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"Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong
The lovers that went wrong."
-Daughter, Youth
"And she 'as the nerve to tell me I cannot wear what I planned to!" Fleur exclaimed as she furiously scrubbed the saucepan in the kitchen sink at the Burrow. It was Sunday now and keeping to her promises, Hermione had returned to the Weasley's home for their Sunday lunch. "Is she worried I will look better than 'er?"
"I don't know, Fleur." Hermione said, trying her best to keep focused on drying the dishes as Fleur continued her rant. Everyone was here this weekend besides Ron. He'd had to work apparently, so Lavender had come alone. They'd eaten lunch and then she'd retired to the living room, dragging a select few with her to sit and talk about her wedding. Clearly Hermione and Fleur were not on her list and so were landed with washing up duty. "Frankly you could wear a bin bag and still trump whatever dress she turns up in." Hermione said with a weak smile, trying to come across as normal. Fleur apparently found this hilarious as her tinkling, melodic laugh flew around the room, almost managing to cancel the shriek that was Lavender's laughter.
"The old bag still won't let me wear her tiara though. Despite her letting the Veela wear it." Lavender's voice said over her shoulder as she entered the kitchen, looking at the two women laughing in front of the sink. "I see you're still here then," she said distastefully, looking Hermione up and down, from her ratty converse to her skinny jeans and her baggy jumper.
"Yes, I am." Hermione replied bitterly, her mood far too low to be dealing with Lavender's petty insults. She had much bigger issues to be dealing with today.
"Well, what are you wearing to the wedding?" she asked with a sickly sweet smile, but Hermione could sense the judgement dripping from her painted pink lips.
"I don't know," Hermione said "I was going to think about it closer to the time." She said with shrug, something Lavender seemed to find amusing.
"It's in three months so you may want to hurry up. See maybe you should take a leaf out of my book and be a little more organised." She said before giving Hermione another once over, finally landing on looking at her scruffy hair she'd hastily pulled into a bun. "And a little more stylish" she said with a superior smirk.
"Well I'm afraid mini-skirts and fake tan never was my thing. I prefer a more natural approach." Hermione retorted, biting her tongue to stop from saying anything she'd regret.
"That's obvious, love." She said with another smile. Hermione opened her mouth to retort something sharply but she heard the thundering of feet as Rose, Teddy and James all came charging into the kitchen, all their winter clothing hanging off awkwardly, their faces tinged pink from the cold.
"Mummy!" Rose called, barging past Lavender who pulled a distasteful face at the child before Hermione lifted her off the floor. "Uncle Harry says they're going to play quibbich." She said excitedly, her blue eyes alight with joy. "Can I play?"
"You're a little small to play, Rose, but we can go outside and watch?" Hermione remedied as she saw the little girls face drop.
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" She said squirming to get back to the boys who were talk animatedly by the door.
"Love to stay and chat, Lavender," Hermione said with the same false innocence, "But I'm off to go and spend time with my little girl." She said before leaving the room to grab her coat from the porch, not noticing the pair of blue eyes that followed her every movement from the sofa.
Ten minutes later and the group of adults had already grabbed their brooms and picked their teams. Harry was the first captain and had chosen Bill, Katie and Percy. Ginny had picked George, Draco and Angelina. Everybody else had gathered on the grass where Hermione and Fleur had set up some picnic blankets. Mrs Weasley sat on the garden bench with Albus in her arms, Mr Weasley holding Dominique.
"I don't think I've introduced myself," A woman that Hermione had noticed at lunch said, coming over to sit on the blanket with Fleur, Hermione, Victoire and Rose. "I'm Audrey." She said extending a slim hand. She was a pretty woman with a slim face and a straight brown bob and kind brown eyes behind a pair of glasses.
"You must be Percy's girlfriend," Hermione said smiling kindly over at the woman as she accepted her hand.
"That's me," she said with a small laugh. "And who's this little one?" she asked looking at Rose who was currently having her red hair plaited by Victoire.
"This is Rose," Hermione said smiling at the little girl who was so oblivious to everything happening around her.
"That would make you Hermione," she said with a surprisingly bright smile. "Percy's told me a lot about you. Brightest witch of your age, so I've heard." she said and Hermione was about to question just what it was Percy had been saying when they heard arguing from the back of the house.
"Why can't you just come and play quidditch with your family?" Katie asked Fred, who had looked solemn for the entire time he'd been at the Burrow. His skin looked pale making his freckles more refined and his hair even brighter. His hands were deep in his pockets and the usual bounce from his walk gone.
"I'm just not in the mood, Katie." He replied not looking at her but continuing to walk towards the makeshift quidditch pitch.
"You don't seem in the mood for anything lately!" she called after him. "Will you just tell me what's going on?"
"Nothing is going on Katie!" he shouted back and Katie looked abashed.
"I know when you're lying, Fred. But if you won't tell me then fine, I'm going to go and enjoy myself!" she spat before turning on her heel and stalking towards Angelina and the others who immediately crowded her, leaving Fred alone running his hands through his fiery hair. He looked up quickly and his eyes caught Hermione's, so many emotions running through them that it was overwhelming for her to even attempt to decipher them. After what felt like a lifetime, she pulled away, focusing again on the little girl sat before her.
