Chapter 11: Here We Go Again

It had been too natural for Hermione to slip into the groove of working at George's shop. She found solace in the accounting work and peace in doing inventory. She was already pretty familiar with the ins and outs of the daily workload from the amount of time she had spent helping him out. In fact, it felt as if she had always been there, working right beside him since the beginning. He had always made it easy to feel comfortable and relaxed around him, so she wasn't surprised when he was like this in the workplace, as well. As days quickly turned into weeks, Hermione began to wonder why she had never considered going into business after school herself. There was much structure and repetition in running a business, but customers added a nice challenging element that she hadn't thought of.

She knew George had appreciated having the extra full-time worker to lessen the load. Lee and Verity had tried to help as much as possible by offering to work more hours and staying late to assist with whatever he needed. However, they didn't have the knowledge and skills needed to deal with what it took to really run a business. Hermione tried to help him stay afloat with the books and the time alone he needed to make more products in the basement, but they both knew it wasn't enough. It seemed like their customer base was at an all-time high and he wouldn't have been able to keep up much longer if he were to open a second location on top of it.

He had been expressing his gratitude to her daily with hugs when they were alone or picking up lunch for them when she was hyperfocusing on projects. It had been sweet, but slightly concerning. There was a twinkle in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. Since their night ice-skating on the pond, she had noticed a change in George. She tried to shrug it off and tell herself that she was only looking for those actions because she wanted it to be more than it was. It would be little things here and there; a hug for saving him a plate of dinner here, a cuddle on the couch while reading there.

It wasn't like she didn't like what was happening, by any means. She just didn't want to give her hopes up for something that wouldn't happen. Again. Why would he want to be with the girl that his younger brother had once dated? She felt like she was, for all intents and purposes, used goods.

"Hermione? So, it istrue that you're working here now!"

The man that spoke sounded so familiar, his voice drawing a negative feeling inside of her that took her off guard. The way he spoke was as if working here had been a joke in and of itself. Her muscles tensed as her heart seemed to drop into her stomach at the realization of who the owner of the voice was. She turned around to see that last person she had hoped to ever set eyes on again: Michael Spritzer.

It took every ounce of self-control she had in her not to hit him across the face with the clipboard she had been working on. Her grip tightened its hold so much that the edges were starting to hurt her hands.

"Michael Spritzer! I didn't expect to see you in here!" Her cheery voice was forced and fake.

"I didn't either, but this was where I was told I could find you. So, here I am!"

He stretched his arms out and looked about the store. Spritzer's face wore a snobbish look of disgust.

"I can tell you're not here to shop for pranks, so what can I help you with?"

"I'm glad you asked, Ms. Granger!"

'Dear Merlin, shoot me.'

Hermione wanted nothing more than to start hexing him all the way to the door or to yell out to Lee and George to beat the magic out of him until he begged for death. Her whole body was tense with anger just by the sight of him.

"I'm in dire need of an assistant to help me with the workload. Being Division Head is quite the demanding job, and I need someone to help-"

"Make you look good? Do your work for you? Bend to the every request his Majesty requires?"

Spritzer recoiled in shock over her words. She couldn't help herself, though. Of all the things she thought would happen in her life, hearing this cheeky arsehole come into her shop and try to suggest her working directly for him as his slave had not been on the list. She had been stressed out enough as of late and she would not take this too.

"Hermione, is everything alright over here?"

George had stepped beside her, but she never took her menacing glare away from Spritzer. She was so fueled by her own anger that she barely registered the comforting hand George had placed on her lower back as he looked between the two.

"Yes, it's quite alright, sir," he said to George, his pointy chin held high. "I was just trying to convince Hermione that her efforts and vast knowledge would be put to better use at the Ministry than in a simple joke shop, of all places."

George removed the hand he had on Hermione and crossed his arms over his chest. When he stood straight, he seemed to tower over Spritzer's five-foot-eight frame. Part of her knew she should have at least tried to stop George from stepping into Spritzer's face, in fear of a lawsuit for assault if nothing else, but she knew she could just oblivate his mind so he had no recollection of the fight ever having started. And frankly, she wanted to see George take him down a peg or two, either with words or fists.

"You listen, and you listen well," George spoke, his tone deep and threatening. "She will never work for you or those ungrateful bastards of your department ever again. Hermione is right where she belongs, and doing an amazing job at helping me run this business.

