"Wait Mione?" George asked.
"Yeah what is it?" she asked turning. He slowly walked to her gathering his bravery. He knew that he was supposed to give Fred his time with her but he wanted Hermione to prefer him more. He slowly closed the door behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He took a breath still trying to gain every bit of his courage. She had talked about Fred being more possessive with Ginny when it came to their intimate life. She had sounded like she had liked that more.
"George what is it?" she asked. He ran his fingers through her hair before his mouth crashed against hers. Hermione made a surprised noise before slowly beginning to push him away. He was hugging her a bit too tight, and his mouth had crashed against hers so hard it had crushed her bottom lip against her teeth.
"George stop… George." She pushed him back. She smiled despite the pain in her mouth. "What's gotten into you?" she asked her fingers going to her lips to see if they were bleeding.
"Uhm… nothing… just felt the need to… I don't know…" he backed up blushing. "Sorry." She walked to him with a smile and kissed him gently.
"I'll see you tomorrow okay?" she asked. He slowly nodded. "Are you sure your okay?"
"Mhm." He said with a nod that moved a little too quickly. Hermione eyed him for a moment with a small smile before she laughed quietly.
"Okay well… Sleep well."
"Yeah… yeah I will." He said as he watched her leave again. "I'm just not the possessive type…" he said to himself before something snapped in his mind. She hadn't reacted well to it not at all.
Means she prefers my way over his…
Hermione walked up the stairs and began searching for Fred to say good night. After the first six rooms she reached the last one an old bedroom. No one was staying on this floor for it had yet to be clean. She wondered how dusty the room Fred was in was. The others were caked. She slowly pushed open the door to find that unlike the other rooms this one was clean. It was a bedroom with all black color schemes. Fred must have been using the room as an escape. She walked in slowly and looked around as she reached the middle of the room.
"Fred?" she asked.
"Hello love." She turned to see the man in question. She smiled.
"Hey I came to say goodnight. I'll be staying in my own room with Gin."
"You heading there now?" he asked walking to her.
"Yeah." she said.
"Really? Because I was hoping to spend some time with you."
"Well I'm not too tired…" she said with a shrug figuring he wanted to talk.
"Oh good…" he walked to the door and shut it. Hermione looked around the room and then walked to a small leather bound book that sat on an antique dresser. It was old and raggedy nearly falling apart. The initials PW was on it. "Hand me down from Perce…" he said. "But it works to write my ideas down… I'll have my own someday." He said with a smile.
"Does George have one too?"
"Nah he plans all in his head. He's good at keeping things straight I need to write them down…" he tilted his head as his eyes took her in slowly. He smiled to himself, she looked good in the tight pair of jeans she was wearing. "Let's not talk about George though..."
"Alright… What do you want to talk about?" she asked flipping through the pages with interest.
"Don't so much want to talk." He said moving up behind her. Hermione tilted her head as she looked at a formula for a potion.
"Then what do you want to do?" Fred pulled her hair to the side and kissed her neck while wrapping his arms around her, bringing her close to him. Hermione's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't expected the suddenly contact at all. She turned quickly, Fred lifted her up onto the dresser his mouth crashing against hers. It wasn't like when George had tried where it had hurt instead she felt a lot of passion while with George she could tell he was nervous. She set her hands on his shoulders.
"Fred…" Hermione said as she pushed him back slightly.
"No talking…" he said huskily as he kissed her once more.
"Fred we can't." she said. "What about George…"
"Don't worry about him." he said as he ran his fingers through her hair. His mouth moved against hers easily. He felt her legs wrap around his waist. He smiled as he stood and lifted her up her arms draped lazily around his neck. He walked over to the bed clad in black sheets and laid her back. Hermione's eyes snapped open realizing what they were doing. They hadn't even gone on their date yet and here he was snogging her like before. Her eyes slowly drifted close when she felt his hand slowly start to move up her leg. His other hand moved down from her hair to her neck and then over her breast.
"Fred no." she suddenly said pushing him back and rolling out from under him and standing.
"What's wrong love?" he asked already knowing the answer.
"Well George for one. This isn't fair to him. us doing this behind his back…" she said straightening out her clothes as she watched Fred stand.
"But it was fine for you two too last night behind mine?" she looked to him.
"We we're on a date which you knew about…"
"This could be a date." He said trying to be charming and a little irritated. It was so obvious she liked George more than him.
