Hermione was barely out of the floo fire when a hand grabbed her and pulled her into the room. Hermione stumbled into Grimmauld Place's main sitting room, into which bright sunlight was shining off of the forest green walls, giving Hermione the brief impression of being pulled into the glade where the Quidditch World Cup took place.

"What the—"

Someone steadied Hermione, who was looking around the room, confused by the expectant look Ron was giving her as well as the nervous look Harry was shooting her way from over Teddy's turquoise head. She turned her head and was faced with a beaming Ginny, whose hair, up in a big bun, was giving her a copper halo that made her beaming face look all the more psycho.

"Hi," said Hermione cautiously. "Someone was eager for me to—"

"YOU FANCY GEORGE?" Ginny shrieked happily.

Hermione cringed, absolutely sure her eardrum had just burst. But as the words sunk in, she whirled around to face the others.

"HARRY!" Hermione bellowed. Teddy's eyes, already wide from his adoptive mother's exclamation, started to water. "Oh baby," she said quietly as she hurried forward. "Oh honey, come here. Aunty Hermione is sorry she scared you." She picked up the eighteen-month old and started to bounce him gently. "Who's the most gorgeous boy I know? Who is he?" Teddy began to grin and babble happily at her.

Ginny, who had been practically vibrating in the effort to not shriek, burst into speech, now that the baby was once again calm. "So do you?"

"Harry," Hermione said, ignoring Ginny's question, "how long did you hold out before you told her?"

"A fortnight," said Harry, who was shielding his face partially with a couch cushion.

"And how long did it take him to tell you?" Hermione asked the surprisingly quiet Ron.

"Two weeks and one day, which I'm still insulted by because I'm your best mate, so I should have been told first."

"Yes, but I shag him," replied Ginny with a saucy grin.

Ron grimaced. "Can you not? I love you both, but you're my sister and ugh. Just, new topic."

"Okay. Hermione shagging George!" said Ginny with an excited grin.

"UGH! GINNY!" both boys shouted, covering their ears quickly. "She's like our sister," said Harry. Ginny just cackled happily.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "There's no need to protect your delicate sensibilities," she said. "I can assure you that no one is shagging anyone. He doesn't even have a clue that I fancy him."

"Really? Because Harry is pretty slow on this stuff, and he noticed!" Ginny said, ignoring her boyfriend's loud "Oi!"

"Honestly, even if he did notice, it's like you or Lee liking him." There was a loud chorus of "eww" noises and several shudders of disgust. "C'mon! I don't mean that! I mean he probably just thinks of me like a sister or something, which is why he probably wouldn't notice because I'm his best friend. Which just makes everything so much harder."

"Are you sure, Hermione?" asked Ron. "I mean, it's not like I exactly want to think about it because he's my brother and all, but he always seems like he's flirting with you."

"Yeah, he really does. And he's always hugging you or touching you or ruffling your hair. And you hate when people mess with your hair," said Harry.

"I learned that one the hard way," muttered Ron, rubbing the top of his right hand. "Why don't you smack him for it?"

"Because she fancies him, you dolt." Ginny shook her head and gave Hermione an exasperated look that so clearly said can you believe what I have to put up with?

"Can I ask another odd thing?" asked Harry.

"I'm afraid to say 'okay' since the last thing you asked me led to this…what is this, by the way? An intervention for me fancying your brother or…?" Hermione said warily. Ginny laughed.

"Does Lee fancy you? I know you guys were never close before but it seems like you two are really close now," said Harry, seeming uncomfortable with all these men supposedly fancying his almost-sister.

Hermione laughed. "No, Lee doesn't fancy me. We've become good friends since I started working at the shop. Actually, when I got there, he waged a prank war on me that drove me absolutely off the wall, and I was always screaming at him. When he slipped me that blushing pill and I was turning horrifically red around George, I was mortified and I lost it at him and started accusing him of trying to run me out of the store, because honestly, I was kind of worried that he was trying to make me so furious that I'd quit."

"Is that when you punched him?" cut in Ron.

"Yeah, and he told me that he wasn't trying to do that. He said he was trying to test me to make sure I'd work well with George and him." Hermione decided not to mention what he had said about Fred; that was something personal between Lee and herself. "And he said he thought I'd be perfect for George, but I think he was just saying that because I was upset that George would figure it out and reject me or something."

"Maybe it would be good if he knew. Maybe he wouldn't reject you," said Ginny hopefully.

"And maybe he would!" said Hermione loudly, her voice shaking slightly. She felt the baby, who had been dozing off in her arms, start from the noise. She lowered her voice. "And he's become one of my best friends, and he's told me I'm his, well, besides Lee. What would happen then? He'd probably be uncomfortable, and I know I'd be miserable because he'd probably try and be nice still, but it would be unbearable and I'd have to quit, and I love working there! And where could I go then? Back to the Ministry? I was miserable there and—"

Harry stood, took Teddy from her, and handed him off to Ginny. He turned to Hermione and wrapped her in a big hug. "Shhh," he whispered quietly and he rubbed circles into her back. "It's okay. Your secret is safe with us." Hermione snorted, and Harry laughed.