"Now, you're going to walk out of this shop and never visit this establishment again. The second you're out of this building, I'm going to add you and your future children to the list of banned customers. If you ever try to approach Hermione again about anything, I will find you and I will end you. Are we clear, mate?"

Spritzer did his best to match George's puffed up stature and look just as tough as he did. George, however, had one leg up on him: he was a Weasley man, through and through. No one stood up to a Weasley and walked away unscathed. Hermione silently reprimanded herself for finding George sexy at that specific moment.

Deciding she wasn't worth risking harm to his charming face, Spritzer looked from Hermione to George one last time before heading toward the doors. The two laughed wholeheartedly as the handles reached out to grab his arms while the rug slingshot him out into the road.

"Serves him right for thinking he could just waltz in here and take what he wants. It really is a wonder as to how that man got himself hired in the first place," he chuckled.

"Thank you," she spoke softly. "I really appreciate what you did there."

George pulled her arms to wrap around his waist before wrapping his own arms around her, his chin rested atop her head.

"I meant every word of it, love."

He gave her one last squeeze, placed a soft kiss on her hair and pulled out of their embrace. George rubbed her arms before walking away from her. Hermione stared out the windows of the shop as Michael's silhouette fade into the distance down the street. She knew she shouldn't indulge herself in the feeling of George standing up for her to Michael, but she just couldn't help herself.

"I should have punched him," she muttered as she walked back to her original task.

It was February 22, and the day for the Holyhead Harpies and Bulgarian National Quidditch team game had arrived. The residents of the cottage were donned in their Quidditch best, including painted faces, silly hats and noisemakers. Hermione and George shared a laugh in the living room while they waited for Katie to finish getting ready for the game. George had purchased the tickets as part of Katie's Christmas present for the three of them and a date of her choice to enjoy. Today was the day they would finally meet who Katie had been seeing in secret for the past three months.

To say they were excited was an understatement. For the last few days, the two had been pestering their roommate to ensure that her mystery man would indeed be showing up. Katie had promised them that they both had wanted to go public with their relationship and were using Hermione and George as a practice run for their friends and family. Hermione had spoken to her friend about how serious she was getting with this young lad the night before. Katie had explained that this was the first time she could say that she was truly in love. Her heart swelled for her friend.

"We're just going to a Quidditch game, Katie, not a beauty contest," George yelled.

"We're going to be late," Hermione whined.

"Alright, alright," Katie grumbled as she walked down the hall.

Hermione grabbed the lampshade portkey off the couch and held it out for the others to grab. George grabbed onto the object, leaving enough for Katie. She held out her hand, just inches away from the portkey, when Hermione and George ripped through the network and landed in front of the gateway to the game. Without Katie.

"I think she did that on purpose," Hermione complained. "That's why she wanted us to hold onto our tickets!"

George looped Hermione's arm through and began leading her out of the way of visitors landing on her. She wore a scowl on her face even as they gave their tickets to the usher who had lead them to one of the exclusive box seat areas that Ginny had reserved for them. Once they were seated comfortably, George turned to Hermione to tried and calm her down.

"She's got their tickets and she knows where we're being seated. Trust me, Katie's not going to miss this match no matter what," he reassured her.

Hermione was listening, but was having a hard time believe him. She craned her neck to look in the adjacent booths and at the various walkways to see if she could catch a glimpse of their friend. Every brunette with a bun and a painted face looked like Katie. She plopped back in her seat and checked her watched. Ten minutes until the game would start. Impatient, Hermione stood back up and began to search for their friend once more, plotting her demise in her head as she did so.

"Percy? What are you doing here?" George called out.

Hermione twisted around to see Percy for herself, unable to believe he would ever willing watch a live Quidditch game whether his sister was a player or not. Yet, here he was, donned in the Holyhead Harpies fan jersey with a scarf to boot. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. It just seemed so unnatural.

"Percy?" She asked slowly, shock evident in her voice.

George and Hermione's O-shaped mouths dropped even further when they saw Katie's hand attached to Percy's as she stepped out from behind him. George plopped down onto his seat on the bench; Hermione couldn't blame him for his weak knees at that point, though. Seeing your studious, stuffy, career-crazed older brother at a sporting event was one thing. Learning that he was also dating one of your best mates was a completely different story. Worry flashed across both Percy and Katie's faces upon seeing their reactions. Hermione knew they needed to recover from the shock soon, but it was just too much information to take in.