"A date in a bedroom? What kind of girl do you think I am Fred?"
"The kind of girl who jumps a bloke in a secret room and pumps him for information over a prank…" Hermione stared at him for a long moment. She wasn't sure why but his words had hurt her feelings. Did he really think that about her? Fred's face fell at the realization of what he had just said. "Mione I didn't-."
"I have to go Fred…" she said walking out and shutting the door. She walked down the stairs with each step she got more and more upset.
"Hey Mione…" George said with a smile. She looked to him.
"Oh my god…" she whispered staring at him.
"What?" he asked. He too had just somewhat pounced on her before. "Love?"
He expected me to… so did Fred…
George watched as she silently moved past him and then rushed down the hallway. He slowly looked up the stairs and stopped.
"Fred…" he muttered feeling anger. He rushed up the stairs and to the room where Fred was sitting on a bed his hair ruffled. "What the hell did you do?"
"I know… I upset her… I snapped at her George."
"You snapped at Hermione? Three days after her parents funereal and you snap at her?"
"We were snogging and she stopped me… said it wasn't fair to you and I said something along the lines of oh but it was fair of you two to do so on your date. She told me that it was in fact a date… so I said we could have one in here."
"Honestly Fred a date in a bedroom?" George asked.
"That's what she said… fallowed with what kind of girl do you think I am… which I snapped at her with the kind of girl… who… jumps random blokes in secret rooms to pump them for information… over… a … prank." He felt suddenly very guilty.
"So you basically called the girl a whore?"
"You two…" they turned to see Ginny. She walked to George and let her hand fly across his cheek. She then walked to Fred and did the same thing. "Are gits…" with that she stormed off.
"Great now you've dragged me into his!" George said before leaving himself.
"Good on you Fred." He said to himself.
-o-
Hermione came down to breakfast the next day to find the twins waiting. Luckily Ginny was by her side, they sat on the edge with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny sat down next to her so the twins couldn't. She could tell they were going to sit across from her but then Harry and Ron walked in and sat down across from her instead.
"So what's the plan today?" Harry asked.
"I have to close out the old house today." Hermione said. Her words made Fred and George feel even worse.
Wait why the bloody hell do I feel bad its Fred's fault! George glared at his brother.
"Want help?" Harry asked.
"Oh you guys don't have too."
"Nah we want to." Ron said.
"Fred George will have to come with us we'll need two other order members just to be on the safe side." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Great." Ginny drawled.
"Why the tone?" Mrs. weasley asked.
"Just tired I guess." Ginny said.
"Hungry Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"No but thank you kindly…"
"At least have some juice." Hermione smiled at her surrogate mother who handed it over.
-o-
Hermione slowly stepped out of the chimney. They had flooed to the old house. She walked over to the light and switched everything on. As she did she could practically hear the screaming? Her eyes slowly rested on the carpet which had a rusty stain that hadn't been there before.
"Oh good the power is still on." Mrs. Weasley said as she and Ginny walked out of the chimney next. They both froze. As did the others when they arrived. Their eyes drifted down to the carpet which Hermione was staring at. There was a huge red blob on it.
"Blood…" Hermione said. "Guess it's a hard stain to get rid of." She said quietly with a shrug. Instantly it faded with a wave of Mrs. Weasley's wand.
"Hermione…" she said softly.
"So I've never closed out a house… what do we do first?" she asked turning quickly and with a brave face. Mrs. Weasley slowly nodded knowing Hermione didn't want to Dwell.
"You go through the house and pick out the things you want to keep… I brought this for you." Fred and George carried over a trunk. "It's a hope chest extended you can put no limit to the amount of things in here whatever you want you put here."
"I think I know what goes in there first." Hermione said with a smile. "My mom's china she wanted me to have it." Mrs. weasley nodded and levitated the chest into the kitchen.
"I'll start wrapping it start magically packing away anything you have a 24 hour permit to do so." Mrs. Weasley called. "You all do to just for packing though!"
"Shucks." Ron said making Hermione smile.
"So what do you want packed?" Harry asked as Hermione conjured tons of boxes.
"Uhm… the pictures…" she said as tissue paper stacked it by the different portraits. "You get the ones down here I'll get the things up stairs." She said with a small smile as she headed up the stairs.
