Living on My Own
Summary: Hermione realizes her life sucks and needs some help to overcome it...Fred and George just might be up to the task. Notes: Here's another one-shot. This time Fred and George wanted their own story and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. LOL Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Oh and the songs I listened to...I actually listened to them on repeat for each section! I kid you not, I couldn't listen to anything else or the muse would turn her back on me! So now I have winamp on shuffle! :DInspiration: Freddy Mercury 'Living on My Own' (writing Hermione)
Fall Out Boy 'My Songs Knows What You Did in the Dark (Lgiht'em Up)' (writing the Twins)
Tiësto & Sevenn 'BOOM' (writing them both)
Thanks for stopping by!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world and make no monies writing this; just playing in the sandbox.
Life was sucking at the moment for Hermione. For the last year or so, she hasn't known what to do. So she went to work, paid her bills, fed her cat and met up with friends regularly, like she was expected to do. The problem was…she wasn't happy about any of this; she felt she no longer had any focus.
She knew her goals and what needed to be done while she was at Hogwarts. She had spent her time learning everything she could, not just for her grades but also so she could keep Harry, Ron and herself alive. Then the war came and Harry had been able to put a final end to Tom Marvolo Riddle and his reign of terror. After the war, there was the cleanup, rebuilding, funerals and catching any remaining DeathEaters. Then finding a job, a place to live and settling into a routine; which no one really had been able to do for a few years due to snakeface and his followers.
But now, she found herself, well, miserable. She put on a smile, went to work, met up with her friends once a week and went through the motions of having a life. The thing about that was that she was not happy or satisfied with her life. Her job sucked! It was boring because no one would take her serious. She was still considered a part of the lower caste of witches. The threat of annihilation was gone but no one seemed to want to put the effort into changing anything to keep it from happening again. She had thought going into law would be a nice challenge for her. She had, mistakenly, thought that she would be able to make a difference; maybe get rid of the outdated and prejudiced laws. Well, she quickly became disillusioned. It seemed that when there was no threat, the wizarding world hadn't seen a need to actually change anything.
Hermione had even spoken to Minerva about changing some things at Hogwarts, to better help every child coming in; such as a wizarding customs class for muggles and an up-to-date muggles class for the purebloods or getting rid of the houses and making one crest for all. Minerva had said she would love to implement new rules and classes but the Board of Governors wouldn't hear of it. They had tied her hands and until some of the old fools retired or died then nothing would change.
So Hermione trudged on like a good little trooper. She tried every day to get someone to listen to her. She put honest effort into her work for about year and then she started to give up. It wasn't like her to give in to peer pressure so easily but she really was tired of fighting. She had thought her fighting would have ended with the war but apparently not. And it wasn't like she would mind the fighting if something actually came of it once in a while.
Then, there were her friends. Oh, they all got along just fine and had fun…when schedules matched up. However, with Harry being an Auror, Ginny playing for the Holyhead Harpies, Luna running the Quibbler, Neville apprenticing with Professor Sprout and Ron doing his own thing, well, it left little time for much else. She really missed having Harry and Ron around all the time. She knew, one day, they would all go their separate ways and have their own lives to live but hadn't realized just how difficult it would become to simply meet up. Hermione didn't have any hard feelings toward any of them, not even Ron. He was busy enjoying his fame and reward monies they had gotten; sewing his wild oats, as they say.
They had made a go at a relationship, like everyone expected them to do, but it had only lasted a couple of months before they ended the farce. For that was what it really had been, a farce. They fought all the time and when they were getting along, it was too much like being siblings. They hadn't even kissed again after that once in the battle. It just didn't feel right and after about three months, they had called it quits. They had decided to try a kiss again, just before ending it, and realized the chemistry really wasn't there. It had felt wrong to both of them to kiss the other. So they had gone their separate ways, saying they would stay in contact and always be friends.
