After eating breakfast and laughing with Fred Hermione agreed with him that she would speak to Ron after their evening meal. Hermione had taken the plates down after breakfast and made both her and Fred another cup of tea. Heading back upstairs Mrs Weasley shouted to Hermione

"Hermione dear can I catch you just for a moment please?"

. Hermione turned around and skipped back to Mrs Weasley

"Of course, what can I do Molly?"

"Well I have got to go for a meeting with Minerva about some of the wards for Hogwarts she needs a few old hands at casting and most of the old order are going to help to repair and upgrade the wards. Arthur is in a meeting with Kingsley and everyone else is really busy but Fred starts his physio tomorrow would you be able to go with him, we don't want him to be on his own the healers have said that its going to be tough going the first few weeks. I should be able to make the second if not third appointment but a friendly face"

"of course, Molly I'll go with Fred, I'm going to go and take Fred his cup of tea and read for a while give me a shout if you want a hand with dinner" with that Hermione skipped back upstairs.

Molly thought to herself that she had not seen Hermione skip since at least before the quidditch world cup. She had seemed like the whole world had been resting on her shoulders for so many years and seeing a spring in the girls step really bought a smile to her face.

Hermione rushed upstairs trying not to spill hers and Fred's cups of tea. She made her way into the bedroom and put Fred's cup on his bedside table. "Right Granger, what shall we do today? It has got to be in this room because I evidently am unable to go anywhere at the moment".

"well Fred I was going to read but I could always read to you if that's okay" she said with a blush

"that's brilliant Granger as longs as it's not from a textbook"

"How about a muggle children's book, I can actually think of one that reminds me of you and George, it's a bit wacky and has some amazing inventions in it"

"okay Granger, that sounds good to me"

Hermione used her wand to summon her copy of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Fred lifted his arm and she jumped onto the bed allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulder and began reading. As Hermione got into the story Fred insisted on reading Willy Wonka's lines in a dramatic fashion himself and declared to Hermione that he was going to get himself a purple suit jacket and green trousers. Hermione and Fred's afternoon passed in a blur and soon everyone was returning home from work.

Arthur arrived back to the burrow first and was greeted by a smiling Molly. "Where are Hermione and Fred?" Arthur asked used to at least seeing Hermione in the kitchen with Molly.

"She's upstairs with Fred she offered to help with dinner but when I went upstairs, they were laughing that much I didn't have the heart to disturb them. I haven't heard either of them laugh that much in such a long time. When you go and change out of your robes, you'll hear them its kept a smile on my face all afternoon. And she's agreed to go to the first physio appointment with him."

Arthur nodded at Molly and then made his way upstairs and smiled at the belly laughter he could hear coming from Hermione and Fred in the other room. Making his way downstairs the rest of the family were trickling in through the floo and the front door. Arthur decided to go and interrupt the giggling pair. And help to apparate Fred downstairs for tea. Arthur pushed the door to the twin's room open and could not help but begin chuckling at the two youngsters laughing. Tears were streaming down Hermione's face and Fred's shoulders were shaking he was laughing that much.

"sorry to interrupt the fun you two but everyone's here for tea. Hermione would you mind helping me apparate Fred downstairs"

"of course, not Arthur of course I will help"

Hermione assisted Arthur with helping to side along apparate Fred downstairs to the dinner table and settle him on sofa while George noticing Fred was downstairs went a retrieved Fred's wheelchair for him. Hermione dropped down onto the sofa next to Fred with a smile. Her stomach dropping in anticipation of the conversation Hermione knew she was going to have to have with Ron. Fred squeezed her hand in his and whispered "you've got this Granger you're a war hero" he smirked at her. She returned the squeeze of his hand and assisted George in lining up his chair so he could get himself into it and wheel his way to the dinner table. Hermione steeled herself and made her way over to Ron. "Ron after dinner can we meet on the back porch. We really need to talk."

After Ron looked a bit sad at Hermione's statement she offered him a small friendly smile and made her way to the table taking her seat next to Fred and with Ginny on her other side Ginny wrapped her arm around Hermione's shoulder evidently Fred had told her what was going to happen after tea. Hermione smiled at them both and took the hand squeezes of them both ready to face the hard conversation with Ron.