As she did her wand was pointed, the pictures flew off the wall and up into a box waiting at the top of the stairs. Fred and George had watched her carefully before doing what had been asked. By the time she got through the first bedroom two boxes had been filled with pictures alone. Hermione decided to take a break and slowly walked into her parents' bedroom. She slowly pushed open the door and stared out at a stale looking room. She tilted her head, before her parents room had been vibrant with the floral wall paper and bright linans, but despite the colors that were still present everything felt different.
Felt dead. She moved into the room each step feeling like lead. Her eyes drifted closed as a familier scent filled her senses. A small smile spread over her lips as she fallowed it to the closet. She opened the double doors and took one of her mother's old sweaters in her hand.
"Jasmine… mums perfume…" she said to herself softly. "Such a classy scent for a classy lady…" she heard some one walk in and turned to see Ginny.
"What can I help you pack up in here?" she asked.
"The pictures… I'll get the most important thing."
"What's the most important thing?" Hermione smiled softly before reaching under the bed and bringing out an old red oak chest. She slowly opened it and reached inside to pull out a long vintage wedding gown. "Oh merlin… it's beautiful." Ginny said walking over.
"My mom hoped I would where it on my own wedding day… this chest has everything she wanted me to really have. Her wedding dress. Her first pair of heels… her prized jewelry… including her pearls… also all her journals…" Hermione held the dress to her body as she sat down. "You know she was my age when she met my dad… they were school mates."
"Really?" Ginny asked sitting beside her.
"Yeah she said that she hated him the first time she saw him." they laughed. "But then she saw him in the library one day reading a book. And I guess he had the smallest smile playing his features and she fell in love with him right there. In the moment she was admiring him he looked up and sparks flew for him as well… she said it was the happiest moment in her life because in that moment she realized that he was the man she was going to marry." Hermione looked down at the white fabric. "It's weird to think she won't be there for my marriage… she won't be here for anything…" Ginny watched Hermione's face flash with pain.
She slowly shook the feeling creeping through her and put the dress back in the box and casting it down stairs to be set in the new hope chest. Hermione walked to her mother's bed side and grabbed the rosary laying on it. She slowly wrapped it around her hand like a bracelet. As she walked down the stairs a loud door bell sounded. Hermione walked to the door and opened it.
"Hermione…" a kind accented voice came.
"Who's that?" Ginny asked not recognizing the voice.
"Viktor." Hermione said with a laugh. "What are you doing here?"
"Viktor?" Ron asked his face going red. Everyone watched as the tall muscular Bulgarian came in Hermione's arms wrapped around him while he laughed.
"I came here to see you of course!" he said as she jumped back. "Quite a welcome it was."
"Sorry I'm just so excited to see you and surprised."
"Good this was my biggest wish… I come bearing gift." He pulled out a bouquet of sunflowers.
That fiend… of course he knows they're her favorite! George thought his blood boiling.
What a time to be in the dog house with your girlfriend… Fred reflected.
"Oh Viktor you shouldn't have." She said taking them.
"Yes I should haf… I missed the service of your parents. This was not right of me."
"You were injured I understood." She said.
"I've come to make it up. I was told you would be here for short window I have been bestowed with luck at catching you here." He said with a smile.
"Oh hello." They all turned to see Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh Viktor let me introduce to my surrogate mother Mrs. Weasley…" Viktor walked over to her hand and kissed the back of it with a bow.
"Why do you look so familiar to me dear?" she asked.
"He's' on Rons walls." Fred drawled un impressed he was an Irish fan after all.
"Viktor Krum Mrs. Weazley… so good to meet you." he said with a smile and a quick nod.
"The seeker, how good it is to meet you." She said with a smile.
"I do not wish to be a rude man but I was hoping to borrow Hermione…" he said. "We haf much to catch up on you see." He said.
"Oh uhm…" looked to Hermione who did look quite sullen. "Of course." She said. Fred and George gaped at their mother.
"We just have to Finnish packing up a few things." Hermione said.
"May I be of assistance?" he asked shrugging off his coat. George gaped while Fred stared. You could practically see the muscles under the brown tight cashmere sweater he wore. The twins took a look down at themselves.
We have beater builds… They both thought.
"Oh you don't have to do anything…" Hermione said.
"Yeah why don't you just take a load off." Fred said moving his arms across his chest. Hermione glared at the twin.
"Please I would very much like to help." Viktor said.
"You can help move the boxes from upstairs down here." Hermione said with a shrug.
