What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm going to try with a little help from my friends
The Beatles "With a Little Help From My Friends"
"They're off again." Hermione commented with a sigh. It had been like this all night. The pack would just run. They had brought down a few animals together, but they hadn't broken any of George's rules. They'd had fun chasing Hermione and Fred for a bit before the two had gotten tired and retired back to the hollow.
"We should find a way to bottle that energy up. We'd make more off of that than we do of energy potions." Fred stretched and his back popped. He groaned and laid back down. Hermione snuggled against his furry side and ducked her head in closer to her body. It was cold.
"I'm rather amazed at how well the entire thing is going, actually." Fred mused after a moment. "I expected a lot more disobedience."
"I think a wolves natural longing for a pack mixed with the need to obey an alpha is working far better than we planned."
"See? No one can resist Weasley Twin charm." Hermione chortled and shook her head before growing quiet. She had something serious to discuss.
"So, I didn't ask earlier, but are you alright? I thought Charles was going to get you for a moment there." Fred shrugged and laid his head on his paws.
"It's cool. It doesn't faze me." Hermione would have clucked her tongue if she could have. She settled for shaking her head.
"That wasn't the first time it's happened. Was it?"
"No." Fred said evasively. Hermione sighed.
"The pain seemed worse this time." Fred shrugged dismissively and Hermione narrowed her large eyes. "You know I won't tell anyone what you tell me, or judge you, right?"
"I know that," Fred told the ground, "but it's still hard to talk sometimes. It might be a boy thing or just a me thing. I'm used to only telling George my problems. This isn't something I can tell him so I've pretty much repressed all the werewolf stuff."
"Then confide to me and I'll return the favor if need be."
Fred blinked and turned his head a little to look at her with a smirk. "I'm not sure I can."
"Then talk really fast," Hermione said. "I know it sounds silly, but if you get it all out at once, it doesn't hurt as much. The relief comes sooner that way. It makes it not seem so impossible to talk about."
"The first time he transformed George had me in his mouth before he realized who I was. After that he wouldn't stay near me for three transformations. He thinks he really scared me, which he did, but I was so scared he would get hurt or in danger without me around. If he had hurt me George would never have forgiven himself. I'm sure it would tear Rover apart as well. I think harming anyone period would tear him apart. Did you know he went for a week without sleep working on those teeth charms?"
"The ones that don't allow the chewer to bite things?" Fred nodded his furry head.
"Yes. He wouldn't stop until he perfected it and then he just passed out. Lavender threatened to separate me from my balls if I ever let him do that again." He gave a barking laugh. "Like I can control him."
Hermione hooted her agreement. "He is stubborn, isn't he?"
"Yes." Fred nodded his head. He looked back over his shoulder and grinned. "When did you start snogging him? He told me he wasn't going to because he was scared he'd go too far."
Hermione shook her head and stared at Fred warily. "First, you will stop discussing where George has gotten with me as of right now. Secondly, you didn't think I'd let that stand, did you?"
Fred shook his head and stretched his legs out. "How long till they drop? A half hour?"
"Roughly."
Fred nodded his head and pushed himself up. "Merlin it's colder out here than Umbridge's heart. We need heating pellets next time. Remind me of that? We should probably start getting their blankets and clothes ready." Fred considered the middle of the hallow before tilting his head. "Maybe a fire too?"
"No." Hermione stood up and stretched her tired wings. "Warming spells are far less noticeable."
"Of course." Fred grinned and the dup trotted off towards their packed belongings. The night was almost over.
-o-o-o-
George woke up to a pounding headache and the feel of something soft being placed on top of him. His eyes snapped open and he barred his teeth in a snarl before recognizing Hermione's wide, blinking eyes looking back at him.
Oops.
"Hermione?" He mumbled, his mouth cotton dry and, of course, covered in fur. Blurgh.
Hermione smiled sweetly and brushed a bit of his hair out of his eyes. She offered him a cup of water to rinse his mouth out which he took quite happily. "Everyone is here and accounted for. I've taken care of the injuries and Fred has cast warming spells on everyone so that you won't freeze. Just rest. We'll take everyone back to their houses."
"Don' 'ave to." George mumbled, but he was already falling asleep again. Hermione chuckled softly and shook her head.
"Georgie, when will you learn we want to?"
-o-o-o-
"I think we should wake him. It's been two hours."
"No. And put that pen down. You're not poking him again."
"Guys," George mumbled, "I'm awake. Fred. Don't poke me."
Fred laughed and Hermione started as George forced his eyes open. Fred was to his right, but George hardly noticed him. Hermione was sitting in front of him with a smile, her hair loose and falling around her shoulders in a very alluring wave of curls. She was wearing a sweater that was several sizes too big and hung off one shoulder hap-hazardously. It had a large 'F' at its center in a bright orange yarn. It was George's Christmas sweater.
She looked really good in his clothes.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Georgie!" Fred piped cheerfully. "Are you feeling peachy? Anything that needs to be taken care of immediately?"