Well, Hermione hadn't heard or seen Ron in the past six months. The last she had heard he had a different witch and a few wizards on his arm almost every day. She held no hard feelings to Ron, she really didn't. She just wished she could find someone or several someones to be with like that. Unfortunately, anyone she might be interested in was either taken or intimidated by her, her name, status or her intellect. It really sucked! Why was it so hard to find a male who could handle her and all she brought with her?
One of the things Hermione missed most was the Weasley family dinners. She missed being around the rambunctious group of red heads. It wasn't as if she wasn't still invited to come over, it just hadn't felt the same since her and Ron broke up. It was nothing any one of them had said or done, even Molly had accepted that she and Ron were too different. Hermione just felt like an intruder to their revelry.
They were always so full of life and laughter but the family seemed even livelier than before the war. It probably had to do with almost losing Fred and Percy (who had finally made up with his family and apologized to them) in the war. A wall had almost taken both their lives when it had collapsed right next to them. It was only Charlie and his friends on their dragons that had saved his siblings' lives.
Charlie and his fellow dragon tamers had just swooped around the castle after some giants when one giant had smashed the wall with one mighty fist. Charlie and his crew had managed to slow the descent of the stones enough for all near them could get out of the way. Fred and Percy had just a few scratches and bruises from a few small stray stones. To say the siblings had become closer was an understatement. Last she had heard, Charlie was looking into starting a dragon refuge somewhere in Britain so he could be closer to home and his family.
Hermione had been so glad that the Weasleys had managed to stay whole as a family when so many were torn apart; either due to losing a family member or from being on opposite sides of the war. It was sad how many had given their lives on both sides all over really stupid ideals. But since when does war make sense? No one truly wins in a war; everyone loses something, no matter how small.
Hermione had lost her share with the war; not only her innocence but many friends and her parents. Oh, her parents were still alive and well in Australia but they no longer acknowledged her as their daughter. They had said they would never forgive her for what she had done. They couldn't believe she had decided for them what needed to be done and could no longer trust her or anyone like her. She would no longer be welcome in their lives. It had crushed her but she knew when she had performed the Obliviate that this could be a possible outcome. She had just really hoped that they would understand when she explained it all to them.
She had sat them down and told them everything, from her first year at Hogwarts to the end of the war. They had listened to it all with blank faces until the end. Her mother had been the first to yell at her about hiding the truth from them and then her father had followed suit. Through the yelling, her parents had confirmed what Hermione had feared…they would have yanked her out of school if they had known any of what she had just told them; which, of course, was why she hadn't told them a thing. She couldn't risk them pulling her from school when Harry needed her so much. So after much yelling and tears being shed, Hermione had left their house to return to England, not telling a soul what had happened.
She had just decided to tell everyone that her parents had decided to stay in Australia and she would visit them when she could; all the while fighting to keep her smile strong and the tears from falling. Harry had seemed the only one to notice but hadn't brought it up and then it was forgotten. She was glad he hadn't pushed it, she wasn't sure if she would have survived if he had.
Currently, she was in WWW to pick up a few things from their Wonder Witch line. The conditioner the twins had created worked wonders with even her hair! She tried to never run out it if she could help it. She also wanted to check in with the jubilant duo. They had become her main lifeline for happiness. She loved them from here to eternity but hadn't made it known in any way. She loved their antics and liveliness. Most people only saw the jokesters but Hermione saw the young wizards for what they truly were…geniuses with huge hearts.
They were very talented and intelligent but hid it well behind pranks and theatrics. Most witches and wizards had no clue just how much went into their products and those who did weren't too sure that Fred and George had done all the work themselves. Those people just thought the delightful duo hired someone else to do it but Hermione knew better. They created all their products themselves. Fred was a whiz at potions where George was quite talented with charms and transfiguration. Together, well, they were unstoppable.
Hermione was so glad that George hadn't had to bury his brother, either of them, but especially Fred. She wasn't sure he would have survived such a task. There was no George without Fred and vice versa. To have only one twin would have been a grave injustice to the wizarding world. The twins brought such light and laughter to the world; no one could imagine not having them in it.