"This isn't going to be a problem for you George, is it?"

Katie looked at Percy as he tightened his grip on her hand. Hermione knew Katie and this man that she had been dating were deeply in love. She recalled all of the talks they had while they shopped or enjoyed each other's company in the living room. This wasn't a fleeting fancy for them; this was real. Blinking herself back to reality, Hermione grabbed George's arm and forced him to stand up. She gave him a look, nodded her head slightly in their direction and gave him a signal to say something. She was very relieved when he caught on quickly.

"O-of course it isn't! This is brilliant, actually! I mean, I'm right blustered from the notion, but I couldn't be happier for you two!"

George engulfed both of them in a hug. The breath they had been holding had been pushed out of them by his strong hold as the stressful moment drained from their facial expressions.

"I'm with George," she added as she leaned in to hug each of them. "Hopefully, this means you'll be joining us for dinners at the cottage in the near future?"

"I would love that, actually," Percy responded with a beaming smile.

George found it very difficult to focus on the game at hand with all of the excitement around him. And by that, he really meant Hermione.

He had known her to attend every Quidditch game during their time in school, but never experienced her enthusiasm for the game up close. Her spirit had rivaled his own for most of the game. He had to confess that he found her undoubtedly intoxicating at that moment. She was lost in the game, but he was lost in her. It didn't help that their box had been so crowded that he and Percy had to stand directly behind the girls for the majority of the game. He couldn't complain, though; every time a player zoomed by or Hermione moved her head, he was given a fluttering whiff of her floral perfume and strawberry hair shampoo.

He glanced over at Katie and Percy to see how the two of them were faring with the game. He knew Percy would be having a hard time keeping up with the game and the minute details that were going on. Katie, however, had been whispering explanations in his ear to explain why the crowd was getting excited at certain moments and not others. After the first hour and a half of this, Percy was beginning to catch up on his own. He had even given George a high-five when the Harpies managed to slip a goal in past the Bulgarian Keeper. During a few lulls in the game, Hermione had leaned back into him to relax from the standing. Instinctively, he would take those moments to wrap his arms around her. It had only happened a couple of times throughout the game (three to be exact) and only for a few minutes at a time (approximately five minutes each time), but he soaked it for what it was worth. He wanted to ignore the sly looks his brother and friend were giving him, but during those moments he just couldn't care. As surreal as it was for George to find himself with such an unlucky crew, he couldn't have been happier.

He chuckled a bit when Hermione grabbed his arm suddenly, but his laughter grew quiet as the crowd realized the snitch was in play and the Seekers had begun their part in the game. The crowd around them seemed to hold their breath. Even the players in the sky had to keep themselves from watching as player raced player for the 150 points needed to declare the final winner. They watched on as the players flew dangerously close to the audience, the fans ducking to avoid losing their heads. A bludger came out from behind another player as the Seekers flew through the middle of the field and hit the Seeker from Bulgaria, narrowly missing the Harpies' Seeker.

They watched as she twisted and turned, edging her broom to get closer each time it tried to pull away further. In a matter of seconds, the player had successfully grabbed the snitch and the Harpies fans erupted in cheers about them. Hermione twisted around and wrapped her arms around George's neck. He lifted her off the ground and swung her back and forth in excitement for the big win. After he set her down on the ground, the group turned into each other for a group hug.

"Let's go for drinks after this, yeah? A round on Percy, ladies!"

The group laughed, and George felt more whole than he had in years.

A week later, George found himself plopping into the overstuffed, oversized couch at home after a snail-paced day at the shop. Only one person had wandered in all day, so Hermione had sent him home while Verity and her watched the shop. He had insisted that she had been working too late into the night and that she should have been the one to go, but she refused.

"Hermione, how would it look if the head of a PRANK SHOP was working herself down to the bone and not have any fun? It would be bad for business. Please, I'll watch the shop," he had tried to convince her.

"George, you hired me to help and that's what I'm doing. To me, this IS fun! Besides, I'm almost done with my reports. I'll come home once these are done. You've overworked yourself for the past five years; let someone else bear the burden of the stress for a little while you relax. If I'm not mistaken, you were the one who said a little me-time is important. You won't be getting much once we open Hogsmeade's shop," she had countered. "So I suggest you enjoying these opportunities while they last."

Just thinking about the amount of work that would need to go into restoring and setting up that one location made him tired enough to go home without another word said. He closed his eyes and dropped his head against the back of the couch.

