Hermione was rolling her neck as she climbed out of bed on Sunday. It had been a week of ups and downs, but work was going to eventually level off. This week her plans for the Daily Prophet were going to go into effect. Not only that, but Kingsley had ordered her to take the week off.
Well, she couldn't complain about the time off, but it seemed odd. The whole conversation they had on Friday was weird. He wanted to really look into her list and make sure she didn't forget a clear candidate for her choice? Well, that was simply off-color. Considering she had been efficiently going through the list and trying to determine who would be best.
The whole business of picking a wizard to spend your life with off a list was hard enough as it was. A list that seemed more daunting the more time passed. She needed a break, and maybe even her superior could see that.
Flicking her wand, she walked over to the window and snatched up the paper before giving the owl a treat. Her teapot was warming with water, and the leaves were floating into the opening. Everything was going to segway into a relaxing morning. Well, she hoped.
The rapid knocking at her door invaded her concept with swift measure. Hermione paced over to the door and opened the barrier to see a glaring Fred Weasley. "Freddy," she started.
Fred stomped into the room and held up his copy of the Daily Prophet. "What is this?"
Hermione's eyebrows raised, and she blinked at him. "What do you mean?"
Fred opened the paper and sneered. "'Ministry witch and rock wizard icon meet for conversation about the marriage bill.'"
Hermione groaned and scrubbed her face. "Myron asked Bill if I would go to lunch with him, so I did."
"Wagtail? You're thinking about marrying Wagtail ?" He spat his last word.
"I thought you liked the Weird Sisters," Hermione grumbled as she paced into the sitting room.
"I did, I mean I do, but you can't marry him. He's loose and is totally a witch's prize on the road," Fred growled as he marched into her flat.
"I never said I was going to marry him, Freddy," Hermione sighed.
"Then why have lunch? What's the purpose if not to figure out if he's fitting?" Fred questioned as he crossed his arms in the center of her sitting room.
"Merlin, Fred, it was just lunch," Hermione puffed as her teacup floated over to her, and she relaxed in her armchair.
"Why would he want to have lunch with you if not to see if you'd marry him? You heard Lee. He said there's a long list of blokes just ready to line up for you," Fred voiced as he waved the paper in the air.
"You have no right to complain about this. You've had plenty of witches visit you for more than lunch. Some of which I question your decisions about," Hermione hissed as her brows tightened.
"What's your point?" He snapped.
Hermione set down her teacup and stood up. Her eyes narrowed up at Fred. "You have no right to tell me who I can and cannot see, Fred Weasley. Even if I brought him back to my flat and he taught me personally how to play an instrument," she growled with her hands on her hips.
Fred scrunched his nose. "He wouldn't be good for you. Not for the life you deserve."
"I'm going to make my choice when I'm ready, and it's not your damn business who I choose and why," she snapped.
"Merlin forbids, you choose someone actually good for you," Fred huffed and rolled his eyes.
Hermione flicked out her hand and poked his chest with her index finger. "You have no bloody right to tell me these things, Frederick. I'm an adult woman. I'm not your daughter, or your sister, or even your bloody girlfriend!"
"I never said you were," he groaned.
"You're acting like a jealous prat," Hermione retorted.
"I am not!" Fred exclaimed with a tight sneer.
"I've never in my life seen you act like Ron, and I'm not about to start letting you," Hermione hissed and poked his chest again.
"Act like Ron? You're saying because I actually care about your happiness that I'm acting like my stubborn brother?" Fred huffed and waved the paper in the air. "Fantastic."
Hermione inhaled and released the tension on her shoulders. "Listen, I know this is difficult. We've been through plenty together, but I have to do this. You have to stop trying to protect me from everything. It's hurting me too much," she finished and glanced away from him.
Fred dropped his defensive posture and touched her shoulder. "Hermione, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying," he stopped when a tear skated down her cheek. "Fuck, please don't cry."
"You don't understand, I don't really want to do this either, but I have to, Fred. It might even be better for me instead of wishing things were different," Hermione puffed and wiped her face.
Fred made calming sounds as he dropped the paper and ran his thumbs along with her now damp cheeks. "Oh, you yank at my heart, Hermione. I'm so sorry I made you upset. I hate seeing you cast your beauty into discontent. I just want you to be happy."
She glanced up at him and grimaced. "Fred, I don't know how to let it go. I've tried so many times, but I don't know how I can change that part of my feelings."
"I mean, I get it," Fred sighed and caressed her face with both his hands. "It's difficult to feel something and not have a resolve for it. It's like you linger in limbo and wish for the clouds to pour rain, but there isn't any in the forecast."
"Exactly," Hermione whimpered.
"Kingsley isn't good for you anyway," Fred smiled.
"Kingsley?" Hermione jerked from his fingers and scowled. "What does my boss have anything to do with this?"
Fred puffed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just thought, ya know. That's why you haven't dated anyone in a bit."
Hermione blinked and laughed. "You thought," she paused and shook her head before giggling again. "You thought I had a fancy for my boss? Oh, Freddy!"
"You don't?" He smiled.
"No! Oh, Merlin, absolutely not! He's a wonderful minister and friend, but no," she said and swayed a flat hand.
Fred chuckled and shrugged. "Well, I suppose I read that wrong."
She let her laughter die and beamed after clearing her face. "You did. Now, are you going to make me breakfast to make up for your prat behavior?"
"Absolutely," Fred smirked and saluted her.
Hermione sat back down in her armchair, and Fred bent over, kissing her cheek. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I forget that you know how to take care of yourself. I was an arsehole."
She stroked his stubbled cheek and breathed. "I know, Fred. I forgive you."
Fred caressed her curls and stood up, moving to head to the kitchen.
"Freddy," Hermione started.
