No one in the Gryffindor common room spoke of a long time after Hermione and George had left. A couple of students glanced at Fred as he got to his feet, wondering if they should say something, but as soon as they made a move to do anything he glared at them, freezing them into place. Even Ginny didn't dare move or say anything. She had seen her brothers fight, but never like this. They always play fought, never drawing blood. Plus, they were twins, they never got mad at each other, and if they did they'd never do it in front of everyone.

There was something going on between her brothers and it was ripping them apart.

Lee Jordan had helped Fred to his feet, Angelina hurrying over to see if he was all right but he just shrugged them away, marching up to the dormitory stairs.

Slowly people stared talking again, conversations rising again until the room was filled with sound.

Ginny looked at the closed portrait, then to where her brother was going up the stairs.

She rose to her feet, following her brother.

"Ginny, where are you going?" She didn't look around at Ron. She'd deal with him in good time. If no one was going to sort out her stupid family then she would, and she was going to start with Fred.

"There you go Mr. Weasley." George opened his eye, fixing his sight on Madame Pomfry as she stepped away. His lip was back to its normal size and his could see out of his right eye.

"I can't count how many times I've treated one of you red heads. Can you not stay out of trouble for more than five minutes? And I thought your brother Charlie was bad. The number of times I had him in here because of a Quidditch accident, or chasing after some animal. I have no idea how your parents put up with him," George just smiled as the matron walked away, still muttering about the many adventures of the Weasley family.

Hermione put her head round the screen that separated George from the rest of the room.

"You alright now?" He nodded, slowly getting to his feet.

"I'm good. Nothing broken, everything fixed, am all fine and dandy." She just smiled at him, a warm smile that he'd not seen touch her lips for days, maybe weeks. She looked happy as she meet his gaze, her smiled becoming wider as he returned it.

"You didn't have to stick up for me you know." George shrugged. It had been nothing. He'd do anything to see her smile and laugh again, to see the sparkle in her eyes again, like the sparkle she had now.

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, besides, he had no right to say that about you. You're only looking out for the first years." She shrugged this time, still smiling up at him.

"Still, you didn't," He stopped her, placing a finger lightly over her lips, a smile spreading across his face.

"Stop talking, you're spoiling the moment." He whispered, cautiously leaning down, putting and arm around her waist, his free hand guiding her face up ward as he softly kissed her.

Hermione stood there, too shocked to do anything. George Weasley was kissing her. This guy who had just fought for her, had told his twin brother to get stuffed just so he could defend her was kissing her? She had to be imaging this. But she he deepen the kiss, his other arm moving down to join the other around her waist she found herself returning the kiss, reaching up to put an arm around his neck, her right hand resting on his shoulder, using it to give her some leverage to stand on tiptoe.

When they finally broke apart she was grinning more broadly than she had done in weeks. He grinned back, resting his forehead against hers.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" She simply nodded, allowing him to lead the way out of the hospital wing, the grins on their faces not fading as they passed Madame Pomfry who just smiled back.

"Young love." She said, going back to her work.

The grounds of the castle were bathed in lengthening shadows as they slowly walked down towards the Black Lake, their hands joined, walking in simple silence, enjoying the closeness they had found in each other. Occasionally she'd lean her head against his shoulder and he could wrap his arm around her waist, gently kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry about Ron's actions towards you, you know, over the past few days." Hermione looked up at him, smiling at his concerned features.

"It's alright. After 5 years of friendship I expect nothing less of him to be honest. We'll make up, sooner or later, and then we'll laugh about it, like it was nothing, until we have another fight." George nodded, looking out across the shores of the lake.

In the rising moonlight it looked beautiful, she looked beautiful, the old Hermione shining through in the pale light.

"Do you think you could love someone like me?" He held his breath, waiting for her to answer as her face turned up towards him once more. "Or do need more time? To get over Ron and everything that's happened between the two of you."

She felt like crying as she looked at him, his face so nervous in the dim light, yet so full of love and concern about her and she just wanted to brush it all away, to make him never feel that concern for her again.

"I'm too screwed over to love anyone apparently. Could you love someone like me? An insufferable know it all, a girl whose own friends whisper about her behind her back?" She cupped his face in her hands. "Do you really want to be associated with me?"

He nodded, simply nodding as tears ran down her face, and he carefully brushed them away with the tip of his thumbs, letting his hands fall onto her shoulders.

"Hermione, I would do anything to be associated with you. I punched up my brother, my twin because he insulted you, and I'm ready to have a go at Ron for everything that he's done to you. He may be a prat Hermione, but that doesn't mean you stop loving, and if you can love me, then I'm here for you, every step of the way." He smiled slightly, pulling her closer to him, brushing back her hair as she pressed her face into his jumper. "Oh don't cry; you'll only set me off." There was a chuckle from his chest that caused him to chuckle as well.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, her voice muffled by the material of his jumper, but he just tightened his grip on her waist, reassuring her that he was there, and he wasn't going to go anywhere.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, well, apart from soaking my jumper through." She laughed slightly, looking at the wet patch on his jumper from where she'd been crying.

"Oh, I'll dry that out." He shock his head, gently taking a hold of her hand.

"Don't worry about it. I don't care I've plenty more of these back up in the dorm room." He looked down at her, putting his arm around her. "You ready to go back up?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath, brushing aside her remaining tears, calming herself down.

"Yeah. But how are we going to get past Umbridge? She'll be patrolling the corridors by now." He just grinned that grin that made her know he was up to something.

"Do not worry, your knight in shining tear stained school robes has a plan." He pulled out his wand, smiling as he laughed. He loved that sound. "Fred and I got Moody to teach us the Disillusionment charm. We thought it might come in handy one day. Come here." He gently tapped the back of her head, then his own. "Lets go." He took her hand and they started back up the hill to the castle, not knowing what would greet them next morning when they woke…