"Oy!"

George jumped at the sound of the voice and pointed his wand in the general direction it came from. Quickly, his mind tried to remember if either of the residents remembers to reset all of the security charms the night before. It took him a second before he realized the perpetrator was really just one of his roommate.

"Good Godric, you barmy woman! I could have killed you on accident, or worse."

"Why do you and 'Mione always say that? 'Get killed or worse.' What's supposed to be worse than dying?" Katie paused for a contemplative second before she sat next to him on the couch. "Wait, never mind, I think my patient today might have been the 'or worse' part."

The two friends shared a chuckle as she handed him a cuppa he looked to so desperately need. He graciously took it from her hands and sipped a bit, careful not to burn himself this time. Having missed each other for the last few days, the two friends chatted and caught up to date on her dating Percy and him working with Hermione. Whenever he mentioned their other roommate, a knowing smile crept up and glared him in the face. 'Are you honestly that surprised that she knows?' he could hear Fred mock him in his head. 'It's not exactly like you're giving it the Gryffindor all to hide it.'Deciding that it was better to take fate in his own hands, he gave into Katie and her wordless demands.

"Alright, ask away," he sighed.

"I don't know what your- oh screw it! Tell me everything! Have you kissed her yet?"

Katie started to feign innocence at his words, but quickly gave up in sheer excitement. He couldn't help laughing at his friend's gushing. He thought about her question and found himself subconsciously rubbing his bottom lip at the memory of their first kiss.

"Not since Christmas, but mistletoe kisses don't quite count, yeah?"

He took a chance and looked her in the eye. Rather than the gaping fish expression he expected to see, Katie looked unmoved by his words. He watched as she went into Healer mode, almost as if she were looking for a remedy for his yearning heart.

"Depends on the kiss and whom you're giving it to," she told him softly.

George thought about that statement. In the earlier years of the product's creation and testing, the twins had found themselves under the Lip and Locking Mistletoe with many different birds. Hell, they'd even found themselves stuck under it with their closest of female friends. The Mistletoe didn't require a long, drawn-out romantic kiss, but rather a short and sweet one. Hermione, however, had been the first girl he had willingly thrown himself under it with. That meant something to George. Unlike Fred, he didn't date much and didn't give his heart to just anyone. He was always the calculating one, the one who planned and planned. Like how he planned to have Charlie place the Mistletoe above the doorway earlier that night and how he planned to trap himself under it with Hermione.

"She tasted like candy canes and hot cocoa. I've found myself enjoying those snacks just because it reminds me of her, and I hate that I can't tell her how she makes me feel," he whispered as he stared into the fireplace.

Katie shook her head, never taking her eyes off him. It unnerved him how much she was able to get out of him. These were things he didn't even dare admit aloud to himself. She was the only person he could talk to about this, though. She knew the two of them better than anyone else. Plus, Lee would just take the mickey out of him if he tried having that discussion.

"Oh come off it, George. Course you can!"

"No, I can't. She's not ready yet. Too much has changed in her life and she's still struggling to catch up. Hermione needs to find steady ground. She's there, but not quite yet. When I think she's ready, I'll tell her."

"And what if you never think she's ready?" Katie countered. "Or what if she is ready and someone else gets to her first. Are you tellin' me you're really willing to live with that kind of regret?"

"Yes."

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Katie stood up and walked away from the couch. Suddenly, the room felt colder as he was left with his last word dangling in the air around him. Was he really willing to risk losing her? His stomach churned at the thought of her giving her heart away to someone else that didn't deserve it.

"I just hope you don't end up making the same mistakes as your brother did, because she doesn't deserve that," Katie told him before heading into her room and slamming the door.

Her voice was dripping with venom and he knew he upset her. He had upset himself. George put the coffee down on the table and buried his head in his hands.

Dinner at the cottage that night had been very quiet, to say the least. George hadn't looked Hermione in the eye since she had come home, and Katie had been shooting him slight glares when she thought Hermione hadn't been looking. The only sounds were of silverware hitting plates angrily and Gred playing with his new mouse toy in the living room. While she had wanted to question what was going on between the two, she had a feeling she didn't want to know.

"So, how was your day off, Katie?" Hermione asked, hoping to break the tension.

"Good," was all she said.

"And you, George?"

"Fine," he answered shortly.

'Well, that didn't work.'