He paused and glanced back at the chair. Hermione hadn't turned around, but he frowned in her direction regardless. "Yes, Ministry Witch?"
"Why did you think I was talking about Kingsley?"
"Because who else would you have feelings for that go unanswered?"
Hermione was sitting in that maroon chair and biting her lower lip. Did he not remember all the things she had said that night? Was it too long ago or of that little importance?
"You don't know?" She questioned.
"No."
She breathed and glanced around the chair with a smile. "Then it's unimportant, but it's definitely not my boss."
Fred grinned and winked while pointing his index finger at her with his thumb up. "Gotcha. I promise I won't bring it up again."
"Okay," Hermione murmured and returned to her relaxed position.
The witch sipped her tea and frowned as she heard Fred moving around in the kitchen. He didn't know? How could he not remember? Or was it that he promised never to bring that up again and meant it? The difficulty of the heart in this mess was ten times worse; he hadn't a clue how much she wished he would have never promised her that.
Fred decided to visit Harry after the morning's events. Not only was Harry wrong, but it was also quite clear that there was something else going on. It bothered Fred beyond just an annoyance. This whole bill did, but the concept that she was eating herself alive to do this bill was madness.
When he entered the house through the fireplace, shattering glass was heard in the room over. Fred raised his eyebrows and walked into the dining room to see Ginny lifting another plate. Harry was on the other side of the room and shielding himself aside from looking at her.
"How dare you!" Ginny snarled and tossed another plate.
"Gin, I mean, er, it wasn't like I knew," Harry tried.
"She was crying in the bathroom!" Ginny screamed and stomped her foot. "Harry James Potter! She's a fragile witch!"
Fred analyzed his sister and knocked on the door jam. "Housekeeping."
Ginny whipped around and was glaring as if she was trying to set him on fire. "And you! How dare you go over there and toss verbal daggers at her! You're not some older brother without sin!"
Fred blinked and glanced at Harry, who was cleaning up the plates with his wand. "I'm not sure what I did."
"Apparently, Hermione was quite upset that I suggested Kingsley was her hidden crush," Harry grumbled.
"Oh, good, that's what I came over to talk to you about," Fred groaned.
Ginny waved her hand in the air while glowering at her brother. "Yes, well, Hermione was upset after finding out that Harry told all of you over boys' night. She emphatically denied it and told him how embarrassed she was that he would even suggest it. We've known her too long to assume anything!"
"I didn't think any of us would ever ask her," Harry mumbled.
Fred tightened his expression. "I was concerned with her lunch yesterday making into the paper. I acted a bit brash," he voiced.
"Brash? You, brash? Well, she's not your baby sister, Fred. She's not your cousin or even the widow of your brother. She's an adult witch who's allowed to see and shag who she wants!" Ginny snarled and breathed as her face turned red with anger.
"She shagged him?" Fred questioned and internally winced at the concern in his voice.
"See, right there. That's the reason why she never told you about the Irish poet or even the Magizoologist! You're not supposed to act like that," Ginny snapped.
"Wait, there was more than Krum?" Fred asked.
Harry grimaced and tried to wave Fred off, but Ginny screeched. "Yes! Of course, there was! Did you expect her to stay celibate while she lived next to you? Bringing in witches of all sorts of tastes while she had to ignore their cackling and drunken stumbles through the hall to your apartment?"
Fred's face was beyond the normal Weasley standard of embarrassment. It mixed with the only other emotion to show through with dramatic effect; he was crestfallen. "I didn't know."
"Can I go check on James? Promise not to curse him, Gin? You heard the healer," Harry grumbled.
Ginny waved him off. "We'll finish this later."
Harry exhaled and walked by Fred, patting him on the shoulder. Ginny breathed and examined her brother. Fred wasn't looking at her and appeared to shrink at her reveals. It just clicked after remembering dinner at the Burrow.
"Freddy, are, wait, do you have feelings for her?" Ginny asked.
Fred snapped his vision to his sister and glared. "No, that would be wrong."
"Why would that be wrong?" Ginny asked as she paced toward him.
Fred groaned and shook his head. "She was with Ron, Gin. That brings a whole other concept to keeping it in the family."
Ginny slanted her head and frowned. "How? She never dated or shagged Ron."
"You don't know that," Fred sneered.
"Yes, I do," Ginny laughed. "Us witches talk just as much as my brothers talk to Harry, it seems. She thought about dating him. Hermione was going to propose the idea after the battle, but she never had the chance. The only thing Hermione ever did was kiss him."
Fred snorted and shook his head. "Even if I did, which I don't, she doesn't see me like that. Even if I did feel that way, it would still be wrong. Bill told me to," he stopped and buttoned his mouth.
"You do have feelings," Ginny gasped and gripped his arm. "Why haven't you said anything!"
Fred moaned and waved his hand. "Stop, just stop, would ya?"
"No, I'm not going to. Hermione deserves a man like you, Fred. You've spent years looking after her. I always thought it was some weird family thing I never understood, but now I get it. The dinners, the splitting of the flat so she could have her own, and even this now. It all lines up," Ginny voiced with a smile. "You have a crush on Hermione! How long?"
Fred pulled his arm from her and twitched his nose. "Gin, I love you, but I don't want to talk about this. Bill already warned me years ago that he would rip my intestines out and hang me with them if I tried."
"Why, what happened?" Ginny gasped.
"Nothing happened. Nothing has happened. Nothing will happen. Now, can we please sit down so I can visit with my nephew and relax?" Fred pleaded with a scrunched expression.
Ginny breathed and rocked her head. "I'm just going to say this once. I think you both would be a cute couple," she finished and marched from the room.
"Yeah," Fred grumbled and half-heartedly paced behind his sister.