She stepped from the floo and collapsed on the couch with a groan, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Fred, who was sitting on the other end of the cough with a book, watched her with amusement as she toed off her sandals and propped her bare feet up on the coffee table.
"I eat off of that." He said, grinning as she jumped at his voice.
She had not even see him when she got back to the flat, her only thought was to sit down and get off her feet. She had spent the entire day at Ginny and Harry's, helping care for four month old James who was apparently driving his parents to exhaustion. Ginny had showed up at the apartment this morning, holding the screaming baby while she herself cried in despair.
Hermione had taken pity on the new mother and volunteered to babysit for the day while Ginny got some sleep. After the first hour of screaming, she regretted her decision. As a healer she had taken the approach that something must be wrong and had done a full physical on the child. When she was unable to find anything, she resigned herself to the fact that her godson was just very vocal.
She had almost been ready to put a silencing charm on him though when Harry finally got back from the Ministry. He looked just as tired as his wife did when he came back to the house. Hermione had stayed for another hour while Harry fixed dinner. When Ginny woke up from her slumber, she felt much better and went to collect her son. Knowing that she had to work in the morning, Hermione declined food and floo'd back to her own, blissfully quiet apartment.
She turned her head on the back of the couch to look at Fred and simply said, "Babies are hard."
He chuckled at her statement. As one of the middle children in his family he barely remembered when Ron was a baby but had an acute recollection of Ginny, who had not been the quietest child. "Well, yes. But how does a baby make your feet hurt?"
"The walking. That kid will not be quiet. I must have walked ten miles just trying to get him to settle." She thought about the hallways and stairs at Grimwauld's Place that she now had memorized.
"I love him. But if I ever have to be stuck with him permanently, Ginny and Harry better make sure he is older before dying."
He looked shocked at her statement before bursting out laughing. "Well that's a bit morbid, even for you."
She glared at him. "You weren't there. My ears are still ringing."
"So I take it mini-Potter did not calm down much since this morning." He asked, remembering the screams that had woken him up at an ungodly hour.
She groaned and pulled her hair out of the bun she had quickly thrown it in the second time James had yanked on it. "I don't know how they do it every day. I'm exhausted. I don't even feel this tired after my eighteen hour shifts at work. Merlin, and my head." She rubbed at her forehead.
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Better."
She looked at him. "What do you think?"
He tilted her chin up and kissed her lips this time. She melted under him and moved her hands form her own head to his neck. Pulling back she looked up at him with slightly darkened eyes.
"You know what would really make everything better?" She asked softly.
He grinned and leaned down to kiss her again. Just before he reached her mouth, she whispered against his lips, "Ice cream."
He pulled back and shook his head at her. She was grinning widely at him and made gestures with her hands, ushering him into the kitchen. He dropped a kiss to her forehead as he passed before returning with a small tub of mint ice cream and two spoons. She pulled her legs under her as he sat back down and handed her a spoon. She groaned in pleasure when she took her first bite of the cold treat and opened her eyes to see Fred glaring at her.
"You're horrible." He said, his desire only growing with every small sound she made.
"You can't call me that. I just spent the entire day slaving over your nephew. I am the only reason that kid is alive." She pointed her spoon at him.
He smirked. "Are you implying that you're responsible for his care today or for his entire conception?"
She took another bite and grinned. "Both. That kid wouldn't even have a father without me, boy-who-lived my ass."
He grinned at her and took the ice cream back, taking his own bite. The settled back on the couch and ate half of the bin before Hermione put her spoon down and tilted her head back, feeling sick after not having eaten anything but the ice cream this evening.
"Feeling better?" Fred asked as he scooped out another bite.
She shook her head against the back of the couch, "Not anymore."
Sighing she got up to wash her spoon quick and set it out to dry. She announced that she was going to bed and kissed the top of Fred's head on her way to the bathroom. Fred joined her a few minutes later and plucked his toothbrush out of the holder that she had just pulled hers out of. He made faces at her as they both brushed their teeth and she kicked at his shin gently, trying not to spit out the foam in her mouth.
The air in the apartment was warm from the August heat outside. Hermione pulled on a T-shirt and pulled back the covers of the bed before laying down, not bothering to pull them back up. Fred stripped to his boxers and collapsed next to her. He reached for her but she swatted his hand away, "Too hot."
He found her hand and held that instead. It took a while for them to fall asleep, both tossing and turning in the sticky warmth.
She woke sometime in the middle of the night, her sleep interrupted by the discomfort of the heat. She slipped out of bed, trying not to wake Fred in her search of cool water. In the bathroom, she decided to go all of the way and turned on the cool water of a shower. After washing the stickiness off of her skin she got out and wrapped a towel around her body. Her hair was still dripping when she made her way into the living room. She meant to sit down on the couch and watch TV but as she passed the window something caught her eye.
She moved closer to the window and looked down to a dark figure was standing on the street below the apartment, looking upwards. The lamplight cast a shadow over the face so it was hard to tell where exactly they were looking. The long black robe they were wearing made her heart beat faster as her apartment was in muggle London, and this was definitely not typical garb for the neighborhood. The realization had her ducking away from the window and press herself against the wall next to it. She wasn't sure how much of the interior of her apartment was visible from the street below as none of the lights were on, but there was a fair amount of lamplight that came in.
When she peaked through the curtains hanging at the side of the window, the figure was still there, unmoving in the darkness. The pounding of her heart and the anxiety reminded her of standing on the other side of the shields in the woods, while snatchers walked feet from her. She watched for a few more minutes but when they didn't move, she went back to the bedroom and shook Fred's shoulder.
"Fred. Wake up." He stirred under her hand and came awake, turning to look at her.
"What is it?" He asked, seeing the serious look on her face. He swung his legs off the bed as he sat up.