They continued to sit in silence. It was starting to drive her mad, but she didn't know what else to do or say. Hermione had learned long ago to let these silences between the two sort itself out. The last time she tried to force them to talk about what was wrong, a huge row had occurred between the two and their excessive arguing went on until late in the morning before they finally gave up due to sheer exhaustion. Katie's fork dropping to her plate broke Hermione out of her thoughts.

"Hermione, what are your plans for Friday night?"

Still focused on slowing her heart rate down from the sudden shock, she tried her hardest to think of what she could say but nothing came to mind.

"Um, well... nothing, I suppose-"

"Great!" Her cheery voice was almost scary. "I have a friend that would love to take you out for a date!"

Hermione watched as George's head popped up to glare at Katie. Confused as to whether or not this had to do with their tension, she pushed Katie to explain further.

"Well, I don't know, Katie. I'm not one for blind dates."

"Oh don't worry! You won't be alone. I have one for George, as well! You guys will be double dating that night!"

Now she understood why George was refusing to look her in the eye. From what Hermione could piece together, she could see that George was somehow conned into this as well.

"Katie, I don't know if that's such a great idea-"

"See, she hates it and I do, too," George interrupted. "It's a terrible idea. Call it off."

"Well, I never said it was a terrible idea-"

"See, George! Hermione's not opposed to the idea so why don't you just suck it up and-"

"We're not going on a double blind date, Katie!"

"Why are you getting so defensive, Georgie?" Katie mocked. "Is there some other reason why you don't want to go on this date?"

His grip on his fork had turned his knuckles white. Hermione could see the tip of George's ear turn bright red, even under his long auburn locks. Anyone who knew a Weasley knew this was a warning sign for an upcoming explosion. Wanting to defuse the ticking bomb before it went off, Hermione placed a gentle hand on George's forearm. She watched as his grip started to relax slightly, and the red of his ear melt to a blushing pink. Hermione let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and turned to Katie.

"While I don't think it's a good idea, I also don't think it's a terrible one. Clearly, there are worse ideas out there. And while neither of us would have picked this double date as our first choice of activities to kick off the weekend, we appreciate the gesture and will go for you. Isn't that right, George?"

Hermione wanted to smack the gloating smirk Katie wore on the off chance it upset George again. However, he merely looked from girl to girl in shock only to give up when he realized he had lost this round. She patted his arm before retreating her hand. Satisfied, Katie excused herself to put her plate in the sink and retire to her room for the night. Hermione waited until Katie closed the door to her room before she set silencing charms around the kitchen, knowing George would want to start scream. Seeing the impending doom on his facial expression once again, Hermione decided what he needed was a little bit of fun. She really couldn't believe what she was about to say to him.

"Now, George, just because I agreed for us to go on this date did not mean I agreed for us to also be on our best behavior."

She swore she just saw the devil appear in George's face. He went from having a slack jaw to an evil, maniacal grin in the heartbeat it had taken her to say those words. She had almost regretted saying anything at all. George leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. She couldn't stop her eyes from glancing at his biceps as the sleeves of his shirt hitched up slightly with his movement. Hermione was proud of herself for not letting the heat growing in her chest creep into her cheeks.

"And what, my dear bookworm, do you propose we do?"

"Oh, I don't know," she responded sweetly, looking off into nothing to think. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

Getting ready for a date was such a new experience for Hermione. Sure, she had gone plenty of dates with Ron, but only a handful had been fancy dinner dates. Switching from friends to more than proved to be an easy transition without the uncomfortable getting-to-know-you questions or the awkward silences. As she worked spells into her hair to tame her unruly curls, she became more and more nervous about what the people they would be meeting tonight were like.

Katie had outright refused to tell George and Hermione what she knew about these two people, stating that it would take away from the element of surprise that came with double dating. So, going in, all they knew were their first and last names and the place they worked at. Hermione would be meeting Glynn Everett, who was an independent Metal Charmer who Percy knew from the Ministry; and George would be meeting Savannah Jordon, who worked with Katie at St. Mungo's Hospital. The names felt like they should have sounded familiar to her, but shouldn't quite place faces to the name.

'Well, I guess we'll learn soon enough,'she thought.

Not that it mattered really, though. Hermione was verysure that should not meet her soulmate as a result of this double date.

