"Okay now, alright, everyone leave him be! You all heard the healers, I don't think a room of people is what they meant by 'relax and stay on bed rest'!" Molly began ushering
as many people as she could reach towards the door. She saw George remain stationary in his seat next to Fred's bed and gave him a slightly disapproving look, but said nothing.
She knew even if she tried, she wouldn't be able to convince either of the twins that it would be best for George to leave Fred's side any time in the near future. There were
a few grumbles from the group, but nobody was willing to argue with Molly. Besides, they all knew she was right, whether or not they cared to admit it. Fred was fast asleep
anyway, and they'd have plenty of time to revel in his recovery over the course of the next few weeks as he stayed in the Burrow until Molly felt comfortable enough to
release him.
"Hey, Hermione, wait one second," George called quietly, standing up from the chair next to Fred's bed. Hermione has been just about to shut the door to the twin's old bedroom,
but opened it back up just enough to peer inside once more.
"Hm?" she asked, her brows slightly furrowed in confusion and curiosity about what he could want from her.
George walked across the room and stepped out the door, shutting it quietly behind him. "I was just wondering what your plans are now that...well, now that things are going to
go back to whatever normal means these days," he said with a small smile, his eyes fixed on the staircase in front of them. It seemed as though George hadn't made eye contact
with anyone except Fred over the past few days. His usual cheery demeanor was subdued, not completely absent, but definitely suffering without his twin to encourage him.
"I overheard Harry and Ron talking about this act the ministry is putting out, Special Service to the Wizarding World or something. I guess the ministry decided surviving a
war is enough to warrant Auror training even without seven years of Hogwarts. I didn't hear them say you'd be joining them though," he finished, raising an eyebrow.
"Er...well, that's because I'm not," Hermione said, wondering what difference it made to George whether she was going to train as an auror or not.
"I knew it, you'd never miss the chance to go back to Hogwarts for another year. Can't understand it myself, but at least Fred owes me 5 galleons now," he said with a grin, finally meeting Hermione's eyes.
"I'm not doing that either," she said, a bit embarrassed, as her cheeks flushed red. She had been afraid that people would judge her choice without understanding why she had to reject both Hogwarts and the Ministry for now. The brightest witch of her age doing nothing after the war?
"Oh!" George said, making no attempt to hide the surprise in his voice. "Er...what are your plans then?" he asked hesitantly.
"I'm going to stay here. Your mother has already offered up Ginny's room to me, and I'm going to try to find something part time in Diagon Alley to take care of myself while I..." she felt a lump in her throat start to form. "I'm going to find my parents. I have to find them before I do anything else. Merlin knows if I'll even be able to reverse the charm I put on them, especially since it's been so long now and you know how those kinds of charms strengthen over time, and even if I can reverse it, will they be able to forgive me for what I did? And what if I can't find them to begin with? What if something's happened to them since the last time I saw them? What if-"
"Hermione...it'll be okay," George murmured, cutting her off and grabbing her by the shoulders. "You're Hermione Granger. However difficult it is, you'll figure it out. Now take a breath for me." His voice was soothing and calm. She didn't realize the tears she was trying so desperately to hold back had actually begun to form and slip down her cheeks. She followed his instruction and took a deep breath in, wiping her face quickly. She was suddenly aware of the voices of the rest of the Weasley family downstairs, causing the blush to return to her face once more. She wondered briefly whether anyone had noticed that she didn't come back downstairs with them.
"Let's go back in," George said after scanning Hermione's face one more time, as if to make sure she was okay for the moment. He pulled the bedroom door quickly back open and guided Hermione inside before she could respond.
"Thank you," she mumbled, standing awkwardly near the doorframe. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever been alone with Fred and George before. George has reclaimed his seat next to Fred, leaving his back to Hermione so he could face his twin.
"I told him I'd have his back, you know," George said quietly. "I'd be right by his side the entire time, and he promised me the same. But somehow I got caught up with Lee fighting Yaxley, the Death Eater. By the time I realized he wasn't next to me anymore, the wall had already fallen on him." Hermione's breath caught in her throat and her stomach twisted thinking about that day. She didn't know what to say. "Thankfully," George continued before Hermione could come up with any response at all, "I was the one who found him too. Thought he was dead right then and there. There was no way anyone could have survived that. But he did. And I'll never understand how that happened," he said. At that moment, Fred's eyelids began to flutter as if he was waking up, but he remained still after a moment. "I'm telling you this, Hermione," he turned and looked up at her as he said her name. "Because sometimes, the impossible isn't as impossible as it seems. You'll find your parents, I'm sure of it."