She had already started back towards the living room, "There's someone outside."
He followed her out to the living room and almost ran into her when she stopped abruptly. She was staring out the window, from her vantage point seeing the empty street below.
"I swear they were just here." She stepped forward to stand directly in front of the glass, trying to see as far up and the street as she could. "They were wearing a black robe. I couldn't tell exactly where they were looking but no one wears robes around here."
Fred had come to stand behind her, looking down at the street below but not seeing anyone. He believed her of course, the concern in her voice when she woke him was convincing enough. He put a hand on her back, still damp from her earlier shower. "Maybe we should head to the shop for the night."
She stood in silence for a few seconds staring at the empty street, before turning to him and nodding. They went back to the bedroom where she pulled shorts and a tank top on while Fred grabbed a T-shirt of his from her dresser. Once dressed they apparated to the darkness of Fred's flat. He felt oddly on edge in the empty space and when Hermione went to bed he made the excuse of getting some water but instead around opening the doors of every room to make sure they were alone.
Hermione was still awake when he finally joined her. "You okay?" He asked as he laid down on the bed.
She nodded and put her arm on his waist. "It was just weird. They didn't move or shift or anything. They were just standing there looking up at the building." She frowned at the memory. "I don't even know if they were looking at us."
"Any of your neighbors magical?"
She shook her head. "Not that I know of. I just keep wondering how long he was there for, just standing there not moving."
He could hear the underling fear in her voice and pulled her towards him. Even though he hadn't seen what she had, he still felt somewhat rattled at her description. After what had happened with Ron, they were both extra careful in their daily ministrations, but there was only so much they could do.
They fell asleep eventually but for the rest of the night, Fred startled away with very small noise, always turning and looking about the room for the cloaked figure.
They spent the next few nights at Fred's flat, too unnerved to go back to Hermione's. Fred had owled Bill the next morning to ask about any additional wards they could be putting on their two places. The incident was gradually forgotten about as their lives continued as normal. Even the nights they spent back at Hermione's apartment were uneventful and soon they weren't checking the street every time they went to bed.
It was towards the end of September and Ginny and Harry were at the Fred's apartment for dinner, baby James being passed between his uncle and godmother.
"Things getting better at home?" Hermione asked, noticing less dark circles under her friend's eyes.
Both Ginny and Harry nodded, "Loads, yeah. He's still not sleeping through the night but is definitely quieter during the day." Their lives had finally started to feel back to normal, or at least as normal as one's life could be with a young baby. Ginny had started training again and was able to bring James along with her as some of the other players also had young children. She relished getting back to work and had even started freelancing some quidditch articles for the prophet when she was home.
"I just can't believe how big he has gotten." Hermione smiling at the chunky, smiling baby she was bouncing on her knee as she sat on a stool. He was drooling as he grunted with each bump of her leg.
"Takes after his mother I guess." Fred said from the stove, turning around after a dishtowel struck the back of his head. Ginny glared at him from her spot on the other side of the counter.
"At least your aim has improved." He said smirking at his sister.
Ginny started towards him but Hermione stood up and intercepted her, handing the soft baby to Fred. "Here you go James, let's not let mummy kill Uncle Freddie today."
Fred grinned at Ginny over her son's head, fully aware he was using his nephew as a shield. Hermione took over at the stove and stirred the chili he had been making. Ginny retreated out to the living room to browse through the overflowing bookshelf. The other three continued talking in the kitchen, Harry still sitting at the counter munching on the pretzels he had found earlier.
After a few minutes Ginny interrupted their discussion, "Hermione, there's someone looking up here."
They all turned towards the redhead who was standing at the window, looking down at the street. Hermione and Fred glanced at each other before making their own way over to check. Sure enough, the figure was back, still wearing the dark robe as they had been a month ago. It was already dark outside so there still was not enough light to illuminate their face. Harry had joined them and furrowed his forehead at the sight.
"Do you know them?" He asked apprehensively, glancing at his friend.
Hermione shook her head. "No." She proceeded to explain about the incident last month, Harry looking more troubled the more she spoke. They had moved away from the window at this point as the lights were on inside. Fred had pulled the thick curtains to block out any sort of inside view.
"Well I think the fact that they've shown up at both your places rules out any sort of coincidence." Harry said. "Have you told the Ministry about this?"
Hermione shook her head, "No, with just the one time we weren't completely sure if it was anything concerning. But now.." She turned to look at Fred.
"Do you both feel okay staying here, or at your place Hermione?" Ginny asked, "You're always welcome to stay with us."
"I asked Bill about extra wards but he said both our places have everything done to them already. So I don't think the person could ever actually get in here. Pretty unnerving having them stand outside though, not to mention bloody cocky." Fred said, glancing at the curtain covered window. "But I think we'll be okay for now."
Hermione nodded in agreement, knowing they were both going to feel somewhat unnerved from now on.
"I'll tell the other aurors and Kingsley about it when I go to the Ministry tomorrow." Harry told them.
They finished the rest of the evening, trying to forget about the experience from before. When Harry and Ginny left they extended their offer of a place to stay again and told the other two to be careful.
When they had left Fred sat down on the couch and ran his hand through his hair. "Do you think we should have gone with them? At least until this all gets resolved."
Hermione drew her eyebrows together before walking over to him. She sat down on his legs and wrapped her arms around his neck, his own coming around her waist. "I don't know. It seems like just a scare tactic but it's still getting to me."
He nodded, feeling the exact same way. She watched his face, "Still time to back out, Freddie."
He rolled his eyes at her and smiled. "I think it was too late for that when I was seventeen." He leaned forward to kiss her. "However I might rethink it if you get me killed." He said against her lips.
It was her turn to roll her eyes now. They sat in silence holding each other, trying not to think about the person still standing in the Alley outside.