Even Molly had finally come around to their choice in livelihood. She had seen how well the boys' store was doing, both before and after the war. She also realized just how much happiness their products brought people. Hermione was sure that almost losing Fred might have softened the matriarch up some too.
Hermione shook off her stagnate and melancholy feelings as best she could before entering the vibrant store. She knew both Fred and George would pick up on her mood and try to bring her out of it. Why not beat them to it? So with a too wide smile on her face, Hermione stepped into the whirlwind known as Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes.
Fred and George Weasley were having a very good day but, then again, every day was a good day since the final battle when a crumbling wall failed to take Fred's life. Thanks to their older brother, Charlie and his team, the majority of the wall pieces failed to do damage to all those below them. Fred and Percy had been two such people and were immensely pleased of Charlie's timing. After the battle had ended and the war was done, all the Weasley siblings had become an even tighter knit group. The family knew they had been very lucky. They hadn't lost a single one and tried to live each day as the gift it was.
For some, Bill and Charlie, it meant going back to doing the jobs they loved. For others, Ginny and the twins, it meant following their dreams. Fred and George felt this would be the true test for their joke store. Percy, on the other hand, had to figure out what he truly wanted to do. He no longer wanted to work at the Ministry, too many bad decisions made for him to enjoy working there any longer. Then there was Ron. The youngest male was busy driving their mother insane with his "fun loving" ways. It was only Ron's other brothers who kept her from locking him in his room and throwing away the key. At least he had his own place but all the males of the family knew this wouldn't stop their mother if she truly decided to follow through with her threat.
Fred and George loved running their store, even with most days being hectic and ending with them barely having enough energy to eat some supper before face planting in their beds, passing out. They were in the process of hiring more people. Verity had come back to work full-time for them but Lee Jordan had gone on to create his own show on the Wizarding Wireless Network. They were happy for him but missed him terribly. They had been a trio since first year and had made it through the war together. But it was perfect for him and they would do nothing but support him, so they tuned every weekend for his hour of antics. He was a blast to listen to.
The twins were the first to really get back to business. The whole family, their mother included to their amazement, had pitched in to set their store back to rights; everyone helped with cleanup and restocking. They hadn't realized just how good their mother and Percy were with potions. Then there was their father and Bill, who they learned were excellent with charms and Charlie was awesome with transfiguration; which shouldn't have surprised them since he works with dragons. It just made since that he would be able to transfigure anything to what he needed when he needed it, dragons could be temperamental after all. Ginny was the biggest surprise of them all, she was above average with charms, transfiguration and potions. She had helped in all areas and they would be forever grateful to her for it.
So, with the help of the family and a few friends, Verity, Harry and Hermione, the store and their apartment above it was cleaned, restored, restocked and organized within a week. The duo was very glad to be able to go to work to escape the overprotectiveness of their mother. She was trying, really she was, but the woman wouldn't let any of them out of her sight for two weeks! They loved her to bits but, they could only handle so much of her "mothering". So they had escaped as soon as they could with Bill and Charlie not far behind them. Don't get them wrong, they enjoyed having the family all together under one roof but after two weeks, they were all getting a bit stir crazy.
Now that the store was up and running and busier than ever, Fred and George were content with their lives. The only "fly in the ointment" was that they didn't have a special someone to share their success with. There had plenty of witches (and a few wizards) who had tried to catch their attentions but to no avail. All of them seemed to want to be with one or the other and for superficial reasons. The twins were looking for someone they could share all parts of their lives with, not just their fame or fortune.
There was one witch they wanted to fit the bill but wasn't sure she'd be into a triad. Hermione Granger. She was who they both wanted and when Fred and George had come to this realization, they had had a long heart to heart talk. It took several hours for them both to air their preference and to agree that if she only wanted one of them, the other would gracefully bow out of the romantic picture. The main problem was, they had no clue how to go about letting their witch know.
