A/N: Here it is! Chapter 2. Already through editing chapter 6 so expect plenty more to come. As always, I own nothing and feedback is always appreciated.

Chapter 2

Landing on my hands and knees with a thud, I toppled over as my senses returned. I was in a grassy field that was far enough away from everything that I wouldn't cause a ruckus by showing up out of thin air. Standing, I brushed off the grass from my jeans. I grabbed a traveling cloak from my bag and pulled the hood up to help hide my face and apparated directly into the Ministry. My first stop was the Ministry of Magic International Travel Division to register that I was back in the country.

Thankfully it was 3pm and the atrium seemed rather empty for the time being. I wasn't ready to announce my arrival just yet and was hoping to go unnoticed. Making my way to the necessary door was quick and easy and the room was as bare as the atrium. It took less than ten minutes to fill out the necessary paperwork and I was making my way back through the building, holding my hood close as it was now starting to fill with people, when I suddenly bumped into someone.

An involuntary "oomph" escaped my lips as I was thrown backwards landing on my rear. I heard a muttered curse word before seeing a strong, slender hand in front of my face. I followed the arm up and found a look of shock on the man's face.

"Well if it isn't Hermione Granger, one third of the Golden Trio and Brightest Witch of our Age. Finally returned home, eh?"

The tall redhead gave me a slanted smile as I took his offered hand and lifted myself off the ground. Pulling the hood over me once again, I was thankful no one else seemed to notice it was me.

"Hello Fred. Yes, I've returned home just this morning, though I was hoping to keep that quiet a bit longer than this."

Fred was one of Ron's older brothers and one half of the famed prankster twins that turned their love for making people smile into an entrepreneurial success with the opening of their store, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Fred and I had always gotten along very well and if I was going to run into someone today, I was secretly glad it was him.

"Ah," He nodded his head in understanding. "Wise move I say. Its been what, a year now that you've been gone? Seems the Prophet barely goes a day without an inquiry on where you've disappeared to. No doubt they will have a field day when they find out you're back. Best to get settled before then."

We were walking towards the exit now and my heart sank at his words. I wasn't prepared to be thrust back into the spotlight even a little bit.

At my lack of response, he continued talking. "It's been a while, can I take you out for a drink or at least walk you back to your place so we can catch up a bit?"

It was odd to find the normally confident man sounding slightly nervous. His question was innocent enough, I just didn't have a great answer. "I'd love to Fred, really I would, but I don't actually have a place to stay yet. I need to make some stops yet today before all the offices close to see if something is available."

His face brightened at that and my brow furrowed. Why would my lack of housing be cause for such a happy response?

"Ah, the lady is in luck! You see, George moved out last month. Things are getting serious with Angelina and, despite mum's protest, they got a place together. I happen to have a spare room that I have had a tough time filling. Seems most people don't like to live above a busy shop with frequent explosions." He shrugged as if to him this was the most normal thing in the world and I suppose it was.

I considered his offer for a moment, but hesitated. "I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I just am not ready to tell everyone I am here yet. I want to get everything in order before I'm thrown to the wolves." Surely living with a Weasley would alert the whole family to my presence.

"Which should make my offer all the more appealing. No one else has free entry to the flat except George and we are excellent secret keepers. If you rent from someone else, there's no telling who they will blab to that they have the Hermione Granger living in their flat."

I stopped walking to stare him down as I considered his offer and he stopped too. He was absolutely right. If I went showing my face around looking for flats, there was no telling if the people I came across would mention our encounter. The only way to stay hidden for a while longer would be to stay with someone I knew I could trust for the time being. The twins were great at keeping secrets. After all, it wouldn't help their success if they blabbed about their inventions to everyone who would listen. To this day the two of them were still the only ones who knew the secrets to running their shop.

Decision made, I extended my hand. "Congratulations Fred. I think you just found a roommate."

The jokester took my hand and before I could blink he apparated us directly to his flat.

"A little warning next time would be nice." The unexpected apparition left my stomach reeling and it took a second for it to settle.

