Chapter 15

"I'll be right out." A voice called from a back room as Jake, Charlie, Fred, Hermione and Ginny entered the small building.

Jake and Charlie went directly to the counter to wait while the other three looked around. Hermione was particularly intrigued by the mural painted on the old concrete wall, large ink spots in all shades of blues and greens were splattered behind the name of the tattoo parlor "Don't Ink About It" in bold black letters. She liked the simplicity of the sign.

"What can I- Charlie? Jake? What are you two doing here?" a very petite woman asked as she walked out from the back room. The woman looked to be about Charlie's age, very pretty and covered in tattoos. "Wait, let me guess, are we adding to the story?"

"Yes, ma'am, we are. How are you Mik?" Jake said as the girl came around the corner to hug him and Charlie.

"I'm great, keeping busy enough,"Mik said with a smile, then she turned her attention to the girls. "I'm Michaela, and you must be Ginny, and that would make you Hermione, yeah?" Mik asked, taking in the girls.

"How'd you know that?" Ginny asked, suspiciously.

"Red hair, with these two nutters? Had to be the little sister, and Hermione is your best friend. I'd say you must be Ron then?" Mik said before turning to Fred.

"Hardly. Fred, much more handsome than ickle Ronnikins, for sure," Fred said, nearly insulted.

"Sorry, sorry! Fred… one of the twins? That threw me, I would have expected a pair of you. Heard you are always together," Mik said lightly.

"Ah, well, George had another errand to run today, while we were in muggle London," Charlie told her, causing Ginny and Hermione's eyes to go wide. "Oh, she knows all about wizards and magic, no worries."

"I've a cousin who's a wizard, actually he's about your age. Seamus Finnigan?" Mik asked.

"We know Seamus very well," Hermione said with a smile. "How is he?"

"Bout as well as you'd expect, nervous going back to school. Our dads are brothers, I spent a bit of time living with his family, the only reason I'm allowed to know about magic at all. We're real close, think of him more as a brother than cousin." Mik said a bit sadly, then shook her head and smiled. "Anyway, let's hear the story, what are we doing today?"

"A werewolf!" Jake told her, they then proceed in telling her about the whole thing. She drew in a sketch pad as they talked, asking questions occasionally, but mostly listening with rapt attention. Once they finished telling the story, she had a sketch done, which Jake loved, and she started on his arm.

Hermione liked Mik, she could see a lot of Seamus in her. It was also nice to talk about muggle things, and not just the war, it had barely begun, but already seemed to dominate all conversations lately.

"I think you may be about the bravest person I've ever met," Mik said a while later. She had just finished Jake's arm and had walked over to where Hermione was sitting in the corner looking through one of Mik's photo albums. "I'd like to make you an offer, later, whenever you're ready, if you decide you want to, I'd be happy to tattoo you, no charge. Just because he scared your body, doesn't make it any less yours. It may be difficult to remember some days, but work hard on it, yeah?"

"Thank you, very much. I don't know how brave I am really. I haven't let myself think too much on it, yet," Hermione said, with a tight smile. In truth, it had taken a very long time for her to be comfortable in her own body after Dolohov cursed her at the ministry, the scar was still visible across her chest. These new ones felt even more personal and emotional and Hermione knew it would take a lot more time to heal mentally than it would physically.

"And just who is going to stop me then?" Ginny said rather loudly, grabbing the attention of Hermione and Mik who walked over to see what was going on.

"Gin, you're still too young," Charlie tried to reason.

"Oh, this will be good," Hermione whispered to Mik.

"I'll be of age in a year, thank you very much. Then you won't have a word to say about it," Ginny said defiantly.

"Say about what?" Hermione asked Fred as he put an arm around her shoulder.

"Ginny wants a tattoo, and the hypocritical second eldest is attempting to put his foot down," Fred said chuckling into Hermione's hair.

"Mum? You're going to bring mum into this? Well isn't that rich, Charles Weasley," Ginny said gaining steam now. "Perhaps Mum would like to know a few things that you've done. You're no better Jacob! Maybe I should just bypass the blackmail entirely and teach you all the wonderful hexes I learned back in the DA?"

"Someone should really stop her, before she makes good on her threats," Hermione whispered to Fred and Mik.

"Just another minute," Fred said, laughing silently.

"Fred, she brought her wand," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Wait just a minute, you have a problem with girl with tattoos?" Mik said stepping between Charlie and Ginny.

"Of course not," Charlie backpedaled quickly. "C'mon Mik, you know I think your tattoos are dead sexy. I just don't want some no good wanker thinking the same thing about my baby sister."

"I'll show you baby sister," Ginny said angrily.

Jake proved to be rather quicker than he looked and putting himself in the middle of everything plucked Ginny's wand from her hand and held it well out of her reach. Ginny began jumping to reach it before looking around at the scene in the room and began laughing. All the tension in the room was gone at once as everyone laughed at the absurdity of it all.

….

George took a deep breath and knocked on the door, checking again that the glamour on his missing ear was still intact.

"Come in," came a voice from behind the door.

"Hello, Professor, I hope I'm not bothering you," George said, as he walked into the office.

"Mr. Weasley, no not at all. How are you doing? How is Miss Granger doing with the news about

poor Nick?" Professor Bradbury asked kindly.

"She's well, she's having lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Smith tomorrow actually," George said, calming his temper at the mention of Nick. They had all agreed it would be better if everyone believed he had died in the home invasion.