She had been illusive for the past year, since her and Ron had broken up. They missed seeing her around. Both of them missed her lively debates and stimulating conversation. Even though they would tease her mercilessly, they would do it just to see her beautiful smile; a smile that lit up her entire face and the room too. She was beautiful and had grown into a damn fine woman. She was strong, intelligent, caring, fierce (they had seen her in action), loyal and had a great sense of humor; not to mention a drool worthy body. What very few knew, she also had a bit of a devious streak in her. They definitely loved that about her and would love to help her develop it even more.
Hermione would come into the store from time to time to buy some of their Wonder Witch products. They had taken note of what she would get to make sure they always had some on the shelf. Of course, she wouldn't know this or the fact that they created the conditioner with her in mind. They knew she hated and loved her hair so they set about helping her with the problem. They adored her hair, it was her. Her hair helped to show her emotions. When she was fired up and passionate about something or pissed royally off then her hair would become "alive". Sparks would fly off of her curls and the strands almost seemed like tendrils reaching for the target to assist their mistress in her endeavors.
Both Fred and George had been at the end of her fury more times than they could count but had always, secretly, loved it when she would show them her fury; making each twin wonder if her passion carried over to other activities. Their last two years at Hogwarts, when Hermione would get on to them for something, they would only infuriate her more by having a lighthearted attitude but what she hadn't known was that they acted that way to hide the true response to her fiery temper. A bloke could only take so much before hormones took over and, most times, made a situation worse.
It was like getting salt into a wound but they couldn't help themselves. They absolutely adored riling her up just to see the passion set her afire. They had to hide their true reaction to her then due to their little brother but not anymore. They could allow any and all reactions be known, of course, only in a private setting, never in public. They wanted their witch to know the effect she had on them not to embarrass her. Now they just had to figure out how to go about wooing their chosen spitfire.
First thing would be catching her in the store. Each time she had come in before was during a really busy time and they couldn't spare more than a moment with her. Each twin would manage to get close enough to give her a hug while subtly breathing in her scent. Anything to get them through until the next they got to see her. They had waited since their sixth year in school when they saw her dressed up for the Yule Ball so a little longer wouldn't be too bad. As soon as they hired more people to help on the floor then they would be able to sweep Hermione off her feet.
Fred and George were having a very busy day and evening when a scent drifted their way. Both wizards' heads snapped up and their eyes scanned the crowd for the owner of the delicious scent that they longed to breathe in on a regular basis. When they spotted the beautiful head of heavy brown waves, they locked eyes and grinned. Tonight, they would let her know and see where the cards might fall from there; if they could manage to keep her in the store for anther half hour or so that was.
However, their grins slowly fell when they realized that her smile wasn't reaching her eyes anymore, her posture was a bit too stiff and her laugh a bit too hollow for their liking. They both knew then and there that something wasn't quite right with their witch. Either something had happened or she wasn't hiding her pain very well any more. Both options were unappealing to the young men.
When they finished with the customers they were helping, Fred and George made their way over to Hermione, pausing only briefly to decide on a plan of attack. Once they had agreed to how to get Hermione to stay until the store closed they fell upon her with wide smiles, flanking each side of her.
As Hermione walked into WWW, she felt a calm wash over her she hadn't felt in way too long. Why had she stayed away? Oh, yeah, she was afraid the twins would pick up on her thoughts and emotions and she hadn't wanted them to worry about her. She would never let them know but she loved when they would greet her with warm hugs and wide grins. It was the highlight of however long it had been since the last time she saw them.
What had surprised her was the first time she had been hugged by the twins, her body had reacted strongly. She had enjoyed, very much, being in their strong arms and inhaling their individual scents. It always made her feel like she had come home. It had confused her at first, but she had come to realize that she had a natural chemistry with the two pranksters. How many people would be floored to know she wanted them both…too many.
Just because she was bookish didn't mean she couldn't enjoy a good prank or joke. Actually, she did have a streak of deviousness in her. She got it from her father and Harry and Ron could attest to it; having been on the receiving end of her creativity many times through school. It was the only way, sometimes, that she could get them to study properly or not run off on a hair-brained idea one of them thought up.
