When she reaches the big expanse of green field, she instantly feels relief. There, in the middle of a sea of green, sits George.
Hermione walks over to him with a bundle of flowers. After placing the beautiful daises on the tombstone, she sits next to him wordlessly. They both stare at the tombstone in front of them before George speaks up.
"Daises. You remembered."
"You told me they were his favorite flowers. I remember everything we talked about."
They sit in silence for a while longer.
"Are you the only one?" Hermione nods.
"No one else thought to look here." George nods and avoids her eyes.
"How'd you know I'd come here?"
"Because in the past, your brother is the first place you'd go to when you're upset." A breeze picks up around them, as if it's Fred's way of telling them he's there.
"George, what happened to us?"
Alarm spreads on his face and he covers it up with a stoic mask that Hermione hadn't seen in weeks. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Hermione huffs. She's irritated and mad and those are two things that don't mix well. "Yes, you do. Why have you been avoiding me?"
"I haven't been avoiding you." George doesn't break his concentration on his brother's tombstone. Hermione jumps up and yells at him while her face slowly turns red.
"Yes you have! You never talk to me anymore. You left me for Angelina; which did you ever think about the fact that she's just trying to put you in the place of Fred?" He remains silent and that only makes her angrier.
"Oh yes, I forgot, she's an angel in your eyes! And-"
"I don't love nor do I care for Angela." He says this softly but Hermione can detect a hint of anger in his voice.
'Good,' she thinks. 'now we're getting somewhere.'
"Oh really? You could've fooled me. In fact, you could've fooled me and you're whole damn family. Don't feed me that stupid bullshit George; I'm smarter thAn that and goddammit look at me already!"
He finally looks away from the tombstone and meets her eyes. She suddenly feels weak and tired.
"Just tell me what's going on. I'm tired of being hated by you and please just open up to me. Please." she says in a trembling voice.
He turns back to the tombstone and Hermione thinks she's lost him before he begins to speak.
"First off, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. And I don't love her. I've known all along what she's been trying to do and I didn't care much. She's a girl I can be with without damaging her with my...behavior because, like me, she was broken by his death. I started to have different nightmares where the girl I actually care for was being hurt by my grief. Our future was being affected because of me."
Hermione suddenly has flashbacks of when he was screaming her name throughout the night. He couldn't mean...?
"And the only reason I could act the way I did with Angelina was because I wasn't picturing her face when we were together. I was picturing someone else's."
He turns to stare at her and she feels herself shudder under his intense stare. But as suddenly as it's there, it's gone. "People would be better off without me."
Hermione falls down beside him again, this time facing him. "That's not true."
He scoffs. "How do you know?"
"Because I can't imagine my life now without you. George, it's because I love you." Moments pass and Hermione's heart pounds. George fidgets uncomfortably, but stays otherwise quiet.
Did she miscalculate his feelings? Feeling her eyes overflow, Hermione says, "It's okay. I understand."
She makes to stand up, but George's hand on her arm stops her. He continues to stare at the tombstone, but Hermione can see the seriousness in his expression.
"You shouldn't." His voice is strained.
"Why shouldn't I?"
"I carry baggage...you're too good for me."
"Don't say that," she says with conviction. "You're worth more then you think." But he's shaking his head before she even finishes.
"You're supposed to be with Ron."
"Says who?" She can't help saying with anger. "I don't love him, I love you."
"And you have no idea how happy that makes me." Hermione feels her eyes widen in surprise and wonder, he actually cares about me?, but his next words stop her.
"But we both how things are supposed to be." Hermione stares at him in confusion. "Everyone has always known you and Ron are supposed to be together."
She gasps in anger. George still keeps his eyes trained on the tombstone.
"Whatever happened to the boy who didn't care what people think," she asks.
"Whatever happened to the girl who always followed the rules," he counterattacks.
"She learned to live her life according to her rules." She says softly.
Grabbing his head and turning it to finally face her, she pulls his lips to her own. The kiss is passionate and it's heaven to Hermione. Butterflies erupt in her stomach as he kisses her back. The kiss is full of love, but there's also anger and grief there.
They pull back once the need for oxygen is too great. With his arms around her, George's face is once again open and vulnerable to her. His shoulders and lines on his face are more relaxed, giving the impression that he's finally dropped a great weight.
"Are you sure about this? I come with complications."
"Good. I've always loved a challenge." And for the second time, and certainly not the last, their lips touched.
And their hearts, intertwined from the start, beat at a rhythm only the other could match.
Epilogue next:)
A/N- edited!