George swallowed thickly and Hermione shoved a glass of some sort of dark liquid under his nose. "Drink this. It will replenish your electrolytes and help ease any achiness that may still be lingering."
George sniffed at the dark concoction and wrinkled his nose. There were definitely prunes in there. Yuck.
"Drink up, Georgie. She made me do it so you're not getting out of it. Plus, it really does make you feel better. Even if it does taste worse than Nick's deathday menu."
"I resent that." Hermione said casually while she helped George sit up so he could drink the liquid. It tasted as terrible as it smelled, but George did feel better for having finished it.
"Feel better?" Fred immediately prodded. Hermione huffed and turned to him.
"Go to Angelina. Your twitchy and clearly want to see her. I'll not have you rushing my patient just because you want a snog."
Fred grinned manically. "Your patient huh?" He patted George's shoulder and hopped up off the couch. "That's fine. But we won't be snogging. We'll be shagging. Bye!" Hermione managed to hit him with a pillow before he disappeared.
"He is so rude." Hermione muttered before directing her attention back to George. "Do you feel better?"
"Mm-hmm." He nodded his head and blinked blearily. "What time?"
"About noon. You slept for about four hours since you last woke."
"The pack?" Hermione smiled, her eyes dancing at his choice of words.
"Fred and I roped Neville into helping us take all of them home. They're all safe. We took care of all their wounds and left the ones that don't live with any non-werewolves food."
George's stomach gurgled at the mention of food. He wouldn't be eating any time soon. Merlin only knew what Rover had decided passed for food and ingested.
"How did everything go? Fred and I couldn't always keep up."
George leaned against the back cushion of the couch and lifted his arm s Hermione could sit next to him. She went cheerfully and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.
"It went well. It was actually… fun. I think having other wolves to care for helped save Rover from the madness that tries to take over with the change. It got a bit dicey with you and Fred at the begin though." He stared at her carefully. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.
"I would have taken care of Fred. He wouldn't have been hurt. I can easily lift him."
"Seriously?" Hermione nodded her head.
"We practiced while you were out with the pack. I wasn't going to just immerse us among that many wolves without an escape plan."
"You really are brilliant." Hermione hummed in agreement.
"You should stop doubting it."
George opened his mouth to reply but had to promptly close it as a wave of nausea hit him. He put his hand over his mouth in what had to be the universal symbol for about to throw up and Hermione shot off the couch. She reappeared a moment later with a rubbish bin and a washcloth. She sat beside him again as he threw up a lot of fur and who knew what else.
Oh god that was always nasty.
Hermione rubbed his back until he was done and then helped him lean back against the couch. She placed the wet washcloth against his forehead and brushed his hair out of the way.
"Why does that even work?" George whispered. He didn't really trust his voice to go any louder with out vomiting any more, and he didn't want to vomit anymore. He hated throwing up.
"The washcloth?" Hermione asked. George nodded. "I have no idea."
George grinned. That was probably the first time he'd ever heard her admit to that. "You don't know something? Call the Auror's… you have to be an imposter."
Hermione responded my sticking her tongue out. She studied him for a moment and then took up both his hands and started rubbing at a spot just above his wrist.
"What're you doin'?" He was already feeling better.
"It's a pressure point. You can massage it and it will help relieve nausea."
"My wrist?" George asked incredulously. Hermione smiled and nodded her head.
"Yes, your wrist." She continued to massage his hand. "I can stimulate most of your internal organs from your foot." She chuckled at George's wide-eyed expression. "The body is a very amazing thing."
"And oddly wired."
"Very oddly wired." Hermione agreed. They sat silently for a little while. Hermione was a godsend. She'd helped without complaint and she made George feel better just by being near. How sexy she looked in his clothing didn't hurt matters either.
"What's that?" Hermione asked out loud, staring at something on the coffee table. "A bug?"
"A spider?" George asked closing his eyes. He didn't care one way or the other.
"It's not a spider. A spider I can handle. I'm the official spider killer wherever I go because Harry and Ginny just throws things at them until they hide and plot our demise, Neville is scared of them since the battle, Ron screams like a little girl with a skinned knee if he knows one is in a hundred yard radius, Terry and Michael try to figure out experiments they can do with them and Luna wants them as pets. I'm talking about this," Hermione said, pointing to a small orange bug on the coffee table.
Orange? George blinked and looked again. It was still a neon orange color with blue wings. Huh. Was it a product Fred had been working on? It couldn't naturally be that color.
"I have no idea. I've never seen anything like it." Hermione slid off the couch and shuffled closer. George missed her warmth and wanted to tell her to forget the bug and cuddle with him but he did want to hold onto what little manliness he still had.
Hermione leaned into inspect the bug but it shot backwards and off the table. It ran across the floor and under the far chair. Hermione watched it go with a frown before pulling her wand out. She levitated the chair and looked under it.
There wasn't anything there.