"Of course." He said. The two headed up the stairs together much to the twins dismay.
"Feeling pretty bad now aren't you?" Ginny asked the twins while Ron and Harry headed into the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley. "You know… I don't mean to make you uneasy…" she stopped. "Actually I really do… Hermione and Viktor had something really special. Something he messed up but she's told me many times that if given the opportunity and if he really apologized to her and made it up she would take him back in a second. What he did to her was nothing compared to what you two pulled… Let the games begin. I wish Viktor luck." With that Ginny walked away.
"If we don't get her back… I'll bludgeon you." George said to Fred.
"She's not that angry with us George."
"Not us she's upset with you and is just projecting it on me because I look like you." He said walking off bumping him as he did.
"Crap." Fred muttered.
-o-
Hermione smiled as she walked into her bedroom where boxes were stacked by her clothes, books and photos.
"It's how I remember it being." She turned to see Viktor at the door frame. She smiled at him. "You were always fond of lafander." He said motioning to the colored walls.
"The color not the person." She said making him laugh.
"Wappy girl I remember this very vell." He said with a smile as he walked in. "How are you doing?"
"Me?" she asked sitting down at the edge of her bed. "I'm dealing…" she said. "And by dealing I mean-."
"Falling apart." He said.
"Basically." She said. "But I am happy to see you."
"I was worried you would not feel this way." He said.
"Viktor we write to each other every week."
"Yes but we haf not seen each other sense… Well sense that night." Hermione slowly nodded.
"What a night it was."
"Indeed…" he said. "I am…" he stopped. "This is not time. I know that and still my mouth runs how you say mucky." She smiled.
"Runs a muck."
"This is what I say." She laughed lightly while he smiled.
"Good I haf made you laugh I vill continue to do this!" She laughed more. "Look at that I should become stand up funny man." She smiled brightly up at him. Viktor smiled before walking to her desk and stopping. His eyes fell on a small sunflower pendant. "You kept it." he said holding it up.
"Of course… I wear it often when I'm home. I didn't get to take it to school with me because well I wasn't allowed to come back here… seeing as it was an official ministry scene."
"When I heard." He stopped. Again mouth runs mucky."
"No please… let your mucky mouth run." He smiled and turned. He slowly walked to her and sat down.
"I had such fear when I heard of the attack on your home." He said looking to her. "I was crippled." He looked to her. "I wish to speak of this later…" he said "When we spend time together tonight. I thought we'd go to our special place."
"That sounds lovely." She said with a smile. He cast the boxes away to the place where Hermione had told him all the boxes were going. "Shall we be off then?"
"I'd actually like to go back to where I'm staying and change if you wouldn't mind."
"I will stay here." He said with a smile.
"Oh no not here… It could still be… Well it could have death eaters watching it."
"Then I will meet you at special place."
"Good." She said.
"I vill head to my place of staying and change as well… I vill see you there at 5?"
"Sounds good." He smiled at her and waved before walking out of the room. Hermione stared forward.
I hope Fred and George don't make a big deal this isn't a date. Just a friendly time between friends. Viktor is a friend a close friend. He knew before anyone else about my parents. We have history but that's just what it is… history long and done with.
Viktor came down the stairs with a smile.
"How'd it go?" Ginny asked.
"Very vell, I vill be seeing her tonight." He said. "Thank you for writing to me to where you would be. I haf been wanting to make things right for some time."
"Any time." Viktor pulled on his jacket and turned to the twins.
"As for you two… I hope you like competition." They gaped at the Bulgarian as he walked out the front door with a pep to his step."
"What the hell Ginny!" Fred said gaping at her.
"You guys really pissed me off last night." She said with a shrug.
"It wasn't me it was him!" George said pointing at his twin. "I'm just the sorry bastard who looks like him!" Hermione came down the stairs before the twins could say anything the others walked in.
"Every things been sent away to the burrow." Harry said. Hermione nodded.
"Good then we can go… nothing else to do here." Hermione said.
"I didn't know you were the religious type?" Harry said taking in the rosary draped around her wrist.
"Oh I'm not my mum was… she would want me to wear it for protection…" they all nodded. "Shall we be off then?" she asked. They all nodded.
-o-
Hermione smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing skinny black jeans and a white lace top which had bows at the princess capped sleeves. She slipped into her white ballet flats and then started on her hair. She heard a knock and tilted her head wondering who it was.