A light knocking was heard from the door of her bathroom. Knowing that Katie had conveniently gone on a date with Percy an hour earlier, the only other person it could be was her redheaded roommate. Hermione signaled George to enter and was shocked at his chosen attire. He had on black dress trousers and a deep blue cardigan that hugged him tightly, exposing muscles she had forgotten he had. His cloak was draped over an arm as he leaned against the doorframe. He looked absolutely handsome and completely edible from the view she had through the mirror. She let out a shaky breath as she tried to prevent a blush from spreading across her cheeks.

A small pang of jealousy burrowed itself in the back of her mind that she tried to quickly dispose of it in fear of it eating away at her all night. It was already bad enough she'd have to sit through an entire meal of him flirting with some scarlet woman pawning after him and deal with how confused that fear made her, she didn't need to be jealous on top of it. The goal tonight was to please Katie and nothing more.

At least, that's what she hoped.

"You almost ready to go, love?"

She really wished he would stop calling her that. The term of endearment had been sweet in the beginning. Since Hermione had begun to experience feelings for him, it had been more of a taunt for things she wanted but knew she couldn't have. She wanted to allow herself to build up hope that Katie and Lee had been right in their assumption that George had feelings for her, but his lack of progression had left her doubtful. Fred and George had always been the more forward of the Weasleys, never shying away from a challenge or a pretty girl. So, why hadn't he gone after her yet?

"Yes. I just need to grab my things," she told him, scrambling to vacate the room quickly.

She needed to get out of there and get those thoughts out of her head. Hermione almost ran chest first into the arm he held out to block the doorframe. Looking up at him, she realized she was so close she could smell his choice of toothpaste on his breath and the musky aftershave he had on his pulse points. She couldn't help her heart from racing like a silly school girl and hoped she wasn't actually blushing, though she knew she was.

"You know, we don't actually have to go through with this. We could just ditch them and hide out in the shop or at Harry's for the rest of the night. She'd never know."

He smile was soft and his voice was low when he spoke. So low was it, that Hermione questioned if he was being sultry with her. She wanted so badly to go along with his plan and forget she had ever agreed to this plan, but she knew they had to.

"As good as that sounds," she said, her tone matching his, "if we don't do this she'll never let us live this down and set us up on a dozen more where this came from. Knowing her, each would end worse than the last."

He nodded slowly and dropped his arm from her path. Hermione scooted past him and grabbed her bag and cloak from her bed.

"Did you remember to pack the tricks?" She threw over her shoulder as she exited her bedroom.

"Yes, dear."

This was going to be a long night.

And a long night it was. George had actually begun to contemplate stabbing himself in the arm with his fork just so he had an excuse to run away and never see these people again. His date was just the kind of girl he knew Katie would have set him up with: she could hold an in depth conversation with a broom, and the way she spoke sounded like her head was quickly losing air. She had a high-pitched voice, and every sentence she seemed to say sounded more like a question. George let out a deep high as Savannah continued to speak endlessly about her slight distaste on the color shade of choice in regards to her work robes.

"Or maybe it's more of a minty green. In the hospital, it's a bit more of a pale sage green. When they dim the lights in the halls at night, the greens seemed to get darker. Maybe they're color-changing robes!" He heard her giggle.

He gave her the best fake laugh he could muster, grateful when she turned her head. He instantly rolled his eyes and let out a bigger sigh. He slumped back in his chair and down the last bit of his wine. George had completely lost his patience with the people around him. He wasn't even trying to hide it at this point.

Hermione wasn't doing much better on the other side of the table. Glynn was bragging about the snitches he had produced over the past five years that were in memorable Quidditch games. Part of him wondered if she had eaten one of the Daydream Charms at the beginning of their dinner; her eyes had glazed over and she was nodding her head exactly every three minutes to ensure she was still feigning attention. The two friends had barely spoken the entire night opting instead to drink. At that moment, Savannah had let out a loud girly squeal and somewhere to the right of him another one was heard. As his date ran over to her friend for hugs and conversation, Glynn had chosen this moment to excuse him from the table to use the loo.

"If we don't prank someone soon, I'm going to lose my head," he whispered harshly to her.

"You're right," she sighed tiredly as her shoulders sank. "It's like watching a train wreck. You want to look away, but you just can't help watching regardless. If I have to listen to one more bloody story about how highly he thinks of his craftsmanship - if you can even call it that - I'm going to start drinking until I pass out in my seat. By all means, have at it."