If she thought she would be able to get in and then out quickly, she was sorely mistaken. Just as she reached the Wonder Witch section of the store, she felt the presence of Fred and George at her back and her breath hitched. It took all her willpower to not step back into them. She really needed one of their hugs and was tempted to prompt one.
When the twins approached Hermione, they both stood behind her. They took a moment to inhale her scent and admire the view. Then they heard a sound they never thought they would from their witch, her breath had hitched as soon as she realized they were there. Not a fearful hitch, no this hitch was awareness, sexual awareness. Looking at each other with even wider smiles than before, the joyful duo encased their witch in a hug, loving the feel of her arms snaking around their waists to give her own hug.
When Hermione didn't break the hug, which was her norm, Fred and George knew the situation was direr than they originally thought. She never just stayed in their arms this long. She always pulled away after a moment or two. This was bad and they would find out what was going on, even if they had to stick her feet to the floor where she stood and they'd do it too, consequences be damned.
Their witch wasn't going to suffer without them trying everything they knew to help ease her worries, pain or suffering. So without thinking, Fred and George leaned down to her ears and asked, "What's wrong Mia?"
Hermione jumped when they both spoke, although she should be used to it by now. They rarely spoke without using twin-speak. However, she suddenly couldn't move or speak after their question sunk into her brain. What was wrong? What wasn't wrong!? How can I answer that question without tipping them off to my current predicament? Instead, Hermione stepped away from the twins, closer to the shelf, and answered as nonchalantly as she could, "Nothing's wrong."
"Come on Mia, we know you and there is definitely something going on. Tell us, or we'll stick you to the floor until you do." Fred said from Hermione's left.
Hermione whipped her head around to look in Fred's eyes and saw just how serious he was being, a look she didn't like on his handsome face.
Breathing a sigh in defeat, knowing full well that they would follow through on their threat (where do you think Ginny got her tenacity from), Hermione faced forward and answered, "Fine but not here or now. How long before the store closes?"
"In twenty minutes. Then another ten to fifteen to straighten everything up and cash out. Think you can wait that long or will we have to take drastic measures to ensure you don't escape?" George breathed into her ear, low enough for only the three of them to hear, causing Hermione to shiver.
"No, I promise I'll stay 'til the store closes." Hermione said a bit breathlessly, thinking that she had nowhere else to be anyway. This would be a nice distraction. She would never mind spending more time with the twins; she just wasn't looking forward to sharing her troubles with them. They had enough to deal with without adding hers to the pile. But she had promised to stay and stay she would. Right now, she really needed something to give and she supposed talking to Fred and George might just be what she really needed.
Once they had left her, Hermione went back to scanning the Wonder Witch products, checking if there was anything new. She picked up a couple bottles of the conditioner before spotting a new product. There was a new jar in the skin care products. When she picked it up and read the label, she about fainted. Apparently the boys had made a scar removal cream. The jar wasn't very large but it claimed to make scars disappear with daily applications. She wondered if it would work on hers.
She didn't have a lot of scars but the ones she did have were doozies. She had the scar from Dolohov and the two from Bellatrix. Then she had one that went down next to her spine, the entire length of her spine. She had gotten that one in the Room of Requirement when the battle had just begun, when Fiendfyre had been released. Few knew she had that particular scar. Hell, she hadn't realized any damage had been done until after the battle was over and Madam Pomfrey had examined her. She had been too high on adrenaline to notice anything other than a slight burning sensation in her back. Poppy had said she was lucky, a centimeter over and she would have probably died from it or been disabled.
Shaking off the morbid thoughts, Hermione decided to give the cream a chance. She'd tried everything under the sun to make her scars go away, maybe the boys had succeeded; definitely worth a shot. She wondered if they had come up with the cream to help Charlie with his many burn scars from the dragons. She'd have to ask them later, if she remembered.