Hermione paid no attention to the game, or the little girl who'd began tugging at her hair to try and attempt plaiting it like Victoire had with hers. All she could think about was the man sat on the picnic blanket less than ten feet away. The man who seemed just as disinterested in the game as she was. He was instead picking blades of grass between his fingertips before ripping them up, clearly trying to distract himself. Hermione was truly starting to wish she knew how to keep her mouth shut.
Before Hermione even realised it there were eight pairs of feet touching the ground, the sounds of laughing and talking suddenly filled the cold December air. Victoire jumped up and ran towards Bill, who lifted her up with ease, throwing her over his shoulder where she shrieked with delight. Fleur remained sat down with Hermione, Arthur having placed Dominique back into her arms to go and help Molly with dinner.
"There was no way that last goal went in!" Ginny shouted at Harry who chuckled, throwing his arm around his wife's shoulder.
"Don't start sulking, Gin," he said, kissing her forehead and throwing his broomstick over his shoulder while she dragged hers behind her.
"I wouldn't have to sulk if you played fair." Ginny pouted, pulling away from her husband and crossing her arms.
"She's got a point there, Potter," Draco said walking towards Hermione, Rose jumping up to go and greet him, whooping and cheering about how fun quidditch was and how much she wanted to play.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?" Katie said, stopping beside where Fred was sat. She'd already put her broom back in the cupboard, her hair was slightly windswept, her face red form the cold wind, but the anger in her voice was the same as before. Fred, however, remained silent, looking down towards the floor where he had pulled apart half the grass in the clearing. "Fine. When you decide to stop being such a stubborn arse, you come and find me." She said before turning away and storming off towards the house, leaving Fred looking out after her, a pained expression on his face.
"Go after her." Hermione said, making Fred's head swivel to her so quick she was surprised it didn't snap.
"What?" he said, his mouth going dry. He'd only realised this was the first time he'd heard her voice properly since the night at the bar and it cut through him like a knife.
"Go after her. I know that you want to." She said, standing up and lifting Rose up from where she stood tugging her mothers scarf. Hermione gave Fred a weak smile before turning around and walking back towards the house, the cold wind blowing the loose hair around her face.
With a deep breath, Fred stood up and followed the others towards the house, but instead of going inside and following Hermione, the way he wanted to, he turned down towards the side of the house, doing the thing he knew he should do.
It didn't take him long to find Katie. She was sat on the bench outside the front porch, picking apart the petals of a flower from a nearby bush, her dark hair fluttering in the wind as she stared at the ground.
"Hey," He said, sitting down next to her, leaving enough space between them for another person to sit down, the tension thick enough to force the two apart.
"Hey," Katie replied, still not looking at Fred. "Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?" she said, sitting up straighter, looking over at her boyfriend with strong eyes, her jaw set.
"No." Fred said, leaning his elbows on his knees and bowing his head down towards the ground.
"Then I don't think we have anything else to talk about." She said, moving as though to stand up, but Fred caught her wrist before she could, holding her gently in place.
"I kissed somebody else." He said and felt as Katie moved and sat back down.
"You kissed somebody else." She echoed, falling back against the back of the bench.
"Or she kissed me, I don't know. It was all a blur." He said, running his hands through his red hair, the way he'd been doing for the past few days, ever since he'd spoken to Hermione.
"So you were drunk." Katie said and Fred could almost feel the disapproval spilling out from her. "Did it mean anything?" she asked but Fred didn't reply because he didn't know how to. Did it mean anything?" He felt something, of course he did, and he knew Hermione felt something too, she made that very clear. But did that mean anything? His silence had apparently answered Katie's questions since she went on to ask another. "Do you love me?" she said, her eye's beginning to water.
Fred opened his mouth to speak, but when no words came out he closed it again, looking instead back down to the ground.
"Of course. I understand." Katie said, her voice strained as she stood up. "I'll see you around, Fred" she said before walking away, disappearing with a pop as soon as she was outside the Burrow's boundaries.
Fred didn't move for the rest of the time he was at the Burrow. His parents came and spoke to him, as did his brothers even his sister, but no one could get him to move. That was until he heard a small voice speaking to him.
"Fwed?" the little girl said and Fred looked over to see a pair of light blue eyes looking up at him from beneath a woolly hat.
"Hey, Rosie," he said, smiling down at the girl. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, realising how the sun was setting beneath the trees. She reached her arms out towards him and Fred wasted no time in lifting her up, sitting her gently on his lap.
"You're sad." She said, leaning her head against his chest. "Mummy always says to help those who are sad."
"I'm sure she does." Fred said, smiling slightly at the thought. Of course Hermione didn't like to see people sad, she never could.
"She says that I should always be nice to people who are sad and ask what makes them happy." She said sweetly. "What makes you happy, Fwed?" she asked and Fred chuckled slightly.
"Family, family makes me happy, Rosie." He replied.
"Am I family?" she asked, looking up at him with her big blue eyes so full of innocence.
"Yes, Rose," he said back to her, watching her little face light up with glee. "You are a part of my family." And Rose wrapped her arms around his shoulders, snuggling her face into the crook of his neck. "Now let's get you inside and back where it's warm." He said, standing up and carrying the little girl with him, conflicted more than ever about what he wanted to do and what he should do.