He let her go, but Ron was right there to give her a big hug as well. "You know, 'Mione, I'm not great at dealing with people dating my siblings," said Ron, shooting Harry a fake glare, which made Ginny and Hermione laugh, "but honestly, I actually do think you and George would be brilliant together. And I wish he'd stop being a dunce so he could see that too."

"Thanks Ron," Hermione whispered into his neck, as she rested her head against him. He gave her another reassuring squeeze before they broke apart.

"Honestly, Hermione," said Ginny, now passing off the dozing child to his adopted father, "I think he does like you." Hermione snorted again. "Stop that. I do! I think he likes you a lot, but he doesn't really realize it. Like with Harry and me."

"So in that scenario, I'm you, which means I pine after him for four years before he even notices me. Great," Hermione said sarcastically as she dropped into a spot on the couch next to Ron, who was laughing.

"I was trying to be supportive, you jerk," said Ginny, chucking a pillow at Hermione's head and successfully making her mark (she wasn't a professional Chaser for nothing). "What I was saying is that you need to take your own advice – get out there, date other guys, try and not just get hung up on him. It worked for me." She leaned over and kissed her smiling boyfriend. Hermione and Ron pretended to be disgusted.

.

.

.

It was drawing towards six the Friday after Hermione's friends had all found out her no-longer-secret crush, and it had been a nice quiet day around the shop. Hermione had spent most of the day sitting on the counters and talking with George, who was now hurrying from the upstairs section, where he had been helping a customer reach one of the pranks that had started flying up towards the ceiling.

"Can you close up shop tonight, 'Mione? I have to leave early."

"Sure. Where are you off to?"

"I've got a date," George said with a bright grin.

Hermione felt her newly-lead-filled stomach plummet through her body and smash through the floor. "Really?" she squeaked.

"Yeah. Her name's Seraphina. Isn't that a cool name?

"Yeah," said Hermione weakly. "Very cool."

"Alright," he said as he looked around, making sure he had everything he needed. "Thanks so much Hermione. You're the best. I'm so lucky to have you." He swooped down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek and a squeeze on the shoulder before he ran towards the back. She could hear his feet clambering up the stairs that led to his flat above the shop.

Hermione put her head down against the cool countertop. Now she knew why it was called "having a crush." Because being around that person constantly, and having everything you want being so close you can almost taste it, but yet so impossibly far out of your reach, and watching that person go off without you, into someone else's arms, completely oblivious to your feelings about them, was like taking your heart, placing it in a mortar and pressing and crushing and grinding it down with a pestle until there was absolutely nothing left.

.

.

.

Lee was just closing up the shop and making sure everything was locked properly, when a silver otter swam in the window, paddling lazily on its back before ending, floating before him. He nodded at it, and Hermione's tearful voice suddenly filled the back room.

Lee. I can't take this. He has me closing up shop because he's going on a date with some priss named Seraphina.

There was a pause.

She's probably not a priss. She's probably very nice. She just has kind of a prissy name but that's probably more her mum's fault than hers. And she's probably tall and gorgeous and smart and bloody perfect for him and ugh, Hermione groaned. I just can't take this, Lee. It's bollocks.

There was another pause. It was so long that he has thought the message was over, but then there was a sniffle and her voice had started again. She sounded more tearful, and her voice was higher, quieter. He imagined a much younger, more vulnerable Hermione saying these words, not the strong fighter he had seen in the War.

I'm sorry I sent this to you. I'm not really sure why I did. I suppose because I don't talk about this to anyone else. Well, Harry and Ron and Ginny know, but…you're the only one I could say this to without being judged. I dunno.

There was a sigh, then a little hiccup of a sob.

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sent this. I shouldn't have bothered you. This day is just...just…bloody awful. I need a drink. Or seven. Anyways, I'm sorry. Just…just ignore this message.

The little otter did a few cute flips before fading into mist, and then nothing. Lee stared at the place it had just been, thinking about all he had heard. He pressed his lips together hard, trying to not let the emotions get to him. He knew how she was feeling. God, did he know those feelings. He absolutely knew what it was like to love someone and love someone and watch them be with someone else. Be happy with someone else. And Merlin, had he wished he could have had someone to just be there for him. Not to say anything comforting or "helpful." Just to be there and nod their head and go, "It's such a wretched feeling, isn't it?" And dammit, he was going to be that person for Hermione, even if it brought up things he didn't want to face. Because she would never admit that she needed that person, just like how he had never admitted it.

He had an inkling of where she would go if she was going to get that drink. Lee turned on his heel, and with a crack!, he disapperated.