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George stomped around his and Fred's flat, mumbling to himself. He would periodically stop to clean this or that, or rearrange the furniture. He took a shower, trying to get her scent off of him; the smell of lavender and vanilla was cloying in its presence. He ventured into Fred's room, picking up dirty clothes and making his bed. Just as he was stepping out of his twin's bedroom, the floo activated, emitting his youngest, and only, sister.
"What is it now, Gin?" As much as he loved his sister, her presence was unwelcome when he was feeling broody.
"Well, if you must know, I just came from seeing Mione." Ginny's arms were crossed over her chest in a perfect Mrs. Weasley impression and she had a look on her face that clearly said 'is there anything you'd like to say for yourself? And if I don't like your answer I will hex you into next week'.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" George went for nonchalant, knowing that Hermione had probably told Ginny all about their twisted relationship. He also knew that Ginny was a hopeless romantic and would side with Hermione no matter what she told his sister against him. Ginny didn't like his answer though, and her expression quickly darkened into something he didn't want to know too much about.
"Yes, seeing as you walked out on her this morning!" Ginny was fuming as she stood behind the couch in her brothers' flat, arguing with the most stubborn Weasley ever, and with Ron in the family that's really saying something.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Gin. You have no idea." George was upset, but found himself wanting to talk to someone about his feelings. Someone who wouldn't laugh at him like Fred, or someone who wouldn't threaten him such as Harry, or someone who wouldn't smother him, namely his mother. Maybe Ginny would be the perfect person to tell.
"I'd say I'm a bloody expert! I just spent the past half hour since I left here, holding Mione while she sobbed against me!" Ginny was grossly exaggerating, playing the guilt card like a pro; she could tell that Hermione was sad though, and knew it was because she had hoped that the night before may have changed something between them for the better.
"Sh-she was crying?" George was flabbergasted. He didn't know what to say to that information; it took a lot to make Hermione cry.
"Yes. She even asked me not to stop over here after I left. She's got a crazy delusion that you'll come to her to talk about last night sometime within the week." Ginny watched George's eyes, knowing the precise moment that her words sunk in. She patted his arm gently before walking back over to the fireplace and disappearing in a flash of green flames.
George had no idea how long he stood their staring at the fireplace, where his little sister had disappeared through, but he decided on the spot that he was going to go to the Burrow tonight to see Hermione. He knew that she had promised his mum that she would be there tonight, and he was going to talk to her about what had happened last night. He was still standing there thinking, when Fred walked in.
"Hey, Georgie. Still pissy?" Fred plopped down on the couch, not even bothering to look at his twin.
"Gin stopped by; you just missed her." George sat the chair nearest the end of the couch that Fred was sitting. He propped his feet up on the coffee table before turning to look at Fred.
"What did she want? You didn't scare her off like you did earlier, did you?" Fred was still annoyed with George for the way he had acted toward both him and Ginny when he had gotten home early in the morning. Ginny had left in a huff, unsure who to be mad at: George for being an ass, or Hermione for possibly doing something to make him an ass.
"She went to see Mione." George was gauging Fred's reaction, knowing that Fred loved teasing George about their relationship.
"And?" Fred knew there was more to his little sister's visit than George was readily providing.
"She cried." George was no longer paying any attention to Fred. He was thinking about what to say to Hermione to make it up to her that he walked out before she even woke up this morning. Fred didn't immediately respond, as he wasn't sure what to say to that.
"Over you?" He definitely didn't mean to sound so shocked, and winced when George's gaze jerked up to look at Fred with a dark expression on his face.
"Yes. I believe so; but I guess Ginny might have made her cry..." George's attempt at a joke was completely lost on Fred, who was currently feeling bad about inadvertently insulting his twin.
"I'm sure it'll work out. You two just need to talk." Fred stood up and made his way into his kitchen, pulled out a couple of butter beers, and walked back into the living room to hand one to George. The two just sat there, occasionally taking a swig from their bottles, both completely quiet.
"I'm going to dinner tonight. I want to make it right with her," George spoke with a lot more conviction than he was actually feeling.
"Sounds good." Fred nodded slowly, not entirely sure if it was a good idea to talk so soon after the incident.
"I'm scared though, Freddie. What if I tell her how I feel, and the only reason that she was upset this morning was because Ginny accused her of something? What if she doesn't want to give a real relationship a try?" George was quickly getting himself worked up, not wanting to get his hopes up, but also not wanting to give up hope.
"You'll never know if you don't talk to her, Georgie." Fred loved his twin dearly, but was sick of the whole 'woe is me' act. He never used to be so needy.
George released a sigh of frustration. He wanted to talk to Hermione, but didn't want to talk to her at all; not after leaving her without saying good-bye. Last night shouldn't have happened, and he didn't know how to fix it. He needed to find Ginny and talk to her about it. She was Mione's best friend; she would know how George should proceed. He dropped his feet to the floor, stood up, set his beer on the coffee table, walked the two steps to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and tossed it into the dying embers. He yelled out Ginny's address, then stuck his head into the green flames.
"Ginevra!" George decided the fastest way to get the girl's attention was to annoy her. It worked, as she came running from the direction of the kitchen. She must have been making lunch for herself and Blaise.
"What happened, George? Is it Fred? Is it mum? What's happened?" Ginny was freaking out. Her brothers never called her unless it was for an emergency, and she had just seen George earlier that same day: twice.
"Everyone's okay, Gin. Can we just talk?" George sighed deeply, resignedly. "About Mione?" Ginny nodded and stepped back so George could come through. Once he stepped out of the fireplace in the den, Ginny led him into the kitchen, where she had whipped up a quick salad. She pulled down a bowl and some dressing before pointing George to a seat across from her.
"What do you want to talk about?" She jumped straight to the point, not even letting George collect his thoughts. George launched into a tirade about how everything had started, and how things had developed clear through to that morning. Ginny spent most of the explanation with a smile on her face, knowing exactly what she had to say to George to get him to admit to the feelings that he obviously had, but was too scared to admit to.
A/N: There is a poll on my profile asking which story you'd like me to start after the conclusion of this one. This story has eighteen chapters and an epilogue. Thanks for reading!
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