The summer flew by without anything else happening that was directly towards Harry, Ron or myself. Fred and George opened up the store while the rest of that area went down in flames at the hands of Bellatrix and many other death eaters. The twins started to rack in the money with all of the students and many adults buying things from the store, they tried to re-pay Harry for making all of this happen, but Harry refused to take a penny. The boys started to then give it back to their family, to help pay for books and things that Ron and Ginny would need for school and giving it to their mother, who did not come out of the house very often anymore. Which, after all of the things that have been happen, we can all understand why.
We were all worried that we would be attacked any day because of our connection to Harry and just for having magic powers. I also knew that since I was Muggle born that I would be more likely to have an attack on myself, my parents and James. It scared me knowing that there was no way of protecting him from something when I will be thousands of miles away from them at school. I knew that he would be safe enough in the hands on the Order, but I still had my doubts. Not knowing is and always will be the scariest thing in the world. I know that Fred will take care of him and that he will always be around a magic person for protection, but I just could feel that there would be something wrong. None of us would let one another go just because of fear though, none of us let Harry out of our sights, and we were not going to leave him just because he was a target and we were making ourselves targets.
Fred and I had our last date a few days before school began. He took me to a lake in the middle of no where and set a tent out beside the water and there we laid. Looking up at the stars and naming every consolation that we knew. We counted many of them and we even saw a shooting star fall thought the atmosphere, we both made our wishes and refused to tell one another what we had wished for. I wished that we would be together forever and for good grades this year. He told me that he wished for the store to have good sales while I was gone, though I knew that was a lie. I smiled as Fred held me close to his heart, I tapped on his chest for every time that his heart made a beat. His eyes were closed and there was a weak smile on his face. I started to move my fingers up and down his chest and moved around the lines around his hips. I could see the smile go into a thin line and him biting down on his lip. His eyes were now squeezed tight and I could hear a faint moan from his throat. I moved to his thighs and I could now hear a moan coming from him.
As things started to get hotter and hotter, I knew where we were leading to and really, I wanted and was ready to have sex with Fred. After teasing him for awhile I found myself thrown onto my back with Fred unbuttoning my shirt. He moved from my neck, down to my chest, kissing over both breasts, to my ribs, kissing each one, before reaching my pants line. He looked up at me and gave me a slight smile before sliding my pants off and leaving me in just my under clothes. He moved one hand under my bra and kept the other on my hips, holding me on the ground and kissing me to make sure that I would not moan too loud. Soon there were clothes all around the woods and the two of us found out way into the tent and all around people probably hear loud moans.
The next day we had to leave, Fred had to get back to the store and I had to get all of my things packed for school. We walked through the woods and back to the street where we were supposed to meet up with the group, who had all camped out. They all seemed unimpressed when they saw us walking out and that we were also late. Our hair was matted and we were both wearing Fred's clothes, Fred had on the same shirt from yesterday and I had on his shirt he was supposed to be wearing today. We all grabbed onto the port key and went back to the Weasly house, which I had been staying at most of the summer. We all waited out turn for the shower and when we had all gotten through with that, most of us started to pack besides the twins. Fred went to help out with some Order things while I stayed in my room and packed.
James was sucking on his binkey and I was started to pack all of my uniform things when one of the twins walked into the room. I knew that it was not Fred form the walk that he walked and the way he wore his clothes, it was a little more dressed up then Fred liked to be. He picked up James and held him on the bed and looked from myself to James as if I was supposed to say something. I smiled and kept packing my things up, without saying a word. I knew that I was supposed to spill my heart out to George, but I was going to make him wait. I had gotten down to the clothes that I was wearing, knowing that they would have to be packed sooner or later and that I should give the shirt back to Fred, but I knew that I wouldn't. I sighed and slowly turned to the Weasly twin and starred at him, he looked tired and much more grown up from the first time that I had met him, but still there was no visible difference between Fred and George.
" So. . ." He said softly, rocking James in his arms.