"Good, I'm happy to hear that, they aren't doing well. But, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to come by and say thank you, for everything. I've never really been one for school, and well, you've changed my mind about that. I've always like reading and writing a bit of poetry but you've really opened my eyes to so much more of what writing can be. I know with everything that's happened we won't be coming back, but I just wanted to say thank you, and goodbye. Also, to give you this, my final project. I chose to do a children's book. I hope you enjoy it," George said. He really would have liked to be able to take the class under normal circumstances, never had a teacher reached him quite like Bradbury had. George knew he would miss it.

"That's very kind of you, George. It really makes it all worth it to get a student or two who really love what they're learning. It's been a pleasure to have you in my class," Bradbury said and shook George's hand.

"Well, you certainly are a great teacher."

George had chosen to write a children's story about a magical family. There were seven children, they all had incredible adventures learning about magic and the importance of family. Professor Bradbury would be thoroughly impressed by George's imagination, but also about his use of descriptive writing so that he felt like he could see everything, as if it were all real. George had simply used the oldest writing advice there was, "write what you know".

….

"How are you feeling, love?" Fred asked as he sat down next to Hermione, lifting her feet into his lap. They had been back at The Burrow for a short time and Hermione was already feeling the exhaustion from the day.

"I'm good, just been thinking," she said, as she scooted closer to him and layer her head on his shoulder.

"Anything of any importance?" Fred asked as they interlaced their fingers.

"At the moment, I'm thinking that I've missed you, being kidnapped put a bit of a damper on our date," she said, with a mischievous smile.

"Too true that is. What are you going to do to make it up to me? I did wait at that restaurant for a very long time, you know," he joked lightly.

"Yes, that must have been very difficult for you." Hermione said as shifted so she was sitting on her knees next to him on the couch. "Maybe this will make up for that a bit." Hermione leaned in, put both hand on his shoulders and softly kissed the side of his mouth.

"Well, that certainly is a good start," Fred whispered, pulling her over so she was sitting across his lap.

"You know, if Mum comes in here we are all going to get the talk again… the one where she tells us where little baby witches and wizards come from. She still has the dolls and everything." Charlie's voice rang out and it was as if a jolt of electricity came between the couple on the couch. Hermione jumped up and off Fred in an instant, her face was the same color as Fred's hair.

"Think she'll sing the song?" Fred asked with an easy smile as he pulled Hermione closer to him again, though not back on his lap.

"There's a song? Will you sing it for me! Pretty please!" Jake said as he followed Charlie in the room and they each took the armchairs opposite the couch.

"Oh bloody hell, I forgot about the song. She made that up for Bill, when she got the floo call from McGonagall about catching him with that Ravenclaw prefect." Charlie laughed loudly. "No I'm not singing, tosser."

"You all are utterly ridiculous," Hermione muttered, finally losing some of the color in her face.

"Would you like to go for a walk? It's gotten very crowded suddenly," Fred asked Hermione, throwing a couple of pillows at the other two.

"Once there was a young witch, fair. With long flowing ha-" George started singing from the doorway, he got cut off by another pillow hitting him square in the face.

"Yes, please. Now!" Hermione said, and they ran out of the house holding hands.

"Sorry about that, five brothers, no privacy," Fred said as they slowed down to a walk. They were heading toward the far end of the orchard. "Just up here, it's our old club house.

They rounded the corner and a small makeshift building came into view. It was obvious that it had been constructed by children, not much more than a bunch of boards nailed together.

"Oh, I guess I'm not allowed in," Hermione said with a laugh, pointing to a large sign on what she assumed was the door, NO GIRLS ALLOWED was written in bold letters.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to go in there before the sign was deactivated… you would go deaf for three hours and unable to open you mouth, we had a big problem with Ginny snooping," Fred told her seriously.

"Oh for heaven's sake, no wonder Ginny is so good with hexes, you all are awful!" Hermione said, laughing.

"It's safe now, go on in." Fred opened the door for her. It was just like the tent, which was right now packed in her small bag, ready to go in an instant.

The outside didn't look like much, but inside was incredible, there were six large armchairs around a low table, one wall was floor to ceiling bookshelves, filled with wizarding comics, children's chapter books, and several old cauldrons. There were long work tables along another wall, covered in half full ink bottles and broken quills, random scraps of parchment. Another wall had trunks lining it filled with all sorts of sports equipment. It was in short, boy heaven.

"I have something for you," Fred said, gesturing for her to take a seat in one of the chairs. On the table was an old beat up rucksack, much like Harry's. "In here is a few of our products, spell deflecting clothing, the darkness powder, and some decoy detonators. This pocket has some food, non perishable and shrunken down. I put a few dozen of those sugar quills you like so much in there as well. Your mirror is in this pocket here, along with a two way journal I have the twin to. And finally I've added some daydreams, I hope you don't mind, but I tailored them for you specifically, they may or may not feature a certain dashing redhead."

"I don't know what to say, you are amazing," Hermione said, shocked and very touched.

"I know you three are leaving, and soon I'm guessing. Just please promise me that you will stay as safe as possible. I came to a very important realization the other day," Fred told her, sitting on the table in front of her.

"Yes, the day after the wedding. What did you realize?" Hermione said, barely above a whisper.

"I realized, that I don't want to be without you. I realized that there are two people in this world that I truly would be unable to live without, George and you. I love you, Hermione, and I think I have for years."

"I love you, too. So much," Hermione answered. That's what she had been thinking about earlier, about how he had always taken care of her, even way back at Hogwarts.

"I'm so bloody happy you said that, makes this next bit easier. I want you to have this back, for real this time. I had to take it off when I healed your broken finger," Fred handed her the ring she had been missing since she woke up. "I know this is a right awful time to be making promises like this, but I would be so very happy if you would agree to spend the rest of your life with me."

"I think now is the most perfect time to make these promises," Hermione said as she nodded her head.