As the store slowly emptied of patrons, Fred and George kept a close eye on Hermione. They wanted to make sure she wouldn't bolt while they were busy, not that they couldn't trust her word; they just knew that whatever was weighing her down might be catalyst enough to send her fleeing. The very thought that their witch was so out of sorts bothered the twins. Just as people didn't know how to handle either one of them being serious, they weren't sure how to handle a down Hermione. Serious, sure. Fiery temper, check. Passionate, absolutely. But a downtrodden Hermione…not a clue. They would do all they could though to dispel whatever was burdening her.
They noticed, while cashing out, that she was examining a jar of their scar removal cream and smiled. They had initially made the cream for Charlie, to help with his many burns but had continued to work on it after learning that Hermione had a "lovely" scar due to the mishap at the Department of Mysteries in her fifth year. They knew they wouldn't mind the scar or any scar their witch might have but knew that witches were weird in that area; so they had improved upon the cream in hopes to help Hermione.
When Fred and George had the store closed down, they motioned for Hermione to join them. She had been leaning over the bannister watching them with a serene look. A look they truly hoped meant they had a shot with her. First things first though, they had to get her to open up to them. They wanted to be her stone to lean upon when life was being a bitch. Both wizards watched as she descended down the stairs and walked towards them, captivated. They were fairly certain their faces showed their interest but, as smart as Hermione was, she probably was misreading them. She tended to be on the obtuse side when it came to anyone showing genuine interest in her, Victor Krum came to mind.
So they collected their sexy witch and guided her up the stairs to their apartment, glad they had straightened up before work this morning. It wasn't that they were slobs, not by a long shot. They just got sidetracked sometimes and things tended to become unkempt.
After leading Hermione into their flat, the twins changed out of their work clothes. They decided to wear muggle jeans that rode low on their hips and snug fitting t-shirts. Hey, it wouldn't hurt to give her something to look at, maybe distract her into rambling. They would use any advantage they had to tempt their witch any way they could.
Hermione was sitting on the couch when Fred and George emerged. Her jaw almost hit the floor when she saw them. They had changed into muggle clothing, nothing shocking there. No, what was shocking was what they were wearing. Snug fitting jeans that rode their hips in a sinful eyeful and the t-shirts…oh my! She was pretty sure she was swooning over them. They just made such a delicious picture that she was helpless to react any other way. Well, guess "the cat was out of the bag" now. She hoped they wouldn't be offended by her ogling.
When her gaze finally met theirs she was met with identical smirks and eyes alight with pride and pleasure. Wait, pride and pleasure? Were they wanting her to notice them? Okay, now she was confused. She really hadn't thought either one of them would be interested in her, let alone both of them…IF she was reading things correctly. Well, hell, wasn't that just a kick in the pants.
She never thought her current mood would come in handy for anything but right now she was glad for it; it kept her from freaking out and making a mad dash to the door to escape. She really, really hoped she wasn't misreading the situation. However, she also knew that the twins would find out what was bringing her down before anything else was broached. So she took a deep breath and asked where they wanted her to start.
"How about starting"
"At the beginning."
"We want to"
"Know it all"
Came their replies and Hermione sighed and nodded her agreement. Then she started telling them what they asked to know. She explained about what she had went through while on the run, being tortured at Malfoy Manor, destroying Horcruxes, what she had done and seen during the battle, helping with the rebuilding and cleanup, the loss of so many and ended it with the loss of her parents. By the time she was done, the twins had sat on either side of her with their arms around her, holding her tightly. She currently had her head on George's shoulder, crying.
She hadn't realized just how much she had needed someone to talk to. Someone or two someones she could confide in without judgement or fear. She knew they understood most of what she had told them but they had seemed completely appalled by her parents' reactions. To them, with such a strong and loving family, they couldn't understand how anyone could turn their backs on their child. It was despicable to them, reprehensible. That just didn't happen. But they also knew that muggles generally had a much harder time than other families. At least half-bloods had one magical parent who understood how things went in the magical world. Muggles didn't have that. However, that in no way excused their behavior.