" So." I smiled and moved from the floor to the bottom of the bed.
" He's growing up fast. He starting to look more like you then he does Draco." He smiled when he said that.
" Yes, he is. But is that the real reason why you are here?" I asked.
" No." He smiled a little as my baby fell asleep in his arms. " I wanted to come in here and talk to you I guess. Needed to say a few things before you left for Hogwarts, things that could not wait till Christmas." He said.
" Like. . .?" I questioned.
" Do you truly love Fred?" He asked.
" Yes. Why would you ask?" I asked, not sure if I should be offended.
" Well. . . . I really would if I didn't need to know I guess. It's just that. . .well I know that he truly loves you and that you two are happy together. You are everything to him and he needs you in his life, but it's just that. . . well I mean Ginny found the bracelet and then I found the letter from Draco." He said and I felt my heart sank a little.
" George. . . I will always have a little space in my heart for Draco. It's something that you will never be able to end with your first true love, even you should know that. But I am over him and I know that I am happy with your brother, that I want to be with Fred." I said, trying to explain myself.
" It's good to hear that, but I fear that he will never be over you. I don't want to put my brother, my family or even you in danger for the things that you have been through. I just wanna make sure that he wont hurt you because. . . well from what I've heard Harry and Ron talking about. Well they think that he is a Death Eater." He said.
I started to think over the letter that Draco had given me, all of the things that were on it. All of them started to make since, all of the warning. He was going to be Death Eater and I knew that Harry and Ron were correct. I did not want to believe it because I knew him from a different light, one that no one really knew. I knew Draco for the good man that he was, I knew that he must have been trying to re-gain his fathers pride for him. Draco would never do this, after knowing all of the things that he does about Death Eaters and his own father. He was doing this because he had to and because he wanted to be powerful and make his daddy proud. I knew that it would be better for James to stay here for the year because of the Death Eaters and I had already made plans for James to stay here with Mister and Misses Weasly.
" He is. . . you have read the letter. You know it's true! It's got to be true!" I sighed, looking over at the sleeping child.
" You also must know that Death Eaters don't like anything that is less then pure blooded. . . right?" He asked, the both of us looking at James.
" Yeah. . . I know. But I think that he may be protected because he is a former. . . is a present Death Eater's child and a Death Eaters grandson. I mean that has to count for something. . . right?" I asked.
" Maybe. . . or maybe it's just the opposite and James is on the hit list, you may be on the list too because of your affairs with Draco. None of us really no and well. . ." He looked over at me.
I could feel my heart dropping to the floor. Something that I had created, not really even wanting to or knowing if I would be able to do it has become my true life. I did not know how I would be able to go on without him because of how much he means to me. . . I would never let that baby die, I would never let anything even try to harm him. I knew that with Draco being a Death Eater that he was working to make sure that it would not happen. . . he did love his son. But if he could not stop it, would he chose the side of evil and allow them to kill James, or would he fight? I knew that I would fight for him and if I had to. . . I would die for him, like Lily and James Potter had for Harry, I would for my son, any day. But would many others would be killed for my son, I did not want to see the Death Eaters kill all of my friends and family.
" No. . . I don't want any of you to have to risk your lives for me and my son. . . I do not want to have to even put that on you guys. I guess that I will have to drop out of school. . ." I said softly.
" No! That's why I came in here. We all wanted you to know that we're gonna protect him and protect everyone else around here too. Trust me, we know what we are doing and Fred wouldn't all you to do that anyway. He truly loves you. . . ya know that right?" I smiled and nodded lightly.
" Yes. I really do know that he loves me." I giggled a little.
" Good. So you know that he will not be able to allow you to drop out. . . kinda like we did. But still. . . he's gonna be the one to take care of him mostly, well beside Mum because she seems to think that James is her own son as well. We are all here to help ya out. . . even when we don't get anything in return." He said the last part jokingly. I drabbed onto him softly and hugged him.
