A Place To Belong
Here's another chapter! I hope you enjoy. I'd love to hear your feedback, so be sure to review!
Sirius and Fred are now tied, as are Regulus and Gideon! Vote, vote, vote!
To my closest friends, who all know how suddenly things happen in our lives.
Sudden
The world was light. It was a joyous yet confusing feeling as George stared blankly at Hermione. Hermione looked into George's eyes that held some indistinguishable emotion. As she tried to decipher what emotion it was, George's revelation was causing him to thing odd things.
"George, are you alright?" Hermione asked, taking Teddy into her arms and shifting him into a comfortable position as she placed a hand on his muscular arm.
Her soft touch pulled him partially out of the trance. Now, he was somewhat aware of his surroundings. He, however, was still unable to speak, as his mind had jumped into a state of shock. He just turned around and walked to the back of the store, up many staircases until he had found his flat. Still shocked, he was unaware of the fact that he had let himself into his room.
Sitting on the bed, George's mind cleared. What am I thinking? he thought. Hermione? I don't fancy Hermione… yet I do. How did this happen? I guess it happened sometime when I was cuddling with her nice body and crying into her hair. Maybe it was seeing her so good with Teddy. Was it when she comforted me? Or when she woke me up those many nights from nightmares? What about seeing her so vulnerable…more defenseless than anyone has seen her, all while she was trusting me? What will she say when she finds out?
George shook his head, she can't find out. I won't let her. This is just a passing phase. I haven't gone for a lot of birds lately. Maybe I just miss a woman's touch.
His mind disagreed, though. I don't miss a woman's touch. I have Hermione's, and it is, I will admit, the most wonderful feeling that I've ever had. Bloody hell, I fancy Hermione.
There was a knock at the door. "George, may I come in?" asked Hermione's sweet voice.
George started panicking. What if she finds out? She won't find out. It is Hermione Granger, of course she'll find out! What'll she say? Will she want to move out? I can't let that happen—I don't trust anyone as much as I do her.
"George, please open up," Hermione's voice pleaded, seeping through the locked door, "I'm worried. I shouldn't be worried, should I?" George flicked his wand at the door, opening it. "What's wrong?" she asked, walking over and sitting on the bed, wrapping her small arms around George.
"Nothing. I just realized something."
"A good something or a bad something?" Hermione asked, leaning against the bed frame, George's head resting on her chest while she stroked his hair and enjoyed his grip on her waist.
"A good something, I guess. I'm not entirely sure."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Well, I realized something, and it's good, in a sense, but in another way, I'm not sure if it's real or if I'm just mistaking feelings for other ones."
Instead of pointing out that what he just said made no sense or asking him what he realized, Hermione just nodded and hugged George closer, which was something that he loved about her. She wouldn't pry. She knew that if he wanted to tell her, he would.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, George said, "You could have just used your wand."
"Hmm?" Hermione asked.
"The door. You could have just used 'Alohomora'."
Hermione blushed, "Sometimes I forget that I'm in this world."
"Do you regret coming here?"
"To live with you?"
"To the Wizarding World."
"Sometimes, I suppose, I used to. Not anymore. I've seen too much to go back. There were times when I wondered why I ever came into such a strange world and times I thought—I knew that it was easier not to be here, but I was put here for a reason, so I stayed."
"Why did you want to leave?"
"Silly little things."
"Like what?"
"Your brother," she said, very blatantly.
George let out a laugh, "And why's that?"
"He's a downright prat."
"You're just now realizing this?"
Hermione punched his shoulder. "No, but he's said and done some things in the past that made me wonder why I came, especially when I knew nothing about this place. I'd go to your home and be enthralled with the magic, and Ron would just criticize me about looking so amazed. He was never the same way with Harry, and I never understood it."
"One, it's because Harry is Starkid Potter, and two, I'm surprised you didn't say 'Malfoy'."
Hermione snorted. "He's what kept me here."
"What?"
"I wanted to prove to that arrogant toerag that a 'Mudblood' could whip his pureblooded arse, no offense to your heritage."
"None taken, and I must say that I'm very impressed with your abilities. I like you more and more everyday."
"Hush," Hermione said, blushing.
"Where's Teddy?"
"You didn't see Lavender come in with me?"
"Nope."
"Well I gave Teddy to her."
"How did your testing go today?"
"Very well, thank you. I think I have an idea to help, but I'm going to have to conduct a few more tests and read up a bit more on the subject."
"So you'll be swamped with work tonight?"
"Why are you asking?"
"Want to go to dinner? It'll be a celebration for your tests starting and for the store re-opening."
"I'd love to."
As they were about to leave for dinner, Hermione immediately remembered that she had to pick up some muggle items from the store. "George, would you mind terribly if we stopped at the store before going out?"
"No, it's okay. I have a question, though. If I didn't want to go would—"
"Yes, we'd still be stopping."
George laughed as he stood, "Alright then." They left the flat, apparating to London. George carried Teddy as they walked down the street to the nearest shop.
As they entered the store, Teddy immediately returned to Hermione's arms as George was looking around the store in awe. Hermione just smiled at her friend.