"Come in." she called. She heard two sets of feet come in and shut the door.
"Getting quite spruced up aren't we?" Fred asked.
"Nope… We're just going to a nice place and I don't want to look like a Raga muffin." She said being completely honest.
"So you're going on a date?" George said.
"No…" she said. "Just a quiet dinner between two old friends."
"Two exes you mean…" Fred said.
"No two old friends…" she corrected turning. "Besides if it was a date you wouldn't get a say in whether I went or not." Fred's face went red.
"Of course we do. Hermione we had a small spat we didn't break up!"
"Until Ron knows and everyone knows in Gryffindor tower there would be nothing to break up. As long as I'm a secret we're not exclusive… luckily for you I'm still a loyal Gryffindor so tonight isn't a date…"
"But it would be if you didn't have us." George said looking to the bouquet of sunflowers on her vanity.
"Yes…" she said quietly.
"Look does it help that I'm sorry about what I said I didn't mean-."
"To snap at me just because you didn't get lucky and George did the night before on our nice lovely romantic date?" she asked Fred. "Which is not what's going to happen tonight between Vic and I."
"You call him Vic?" Fred said.
"Sometimes." Hermione said.
"I don't like this at all." George said starting to freak out.
"Guys." She said with a soft expression. "It's not a date you have nothing to worry about… I'm still angry at you both though so don't think your off the hook because I'm passing up Viktor."
"Why are you angry with me! It's him who yelled and snapped at you and insinuated that you were whorish! Which I don't think at all by the way!" George said snapping himself.
"Really then why did you try to jump me in the bedroom before I went to see Fred?"
"That was…" he stopped. "Okay that was wrong of me."
"Yep." She said putting earrings in.
"Hermione…" Fred said.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I'm sorry Mione…"
"I appreciate that… But you hurt my feelings last night Fred… you both did… "
"And I feel really bad." Fred said.
"We feel really bad." George added.
"Well so did I." she said turning to gaze at them they really weren't getting it. "The only reason I jumped you two in that secret room was because I was too tired to fight you two on what the charm was and not to mention I had just lost my parents okay I was really messed up in my head. I hadn't slept in weeks… I wasn't thinking clearly. Not to mention I craved human contact anything to make me feel something other than tired sad and suicidal." With every word they felt worse and worse. While with Hermione each word she spoke brought her more realization. Fred and George could see the wheels turning in her eyes and they didn't like it at all. "I have to go see Viktor I need to get things straight in my head before I make a decision…"
"A decision on what love?" George asked.
"I started not one relationship but two in little less than a month after my parents died… relationships can't be built on something like that can they?" she asked in honesty as she grabbed a black fitted velvet blazer.
"Yes yes they can." Fred said catching her arm.
"I have to go I'm sorry." She said before leaving quickly the door slamming slightly behind her.
"Damn it!" George kicked the desk that rested in the room so hard it moved a foot to the right.
"Crap." Fred muttered.
"This is all your bloody fault!" George said.
"Don't blame this on me you git! You tried to jump her too!"
"At least I didn't call her a whore."
"I didn't call her a whore!" Fred defended.
"You insinuated it!"
"What is going on in here?" Ginny asked.
"Nothing!" they yelled at her before rushing off.
-o-
Hermione walked out of the chimney at the double aces bar in middle brook. She walked through the wizarding bar and out into the brisk night air. She pulled on her jacket as she slowly walked through the streets passing muggles and wizards alike. Her mind was buzzing with the memory of her latest spat with the twins. She knew she shouldn't have stormed off but she couldn't help it. The stress she was feeling was crippling.
"Hermione you came." She smiled at the Bulgarian voice as she turned to see Viktor.
"Hey…" he walked to her and hugged her tightly. Her eyes drifted closed at the familiar feeling.
"We're you waiting for me?" she as she reluctantly pulled away.
"Of course. You did always walk this way, didn't want pretty voman to walk these streets all by herself."
"Probably a good idea." She said eyeing the few drunk muggles walking around.
"Shall we then?" he asked.
"I think we shall." Like a gentleman he lent his arm for her to take which she gladly did.
"I'm glad you decided to come out tonight with me…"
"Viktor… I want to make this clear… tonight is…"
"Nothing more but dinner between vrends…" he said with a nod. "I understand…" she smiled.
"I knew you would."