Soon after George left then the other twin came in and we stayed there all night with one another. We didn't sleep one bit, him because he was talking to me and telling me all the different things that he was going to teach James while I was gone and be because I did not want to miss one moment away from him. I had the feeling in my stomach when you know that you are going to miss something so much that it makes your whole stomach turn into a horrible knot. His voice soothed the knots, but only a little because I still knew that I would have to go through a whole school year and would only see him twice in that whole year. I had been able to live- only by the help of Fred- with being away from James for that long year, but now I would have to be away from both of my boys. . . it seemed terrible. But like George had said. . . Fred would not allow me to drop out of school. Fred started to talk about all of the different jokes he was going to teach Fred and if he was going to start saying his first words that he would send a letter and photo's the very moment that it happened. It made me smile knowing that James would have someone like him to be able to have around.
" You know you should probably get some sleep before the morning." He said, one arm holding James closely to him and the other one around my body and play with my hair.
" No. . . I can sleep all the way to school. I want to spend this time with you and James." I smiled.
" Fine, but you will be so sore and tired that you will barley be able to crawl onto that train." He kissed my forehead lightly.
Fred was correct about one thing, he knew that I would barley be able to move onto the train and he was so right,. It felt like Ron had to grab me onto the train because all I wanted to do was kiss Fred and hold onto James the whole time. I did not want to step onto a train with Draco. . . did not want to be able to see his dark mark and to know what true evil looks like. I just wanted to stay in that moment with him and to know that they both are safe. I took one last breath of Fred in and got into an open trolley cart on the side of the train where I could see them and started to wave. Fred was waving for himself and for James by waving his small little arms. I smiled until we moved away from the train station and then only looked out the window and cried a little, knowing what was going to be ahead of me. I was upset and wanted to just run for Fred and James and all of the Weasly's. But knew differently.
" Goodbye." I said to myself.
" What's wrong with her?" Ron asked to Harry.
" Shut up. Just shut up." Harry replied and wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into him.
I thought that it would be best for me to just walk around and get some air away from Harry and Ron, who were talking non-stop about Draco. I knew where all of the Slytherin's liked to sit on the train and I knew that it was one place that I would not go to. Thankfully it was on the other side of the train. I moved through all of the different sections, said my hello's to all of my tried and follow members of the army. They all seemed to be pleased that we were back in school and all could tel that I was upset by the missing member. They all left me to wonder the halls alone until I found someone that I did not want to see, he just seemed to be following me until I got into a corner that I knew I would not be able to get out of without seeing him. I knew that it was a terrible idea but I knew that I would have to face up to him. It was better to just get it over with now instead of waiting till the full school year began.
" Is it true?" He asked darkly.
" What?" I said, not turning to him.
" You're dating him?" He said, not saying Fred's name.
" Yep. What about you? Is it true what they are saying about you?" I asked, turning the table.
" What are they saying?" He asked, sounding scared.
" You know what they are saying. Like father like son." I turned to him slowly, facing the blond hair and the hurt eyes. " Tell me that you aren't working with him." I asked.
" Of course I am! He chose me and I need to do this or I would have died!" He said, looking down at the floor. " Not like he really wants me to live through this anyway- Hermione. . . he wants me to die as punishment for my father." He said.
" Why did you come here. I got your letter you know, I thought that I was supposed to stay away from you. That you would never do anything anymore." I said almost hatefully. Almost being the main word.
" I couldn't stay away from you. I know that I will die within the year and I mean, I want to make sure that I have your face memorized, that I have your smile etched into my mind and to make sure that you know that I am doing all of this to protect you. You and James." He said, still not looking from the ground.
" Why?" I asked, trying to connect with his eyes.
" You know why." He smiled lightly.
" Tell me." I said softly.
" Because I do and always will love you." He finally looked me in the eyes. " But do you still love me. Tell me once and for all Hermione. Do you love me more or do you love Fred Weasly more? Which one would you rather be with? Because if you say that it is him. . . I really do not know what I will do." He whispered, dropping his eyes.