Once I felt steady, I took a moment to look around the flat. I could see why the décor could have put off a potential roommate as much as the noisy business below. The walls were a bright purple while the overstuffed couch and chairs in the living room were a lime green. Oddly, I felt the colors worked for the twins and spoke of their unusual personality so it didn't bother me.

Walking around the corner I saw the kitchen which looked plain in comparison to the living room. They clearly didn't spend enough time in there to make it worthwhile to decorate and instead the walls were a deep gray that complimented the bright white cupboards and marble counters nicely. A small table sat in at the end of the room and was big enough to seat four. Hopefully that meant Fred didn't have large dinner parties too often.

Fred noticed me looking at the kitchen and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I have to admit I don't know how to cook much. I can make a few things, mostly eggs and pancakes, but not much. Mostly we order in or eat out."

I smiled, not surprised that the twins hadn't been bothered to learn to cook. Their attention had always been focused on their jokes. "That's ok, I actually cook quite a bit. Perhaps that can be in addition to my rent for your hospitality."

We hadn't actually discussed a rent. I hoped it wouldn't be too much since it really was a prime location. I had worked at a diner in Australia as something to do, but with the money I received as inheritance from my parents and as reward from the ministry, work wasn't a necessity. Still, I was practical to the core and I wanted to be careful with my spending.

Fred's eyes shot to mine. "You don't honestly think I'm going to charge you to live here, do you?"

I looked back in surprise. "Why on earth wouldn't you? You had already been looking at renting it out. If you don't charge me then I will be taking away your revenue source."

"Oh," He looked a little sheepish at the question. "Well, revenue wasn't the reason I was looking to rent. I would have charged a stranger just because it would have been more of a business deal and I want to make sure it was someone who seriously wanted to live here instead of just taking advantage of free rent in a good location. Honestly, I just hate living alone. Its too quiet since George left and I feel antsy and uncomfortable being here by myself all the time. I know how you take care of things though and you're actually doing me a favor by taking the room instead of someone random off the street. I promise, if you try to pay me it will be refused every time."

His face flushed and I found the admission to be cute. "Well, if I can't persuade you to take rent, I will most definitely be doing some home cooked meals for you and George. No one should eat out for every meal."

"Ok, deal." He looked elated that there wasn't a bigger fight, but I really wasn't in the position to argue. We could revisit the topic later. "Would you like to the other rooms?"

I nodded my head and he took me to the other side of the flat. His room was first and I was surprised at how neat it was. The whole flat was actually very well looked after now that I thought about it. Not something I had expected, but something I appreciated none the less. His room was what I would expect in a bedroom. The bed was pushed against the wall in the corner with a small nightstand beside it. A dresser held picture frames of Fred and his family on top and there were a few more personal touches throughout the space. It wasn't huge, but definitely a comfortable space.

Next to Fred's room was the bathroom. It exceeded my expectations by being large enough to have a vanity with two sinks. There was storage underneath and the counters were kept clean. I was also pleased to see there was a tub in addition to the shower. That was not a common feature in flats in the area.

We came to the next room and it was a mirrored replica of Fred's minus some personal items.

"George had no need to take the furniture with him so you're welcome to use some or all of it if you wish." I nodded in thanks and he ushered me towards one more door at the end of the hallway. "I think you may appreciate this. You're welcome to use it any time you like."

He pushed open the door and a small gasp escaped my lips. One entire wall of the room was filled with floor to ceiling bookshelves. The opposite wall held a small desk and a very cozy looking couch. Curiosity got the better of me and I hurried over to inspect the books. I began to read the titles and confusion set in.

"You know, for two people who dropped out of school, you have a lot of really advanced books here." And boy did they ever! There were many titles I had never heard of. The categories ranged from potions to charms, transfiguration and ancient ruins. They had books on theories of the subjects as well as the origins and in depth studies on spells and their effects. It was clear that they spent a lot of time researching the magic involved in their products.

Fred smirked. "Let's just say we prefer independent research over institutionalized learning." I rolled my eyes. That was the understatement of the year. "Shall I leave you to get settled? I'll pick up some food in a little bit."

I opened my mouth in protest of him getting the food. While I appreciated the offer, I already felt guilty accepting the free room and board. I didn't want him buying dinner as well.