Hermione reached into her clutch next to her on the table and pulled out a small bag, handing it to George. He was actually surprised she didn't reach in to grab something, figuring she would want to keep control on what pranks he used. Grateful for the vote of confidence in her moment of weakness, George dove into the bag and reach for whatever he could grab. It didn't really matter at this point what he used, just as long as he used something.

"Welcome back, you two!" He heard Hermione cheer unnaturally.

George shoved the bag under the table trying to not seem suspicious. Hermione rolled her eyes at him. He knew he had been quite obviously hiding something, but neither date questioned his actions. George reached his hand in the bag again and tried to feel his way around the back for something that felt familiar. Unfortunately, every treat he drew he grabbed felt the same. He finally just grabbed two candies that felt the most different from each other and pulled them out from the bag to look at them below the table. Pleased with his selections, he scooted just a bit in his seat and placed them on the chair beside him, keeping them ready for just the opportune moment.

He wished he had taken the seat next to Hermione instead of allowing Glynn to force them to seating on one side with the girls on the other side. He wanted to plan this out with her, but all of their heads were completely hidden behind the oversized menus. A younger girl with a foul expression on her face came up to the table and recited the specials for the evening in a monotone voice before asking for their orders.

"I will be having the steak, well done. My date here will be having the crusted chicken salad," Glynn told the waitress after Savannah and George had placed their orders.

'Wrong move, mate.'

"Got it," the waitress muttered as the quill wrote the order down for her.

"No, I won't," Hermione protested, but the waitress had already walked away from the table.

"Don't worry your pretty little head off, dear. I come here all the time. You'll love the salad. All the ladies do. Isn't that right, Savannah?"

"I love the salads because I can still fit in my pretty dress robes the next day," Savannah chimed in, so proud of herself for being able to chime in.

"See? You'll love it."

Hermione crossed her arms in front of her and leaned back in her chair, a deep scowl on her face. George knew that this was not a look you wanted directed towards yourself. He knew she was working a plan out in her head and was it was not going to be pretty. 'That's my girl.'

Dinner had arrived a short time later, and the occupants of the table were far too busy to converse with each other as they wolfed down their food. Hermione, George had noticed, had been shoving the food down her throat and smacking her lips as she ate. It was completely uncharacteristic of her normally dainty eating habits. As he raised an eyebrow at her questioning her behavior; he caught the quick wink she sent his way before continuing to eat like a wild beast. Following her lead, George downed the last of his butterbeer and let out a belch that nearly silenced the whole restaurant. Their dates gave them each very confused looks before trying to start conversations in order to ignore their terrible table manners.

The waitress came around a few minutes later to take their dessert order. Before George and Hermione could protest, Glynn had ordered a chocolate cake with fresh raspberries and two forks for them to share, while Savannah had ordered the crème brûlée, which also happened to be the most expensive item on the menu. 'If I was a pretty girl on a terrible date with someone I knew I was never going to see again, I'd rack up the slip as well,' he mused. Their waitress returned a few minutes later with their desserts. The second Glynn and Savannah looked away, he placed each treat atop the desserts to look like they were a natural part of the dish.

"What's this on the cake?" Glynn asked.

"It seems to be a little something extra," Hermione explained as she examined the dessert herself. "Must be compliments of the chef. Perhaps he knows we're on a double date and wanted to make the desserts double special?"

George rolled his eyes at Hermione's terrible cover-up. She shrugged at him slightly and gave him a look that read, "Well, what was I supposed to say?" George made a mental note to work on her delivery of pranks over the weekend. Savannah hadn't even questioned the treat on her crème brûlée as she picked the piece up to eat it whole. Out of the corner of his eye, George watched as Glynn picked up the piece and held it seductively in front of Hermione's mouth.

"Go on, love," he whispered to her. "Take a bite."

"Um, no thank you. I'm actually terribly lactose intolerant, you see. Can't have a drop of chocolate in me."

Hermione placed her hands in between her and the invading prank treat. Glynn retreated his hand in disappointment before popping the treat in his mouth. Her demeanor as he swallowed flipped instantly.

"So, Hermione," Glynn spoke after swallowing. "How did a member of the infamous Golden Trio find herself as co-business owner at a joke shop? Didn't you used to work at the ministry yourself?"

"It's a prank shop. And it's a long story," she said with a flat tone.

"We have time," Glynn shrugged as he took another bite.

"What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty."

"No, we don't."

"How do you mean?"

