really no romantic interest hidden in his words, but he still could see how Fred's grip around his beer tightened. The dark-skinned lad shot a questioning look to George who simply shrugged and shook his head slightly. Dean knew the twins well enough not to interfere and question Fred on the spot. Seamus on the other side sometimes had the empathy of a donkey and didn't even realise what was going on. He simply watched his girlfriend and had a smile on his face. "Mate, you should go and dance with her. I can't stand it when you strip her off with your eyes!" George called out grinningly as the Irish went slightly red, but nodded.

Hermione came to their table, a bit sweaty but smiling broadly. "The music is fantastic, you have to join us!" She had to nearly yell so that the boys could hear her. As the dancing had been a bit exhausting, Hermione simply grabbed the nearest glass and took a huge gulp. She instantly regretted it, feeling the burning sensation in her throat. She coughed and Dean gave her a sympathetic look. "That was Seamus' Firewhiskey. I would've warned you, but… well." He grinned. "I'm… going to get some water." Hermione croaked and went to go to the bar. She had only made a few steps when someone took hold of her arm. "Hey, I can go for you. I need a new beer anyway." It was Fred who smiled down at her and Hermione nodded thankfully. She stayed with the boys and laughed along to their jokes, but got impatient when Fred still hadn't turned up again. Twenty minutes had passed already and he still wasn't back. The former Gryffindor got onto her tiptoes, trying to scan the area for the redhead, but wasn't quite successful. George chuckled and brought his face down to her ear. "He's standing at the bar, surrounded by a few very pretty girls. Ah, no one can really stand the Weasley charm, can they?" He whispered and stood back up. Hermione's inside clenched. Couldn't he just bring back her water and then go flirting with some girls? Also, this was supposed to be their night, anyway! "Good for him." She simply grunted which caused a raised eyebrow on Dean's face and a small smile on George's. But before they could make some comment, someone tapped on Hermione's shoulder. She turned around and saw one of the boys of her Healing Class in front of her. He was quite attractive and seemed to think the same about her. "Never see you around here, Granger. Mind if I take her from you for a bit?" He asked the two boys but didn't even wait for their response, but dragged Hermione with him onto the dance floor. She felt reckless. There was an attractive young man, wanting to dance with her and not some other girl and she liked it. She really did.

"You know, you're really hot." Hermione muttered under her breath as they were dancing closely. His hands were on her hips and grabbed her tightly. She liked the feeling of being lusted after, she didn't have too much experience with that. It was a new thing for her, but something she was more than willing to explore. "Well, you aren't too bad yourself." He muttered back, bringing her even closer to his body. "But I think I'm not the only one who thinks that." Hermione didn't understand what he meant. Her mind was a bit blurred, she couldn't think as straight as normally. The firewhiskey earlier and the two cocktails had really had much impact on her. "That guy… he stares at you the whole time." He pointed at the table where her friends were still standing. "Nah… those are my friends. Nothing else there." She turned back around to face the guy in front of her. What was his name again? Something like Jesse or Dean. She couldn't really remember. Hermione could only feel his hands on her body and she was really grateful for that because she had a feeling of not being able to stand without any help. He whispered something in her ear and she simply nodded, following him, away from the dance floor into the direction of the toilets. Wait, did he have to pee? Should she wait here? He pulled her with him into one of the cabins, but didn't manage to close the door. Hermione could only see flaming red hair for a moment and then felt strong arms surrounding her. "It's alright, Mione. I'm here." A voice whispered into her ear and she smiled, recognizing it. "Is that you being my prince now? You don't have to, you know. I am perfectly capable of standing up for myself." The chest, which she was pressed against, vibrated when he chuckled. "I can be your Prince anytime you want. Just tell me if you want me to be."