He cut me off. "No arguments. I get it, you want to do some cooking. I'll agree to that but you've just got in and international travel is a pain. Get settled, relax and let me grab something."

Letting out a large sigh I agreed. I'm not sure what it was about Fred Weasley that made me agree so easily to being taken care of. Normally I would have put up a much larger fight about being taken care of. As he left I made my way back towards my new room. I grabbed my trusted beaded bag and began pulling out items. There wasn't much there. After a year on the run followed by an international move I just learned to live light. It didn't take long and by the time Fred knocked on my door my clothes were all in their new home and I was just putting away the last of my books on the shelf.

"Did you find places for everything ok? If you need more shelf space you can use the office as well."

"Thank you, Fred. Really. I don't think I can tell you how much I appreciate this. Moving back was a bit of a sudden decision for me and quite honestly it was terrifying. You have managed to take most of that fear away with a familiar face and a place to live. You've been a bit of a knight in shining armor today and I wont forget that."

Fred's cheeks turned a deep crimson and I smiled. This might be the first time I actually saw the redhead flush!

"Well, I think you are putting me on an awfully high pedestal for someone who is helping out a friend. And, as I said before, you're helping me out too so it isn't completely selfless." He scratched the back of his neck nervously and I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps there was something he wasn't sharing. "Anyway, the food is here. Come on out when you're ready and you can catch me up on what you've been up to this last year."

We sat down at the small kitchen table and busied ourselves dishing up the wonderful smelling curry he had picked up. I wondered for a moment if Fred had remembered this was my favorite dish, or if he simply enjoyed it as well. The steam rose in curls and I inhaled deeply.

"Thank you for this. It smells wonderful."

"No problem at all. There is a restaurant just outside Diagon Alley that has the best Indian food. George and I go there quite a bit and I seemed to recall your preference for curry so I thought it was a safe bet."

Interesting. So he did remember. We spent a few more minutes savoring the delicious meal, it really was one of the best curries I've ever had, before Fred continued.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly have you been up to this last year? We haven't really heard from you since after the funeral." His smile was still present, but the effort didn't reach his eyes the way it normally does.

Of course I understood why. He was referencing Ron's funeral just over a year ago. His was the last I attended and apparently also the last I could handle. It was just two days later that I secured my portkey to leave the country. Harry and the Weasleys knew I where I was headed, but despite several offers from members of my extended family to come with, I insisted on traveling alone. I kept in brief contact with Harry while I was gone, only giving him very short updates to indicate that I was surviving. As far as anyone else from back home was concerned, I had disappeared off the face of the earth.

I swallowed the food in my mouth and began to tear apart a piece of naan. "Nothing really if I'm being honest." Focusing on the food in my hand I refused eye contact despite the feeling of his own brown orbs directed at me. I sighed knowing I needed to divulge more details than that to my new roommate. "Well, your family knows I left in search of my parents to try and lift the memory charm. I spent my first three months there doing just that. It was then that I learned they were involved in a muggle accident not long after their arrival. They died instantly."

Fred's hand was suddenly on my own, squeezing in a sympathetic manner. "I'm so sorry Hermione. That's a lot to go through on your own even without everything you had just endured. Why didn't you come home then?"

His sincerity caused a stray tear to leak down my cheek and I brushed it away with my free hand. "I guess I just needed to be alone for a while. Part of why I left in the first place was because everything was completely overwhelming here. I just wanted to be left alone. I was trying to make sense of everything that had happened and I needed space to do that. Something that wouldn't have happened if I came back."

He knew I was right. His own mother would have been one of the biggest offenders, hovering and meddling was her specialty.

Nodding his head he asked, "So what have you been doing since then? What prompted you to come back now?"

I let out a little laugh and shrugged my shoulders. "My lease was up." He raised his eyebrow and I knew he wanted more information so I sighed and continued. "I had rented a small flat when I first arrived. Not knowing how long it would take to find my parents and hoping that when I did we would reconcile I committed to a year lease. After the news of my parents I just spent days in bed. When I finally got up I was walking aimlessly around town. I was kind of stuck since I still had nine months left, but I also knew I couldn't go home yet. Losing Ron was still so fresh and then finding out about my parents on top of it left me in an awful state. I wasn't fit to be around others. I knew I needed to do something to keep myself busy but I didn't know what."