George couldn't help but chuckle a bit behind his hand as he watched their interactions. Hermione leaned forward in her seat to word her threat at Glynn slowly and low-toned.

"That is for being an arrogant git and for ordering for me. Respected women make their own decisions in life. It would do you well to remember that the next time you go out with a woman like me instead of a girl like Savannah."

Before Glynn could get a word in edgewise, he promptly fainted and his face landed square in the chocolate cake he had been about to start eating. Hermione didn't even flinch when small bits of cake splattered everywhere.

"Is he alright?" Savannah squeaked.

"He'll be fine in ten minutes," Hermione waved her hand as she started gathering her things to leave. "Besides, you should be far more concerned for yourself at the moment."

Savannah's eyes grew wide at the notion Hermione made about her safety. Instead of the cursing and swearing at Hermione he was sure she intended to do, large bubbles began to pop out of her mouth. As they popped in the air, her voice was heard singing her original insults.

"You're right, George," Hermione confessed as they stood from the table. George threw a few galleons on the table to cover their portion of the meal and helped Hermione put her cloak on. "Insults are much more amusing when sung."

"I know, love."

Hermione and George plopped onto the couch the second they came home. Excited by their entrance, Gred bounded into the room and snuggled into Hermione's lap. The growing kitten purred and fell asleep as soon as Hermione began rubbing his little head.

"I told you that was a terrible idea," he gloated.

"We couldn't have known that for sure beforehand. For all we knew, they could have been lovely people and would have been great matches for us."

"This is Katie and Percy settin' us up on these dates. They were not going to be much better than they were."

Silence filled the room as the two friends tried their hardest to wind down from the evening's events.

"I completely forgot to tell you what happened yesterday! A kid walked into the store, his skin orange as your kitchen, screaming the word 'Eigengrau!' at the top of his lungs! I didn't even know our Lick-A-Lingo Lollipops included German!"

"They didn't," she said lazily. "I added a few languages in when I made the latest batch. I included it in the product update notes I gave you after we did inventory. You should really start ready that, you know."

George flicked his hand in her general direction.

"Eh, I trust you. Great addition, by the way."

"Thank you! I thought so."

The pair slipped back into their comfortable silence. Hermione focused on the sounds of the ocean outside the little cottage as she lost herself in her thoughts.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Hermione lifted her head off the couch to look at him. He looked at her like she looked at books; he was attentive and she almost felt like she was being studied. She didn't have very many particular thoughts in mind at that moment, though. Books she wanted to buy. The quality of the food at the restaurant that evening. Him.

"Nothing," she lied. "What about you?"

"Just that your cover-up at dinner was atrocious."

Hermione gasped and swatted at him with the closest pillow she could grab. Not liking the sudden movement, Gred jumped off Hermione and ran to lay in his bed near the fireplace.

"I wasn't that bad!"

"You were awful! If anything you only raised more suspicion to yourself. What if that had been a well-thought out prank that involved steps and scheming! You would have gotten us caught!"

They laughed as they recalled their performances at dinner.

"Well, I really should be off to bed," Hermione said as she yawned.

"So soon? But it's early yet! Don't tell me you've turned into an old spinster already," he teased her.

She didn't want to go to bed, but she found herself unable to stay in the room with him much longer. As she looked at him from her side of the couch, all she wanted to do was curl into him and lay there for the rest of her days. The distance between them was beginning to get to her.

"You know what we haven't done for some time now? We haven't read together. Wasn't there a book you had that you wanted to finish up?" George jumped up from the couch and began heading to his room. "You grab that book, I'll grab my notes, and we'll just hang out for a bit reading? Sound good? Sounds good."

George disappeared into his room before Hermione had a chance to protest. 'Well, I actually did want to finish that book.' Before she knew it, she was already en route to her own room to grab her book from her massive collection. Hermione quickly changed out of her evening dress into her comfortable sweats and a Harpies shirt she purchased when Ginny made the team. When she came back into the living room, she found that George had been thinking the same as her. She found him already engrossed in a page of his notes, lounging in his own sweats and Cannon's shirt.

He smiled at her and patted the space on the couch directly next to him. He held his arm out as she sat down, curling her legs underneath her. George's arm pulled her into his side. Hermione couldn't help being tense at first as she adjusted to the closeness, but soon relaxed. It wasn't long before the book fell from her hands and onto her lap as she drifted to sleep in his arms, just as she had wanted.