"George, stay close," she said, feeling as if she were speaking to a child. In a way, she was.
They walked towards a section that held a bunch of black sticks and white rectangles. George had no idea what they were, but Hermione grabbed some and placed them in the basket that George held.
A woman came around the corner and bumped into Hermione by accident. "Oh, I'm sorry! I wasn't looking ahead of me," she apologized in a sweet voice. She took a look at Teddy and cooed, "Isn't he just the most precious thing, Phil?" Her husband, Phil, smiled and nodded. Continuing on, the nice woman asked, "How old is he?"
"Almost three months," George said.
"He looks just like you," the woman said. It was true. Teddy's hair had melted into the red of George's hair, and his face mirrored George's own. "But he has your eyes, dear," she said to Hermione. That was also true. "He's just adorable!" she squealed.
"Your son is a handsome young lad," Phil said.
Before Hermione could say something about how Teddy wasn't her son or how she and George weren't together (and George could tell that she was about to), George said, "Thank you. We're very proud of him. Do the two of you have any kids?"
"Yes, but they're off in college. Probably no older than the both of you," the woman said. She stuck out her hand, "I'm Marcia."
"Pleased to meet you," Hermione said, balancing Teddy as she shook the woman's hand.
"Why don't I take him, love?" George asked. Hermione smiled up at her 'husband' as he took 'their son' away from her.
"Phil Lexum," said Marcia's husband, introducing himself. The couple was older, maybe in their 50s. Hermione and George both immediately liked them. So much so that George made a bold move.
"We're going out to dinner. Would you like to join us?" he asked.
The couple was shocked—that much was evident. Then again, who wouldn't be if a strange man with one ear asked them to join himself with his wife and 3 month old son to dinner when they just met not 2 minutes prior?
George was just odd like that.
The couple agreed, which made Hermione feel a bit better about the situation. It was already terribly awkward, and then George went off and asked them to dinner. It was so unpredictable that it was predictable, with the Weasley Twin. Hermione wasn't upset. She happened to like the couple. It was just that she had to pretend that she was George's wife.
Not that there was anything wrong with George. Really, it would be easy, seeing as they were already great friends, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't be gauche.
What if George gets all weird afterwards? I mean, me—his wife? He was the one who started it, anyways. Besides, why do I care? Hermione asked herself. We're just friends. It doesn't mean anything. George's type is tall, athletic, and beautiful. Why am I even thinking about this? Oh, yeah. It's because I over-analyze everything. That's right.
They bought the supplies and left the store with the other couple, heading down to a family restaurant that they had never been to before, but that Marcia and Phil said was wonderful.
It turned out that Marcia and Phil were doctors. Phil was a physician and Marcia was a gynecologist. They had a son who had just graduated law school and a daughter that was attending the university.
"What about you two? What do you do?" asked Marcia.
"George is an entrepreneur—he dropped out of high school and started a business with his twin brother. Currently, it's one of the most successful businesses in all of England," Hermione gushed.
"I'm sure your parents liked that you were dating a high-school drop-out," Phil commented, with a smile.
"Oh, they loved it, I assure you," George laughed. "Their bright daughter, Hermione Granger—top of her class, with the class clown, the prankster, the drop-out."
"A forbidden love, almost," Marcia said, sighing at the romantic thought.
"Hold on a minute—did you say 'Granger'?" Phil asked.
"Yes, why?" George asked.
"Why, dear—we were good friends of your parents!" Phil said.
"Really?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. Right shame that they moved away. To Australia, correct?" Marcia asked. Hermione nodded, unable to speak. "They were wonderful people. And are you still living here?" Hermione nodded, again. "And where have you been? Last I heard, you had been shipped off to some prestigious boarding school in Scotland."
"Hermione was at the top of her class at our school. She's now working as a doctor, trying to find a cure for a rare disease," George said. "We live just outside of London."
"That is good work!" Marcia exclaimed. "I'm sure Jean and Robert are proud. I'm just upset that they didn't tell us that their daughter was getting married or that she had a child!"
"It was all rather sudden," Hermione said, causing George to laugh.
"I suppose that it was," he said, sharing their joke. Of course it was sudden. It had all happened within the past hour. He found out that he fancied her less than 5 hours prior.
"I'm glad we talked to them," Hermione said, placing Teddy in his crib for the night.
"Me, too."
"Really, George. I'm glad that you invited them to dinner. They told me so many things about my parents. I'm surprised that I didn't remember them at first. I mean, Terrence and Alyssa always played at my house when I was younger. I haven't seen them since before Hogwarts, though."
"It's been awhile since you've been under muggle influence," George said, hopping into bed and creating a throne of pillows. Hermione got in next to him and placed her head on his shoulder while one of his arms wrapped around her back and her hand rested on his muscled and bare chest.
"I'd like to bring more of that muggle influence back into my life," Hermione said. "I think that it's important for Teddy and for myself. I mean, his maternal grandfather was a muggleborn, as was his paternal grandmother, plus his godmother. Also, his godfather was raised my muggles and had a muggleborn mother. He needs to be accustomed to the culture. Are you alright with that?"
"Just don't tell my dad. He'll want to move in, too."