When Hermione excused herself to the bathroom to freshen up, Fred and George took advantage by quietly venting their feelings to each other.
"I had no idea Mia had been tortured!" Fred seethed.
"Nor did I brother dear. Good thing that sadistic bitch is dead or we'd have hunt her arse down and repay her "kindness"." George responded heatedly.
"Then to think our little brother had been such an idiot during their time on the run. I knew Mia looked malnourished when we saw her at the battle but I had no idea she gave the majority of her food to Ron so he would stop whining! What a wanker!" Fred said.
"Indeed, brother o' mine, indeed. I do believe we need to repay ickle Ronnikins for his poor behavior, wouldn't you agree?" George asked.
"Oh indeed we do Georgie. Mia may have let him slide about it but I do believe a few pranks will need to be created to teach him better manners." Fred replied with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
"So, how do we help her deal with the loss of her parents? How can any parent turn their child out just like that?" George fumed, looking at his twin with a seriousness few ever saw on his face.
"I think we'll let Mia show us what she needs. Maybe, if she'll allow, we can tell mum. You know mum will do everything she can to make Mia feel like family." Fred answered, just as seriously.
"Shite Freddie, no wonder she's been so elusive. Anytime she visited the burrow she was constantly reminded what she had just lost! I wish she had told us sooner. There's no way mum or dad would have let her feel so alone and tormented! Hell, none of us would have." George commented, thinking what a fool his whole family had been. Now that he knew, he could look back and plainly see the pain etched onto her lovely face. They all thought that it had been because she and Ron had broken up and she wasn't handling it as well as she had said. Now…damn, if they had only known. Well, they knew now and they would help her deal with all the baggage she was carrying.
Fred had been studying George's face while these thoughts went through his mind and knew they were on the same wavelength where Mia was concerned. So he said, "I know what you're thinking Georgie and I agree, we will do whatever we can to help our strong and wonderful witch through this."
When Hermione came out of the bathroom feeling a lot better and lighter, she couldn't help but admire the view. There, sitting on the couch talking quietly to each other, were her new best friends. She knew they had replaced Harry and Ron and those two had been regulated to the brother zone. She wondered if she should feel guilty about that but decided, no, she shouldn't.
They each had been there for each other through the hardest and most dangerous times of their lives but now it was time to move on, let go and grow. It's not like she would never see them again, well Ron she wasn't so sure she chuckled mentally but knew in reality, they would always have each other's backs. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that if she called upon Harry and Ron in need of assistance they would drop what they were doing to be there for her; the same she would do for either of them. But life moved on and they each had a different path to walk.
Harry had found his partner to walk with in Ginny and Ron would someday find his. It was time for her to find her own. She just really hoped she got to have two partners instead of one. As she stood there watching her wizards discuss her, she was positive she was the topic of such intense discussion; she knew she had finally found where she belonged.
When Fred and George realized they weren't alone anymore their heads whipped around to stare at Hermione. She was leaning against the bar that separated the living room from the kitchen with a soft smile on her face and in her eyes. They hadn't seen such a look directed at them from any witch and took joy in knowing that they had put it there on Mia.
They knew she had felt better after telling them everything, which was the only reason they could handle her tears. They were tears of healing and release. Tears of joy of learning she wasn't alone anymore and that they had her back now. They stared back at her with genuine smiles full of warmth. Then they opened their arms wide to invite her back into their cocoon of safety.
Hermione found herself almost floating towards the couch and their open arms. She couldn't help the giddiness she felt at the thought that they would be hers if she let them. She didn't need to be told; she felt it in her very soul and saw it in their beautiful eyes. They had helped her start down the road of healing and she couldn't be happier. As she slid in between her two wizards, she pulled their arms around her and sighed in true relief for the first time since the end of the war.
She was home and home was where she would stay. Everything else could be figured out in time, right now, she would just enjoy their attentions and love.