"Thank you George," she whispered with a teary smile. She really did appreciate his words. He was the first person other than Ron, Harry, and Mrs. Weasley that she'd told her plans for the next year. She was suddenly filled with relief that at least if Ron and Harry were always busy at the Ministry and Ginny at Hogwarts, she'd still have the twins around.
"Oh, c'mon now, I didn't want to make you cry," he said, laughing a little. He suddenly sat up a bit straighter, and looked back and forth from Fred to Hermione, the smile on his face growing just slightly. He shook off the somber mood they'd created, feeling uncomfortable with the vulnerability he hadn't shared with anyone except Fred. "I've just had a brilliant idea, and before you say anything!...you aren't allowed to say no."
"You said you wanted something just part time! Just to gather a few galleons and get your mind off things, right?"
"Er...yes...but I didn't mean for you to hire me at the shop! You haven't even consulted with Fred, he's supposed to be your partner, isn't he? What if he's completely opposed to the idea of having me work there?"
George pretended to consider this for half a second. "Mm, yup, there's no way he'll disagree. In fact, I think he'll find it a right laugh that we've got perfect prefect Hermione Granger working in the shop. If that doesn't increase our traffic at the very least I don't know what will! You honestly think I don't already know what his reaction will be? Hermione, I'm disappointed in you."
Hermione rolled her eyes, glancing briefly at the redhead lying quietly in bed beside them and gasped quietly. George spun around so quickly it was almost as though he'd apparated just to face a different direction.
"Morning."
"Fred!" Hermione practically yelped. She felt a wave of relief wash over her to see he was finally awake. He'd opened his eyes a few times in St. Mungo's, but the healers couldn't tell them when he'd actually be able to stay conscious for more than a couple hours at a time. It was a waiting game every time Fred fell back asleep to see when the next time they'd get to speak to him was. George, too, was grinning, clearly in an improved mood now that his partner in crime was back in action for the time being.
"He's right you know," Fred whispered, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Did you forget we have the whole twin telepathy thing going on? Blimey, makes me wish you were in our year just so you could have seen the rise we used to get out of Trelawney, pretending we could honestly read each other's minds." He grinned so big you'd have no idea he was still healing from some of the most brutal injuries the healers at St. Mungo's had seen following the Battle at Hogwarts. Hermione felt as though a weight she didn't realize was there had been lifted off her shoulders with each word he said. He was still covered in bandages and bruises, dark circles under his eyes, but at least he looked mostly human and intact again. She didn't think she'd ever be able to get the image of Fred on the battlefield out of her mind.
"I don't know…" Hermione said, trying to focus back on the conversation at hand.
"You'd be doing us a huge favor Hermione," George said after a moment. He, too, looked like he was trying to shove memories of the battle out of his mind.
"Plus," Fred interjected again, "I think it's obvious I won't be back in the shop for a bit. You're one of the few people we can trust enough to not only get the products right, but that we trust in general too. And you're much prettier than George or I. Well...prettier than George at least. You'll be able to sell the Wonder Witch line much easier than we can," he grinned. George picked up a pillow to throw at him but seemed to think better of it at the last second.
Hermione felt her cheeks reddening once again. They were right, she knew, and it would be easier to start a job with bosses who wouldn't try to prod and interrogate her about Harry and everything that had happened over the last year. "Okay," she said with a sense of finality. "I'll do it." She grinned, feeling as though she had a bit of a sense of direction now. She still had to figure out where to begin on finding her parents, but at least she had a job to fill part of her time.
The door swung open just as Fred was opening his mouth to express his excitement, causing all three of them to jump as it slammed against the wall with a loud bang. Mrs. Weasley stood in the doorframe, her brows furrowed in frustration, but a smile on her lips. She looked flustered but was trying quite unsuccessfully to hide it.
"Fred, dear, I'm so glad to see you awake," she said, the relief momentarily taking over the frustration. "George, would you be a peach and apparate your brother downstairs to the kitchen with us? We've just gotten some news from the Ministry, and I'd like everyone together for it. Yes, Hermione, you too, though I figured you and I could just walk back down together, normally I would make the twins as well but I'd say Fred is in a special circumstance…" Mrs. Weasley turned back towards the stairs. "Now would be preferable," she added when none of the three budged.
"Right, I'll see you downstairs boys," Hermioned squeaked, unsure of what this news could possibly be. Mrs. Weasley had given no indication of whether it was good or bad. Hermione felt her stomach twist into knots as she followed down the stairs.