"Eventually as I was wandering around I saw a help wanted sign in the local bookshop window. I inquired and was hired to help keep the books shelved and the shop clean. They had enough help at the registers so it allowed me to keep busy without interacting with too many people. The store has a large used book section as well and I was welcome to take books from there as I pleased at no charge as long as I brought them back in good condition."

"I wish I had more to say, but I have really spent that time by myself. Stocking shelves, cooking, reading, and just being alone." I was desperate at this point to get the conversation off of myself. It felt pathetic that I had spent the last year wallowing alone being too scared to come home and face my friends and life in general. "How have things been around here?"

Fred sat back in his chair and pushed away his plate having finished his meal. "I guess things have generally been alright. It took mum a good long while to get back to herself. I'm not sure how up to date you are on the happenings around here?"

My face flushed. "Honestly, I sent Harry a note when I left and asked for space. I have been completely removed from the happenings around here."

He nodded and continued. "Well, mum was a mess for a while, then Fleur announced she was expecting. It was good motivation for her to pull herself together and now she had someone new to look after. It really helped to take her mind off things. We've made it through the significant events. The holidays were hard and so was his birthday. We attended the anniversary celebration that Kingsley hosted at Hogwarts and I wasn't sure how the family was going to make it through, but right as things were getting unbearable, Fleur's water broke. Victoire was born just before midnight on May 2nd. We all took it as a bit of a sign that Ron was trying to cheer us up."

Fred gave me a watery smile as I fought back my own tears. It was clear I had missed a lot and I was regretting not being there for my adoptive family. We all had to deal with what happened, but I was the only one that ran away.

Before I got too lost in my self-pity, Fred went on. "George and I have been doing a bit better I think. We've had the shop to keep us busy. George was already seeing Angelina when everything went to hell and things have been strong for them. Its wonderful to see him so happy, but I really do miss the git. We've been getting into a new routine with him not being here since it does cut into our development time. Angelina has been great about it though. George still spends a lot of time here. She made reserve for a professional quidditch team so she travels quite a bit and during those times George is around more. We reopened the shop about three months ago. Things were terribly damaged and it took us a while to rebuild all the stock just the two of us. We are still having a hard time keeping up a bit, but we haven't made the decision if we are going to hire someone or not. All in all, I think we are finding our new normal and actually moving on a bit. Its still a bit weird to not be looking over our shoulders all the time and we all still keep our defenses up more than we need to, but it seems to be getting easier every day."

His hand was still over mine and I was thankful for the contact. After so much time alone and not talking out loud about the war, it was kind of nice to be in the presence of someone who understood. Someone who had also lost a family member and witnessed the carnage first hand.

"Hey now. Things are going so much better these days. There's no need to cry!"

I brought up my free hand to wipe at my cheek and sure enough there was moisture. Fred quickly rose from his seat and pulled me into a tight embrace. His soft, warm smell enveloped me. It was an interesting mix of cinnamon and a light woodsy smell. The gesture and warmth was enough to send me into a full breakdown of sobs.

When I finally calmed down enough, I took a deep breath and apologized. "I'm so sorry Fred. You have been nothing but kind. I just haven't talked about any of this stuff since I left." It was quickly becoming apparent to me just how broken I still was.

"That's a long time to keep everything to yourself. No need to apologize." He waved his arm and our dishes sent themselves to wash in the sink. "Its been a really long day for you I'm sure. I usually sit and read after dinner. Would you like to join me?"

I nodded my head and we made our way to the living room. Fred picked up a book from the side table and I selected something that looked like it would hold my interest from the bookshelf.

As we sat there reading our selections, I took a deep breath and felt myself begin to truly relax for the first time in longer than I cared to remember. The stress from the travel began to seep from my body and my eyes started to droop. I had completely lost track of time and was only somewhat aware of someone picking me up and placing me on a soft mattress.