Hermione stared at the letter in abject horror. She could not believe that he would even think to try something so incredibly stupid. It was addressed to her parents, her mother more specifically. It asked to have Hermione over as soon as possible. It said the Ministry had refused to let magical protections be performed on a Muggle abode. It said that as long as Hermione was not there, the Death Eaters would have no reason to harm her parents. It made Hermione wish for the first time that she could simply send them away until everything was over. It made her want to take away the knowledge she had burdened them with. It was signed 'Molly Weasley.'
It was forged.
Hermione giggled to herself as she sat down, unable to stop herself. Forged. Merlin, was she clever.
The letter had indeed been written by Forge Weasley. His t's had always had a curve to them, where Mrs. Weasley's were carefully straight. Everything else was immaculate.
It was accompanied by a second letter, also from Fred.
Whenever you feel like coming over, answer. I'm not sure how long the owl will hang around though. I told her to wait, but she's a little attached to me. Might be a problem. I bought her for you. Meet Bellona, Mione. I know you've got Crookshanks, but I needed an owl and the only way I don't have to share her with George is if I say she's for you. Love you. Flat is ready when you are. I've been practicing Mum's handwriting since I was five. I'm expecting you around twoish. George thinks you'll be here by noon, but I know you have to pack. I'll see you soon. Maybe. Don't feel bad. You really are safer with us. And the Ministry really won't let Bill do the protection charms. And Mum was talking about having you over soon. And I like having you around, which may or may not be related. But this isn't just to get you away from your parents so I can have you to myself. It's mostly about that, but it's not all about that.
You said you hadn't slept well for a really long time. But you didn't wake up at all that night. I want to be there for you, I really do.
Unrelated note; I locked the door to the bathroom but your mum still came in no problem. That was a little startling and I nearly pissed myself. I'm going to stop writing words now. I love you.
Fred
Hermione shook her head slightly. She packed, then sent her response using Bellona. She thought the owl liked her well enough, but she couldn't take an owl and Crookshanks with her to school. The letter specifically said 'or' every year.
~m~
I can't Apparate, as you should know, and shall require some form of transportation.
I accidentally broke the locks on most the doors in the house when I was younger. They look as if they're locked but if you turn the handles hard enough it isn't difficult to get in. Should've warned you, sorry.
I'll see you around two-ish, provided you can fit into your busy, respected businessman's schedule to come pick me up at a time when you should be doing work in order to get a few galleons from your brother.
Yours,
Hermione Granger
Fred traced his finger over her neat signature lightly.
"Oi, Forge, aisle three needs stocking!" George called from the register. Fred grabbed a box of Nosebleed Nougats, a case of Puking Pastilles, and a tub of Fever Fudges, tossed a treat to Bellona, who hooted happily and ruffled her tawny feathers, and headed out into the storm. He was indeed a busy man; summer was in full swing, bringing crowds of children and parents, plus some adults looking to slack off at work and stay at home.
"When are we interviewing staff?!" Fred asked over the crowd of children. He sent a minor Stinging Jinx at a kid who slipped something into his pocket. The product was immediately returned. Fred waggled his wand and the treats from the store room flew from their containers to their places on the shelves.
"Around one thirty tomorrow," George answered, his voice very nearly swallowed by the masses. Fred hummed under his breath and Vanished the empty boxes. He frowned. What would Hermione do? There was always the chance she'd run into a Death Eater in disguise if she went to Diagon Alley. People may wonder why she was even there. And if she was out with him-
Fred took a deep breath, shaking his head. He chuckled to himself. He was starting to think like Hermione. She would read a book upstairs and distract him from work. Which was what she always did.
Fred checked his watch then ran over to George. He tapped his wrist twice, received a frown in answer, and Apparated.
He appeared in the alleyway around the corner from Hermione's house. It seemed to always be abandoned. No one watched as he left it and jogged across the street. He walked quickly over the sidewalk, but slowed when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Fred glanced over his shoulder, scanning the line of streets. He could not see anyone, but had enough experience with magic to know that this didn't mean there wasn't anyone there.
Fred grasped his wand tightly, turning to take a few steps backward. He didn't like the idea of a duel on Hermione's street. He cursed himself, knowing that he should've just Apparated into her kitchen, or her living room. Fred tapped his arm, casting a Disillusionment Charm on himself. Transfiguration had always been his strong suit, but he wasn't bad at Charms either. With an odd feeling, he became almost perfectly invisible. Luckily it wasn't a very sunny day, or his shadow would've given him away. Rampant dementors had caused a near permanent fog to descend on the country.
~m~
Hermione watched from her window, her hands yanking nervously at her hair. Fred had paused next door, then disappeared. Except he hadn't Apparated. Something was very obviously wrong.
"What is it?" Her mother asked, coming over to the window. Hermione jumped and pulled down the shades.
"There's something out there," Hermione said, grabbing her mother's elbow and tugging her away.
"What?" Her mother frowned and straightened, "We'll call the-"
"No, don't," Hermione ordered. "Fred can take care of whatever it is."
"Fred's out there?" Her mother's panic did not help the voice in the back of Hermione's head that ordered her to do something. Hermione clenched her fists and shoved them under her armpits. Fred was trying to keep her safe. Running out there would only show where she lived and endanger her parents.
Unless they hadn't followed Fred, and were already there.
Hermione shivered and retreated further into her house with her mother.
~m~
The two invisible wizards had reached an impasse. Neither could properly see the other, and both were squinting down the street. Had anyone else been able to see them, it would have been comical. A Muggle jogger ran by, perfectly oblivious. One of the wizards moved, his feet scraping slightly across the pavement, in order to avoid the Muggle. The other shot a barrage of spells after him.
The Muggle jogged on, muttering the words of a pop song under their breath, completely unaware of the duel raging at their back. If the Muggle had turned their head even slightly, they'd have seen a display of colored light; green and red and purple and yellow and any color in between. It was a miracle the Muggle wasn't hit by a stray spell.
The wizards were matched in skill. As soon as the second had shot of his first spell, the other had begun to fire curses in his direction.
The pavement cracked between them. A wandering spell destroyed a lamppost, turning it into no more than a molten mess. A car's alarm began to whirl.
One of the wizards decided that no good would come of the duel. He Apparated. The other shot a jet of red light into the dark spot that appeared as he did. It shot into the spot and disappeared with the wizard.
And that was how Fred Weasley managed to appear in Hermione Granger's kitchen, unconscious.
~m~
There was a great crash from the kitchen, and Hermione sucked in a deep breath. She held up a hand to motion for her mother's stillness and crept through the living room into the kitchen.
A metal bowl had fallen from the counter to the ground, with it a container of salt and baking soda. Hermione wondered briefly if her mother was going to bake cookies when she noticed the fine white powder hovering over the ground. She backed away, but they moved only slightly. Hermione paused and crouched to the ground, taking a small step toward the kitchen once more. She could hear breathing.
She reached forward to prod the floating salt, and her finger touched cloth instead of air. She gasped and pulled back again. While she was reasonably certain the invisible, likely unconscious man on her kitchen's floor was her idiot boyfriend, she didn't want to assume so and find herself with a Death Eater in her house. She brushed off all the white powder and laid her hand flat on the surface it had rested on. She followed the line upward, or she thought she had, until she realized she'd accidentally found the person's ass. Hermione found herself praying that it was Fred as she quickly moved her hand the other direction.
She found the neck of the man. She was sure it was a man now, she could feel little bits of stubble on his jaw. He was laying face down, and she turned his head slightly. She ran her hand through his hair. She was near certain it was Fred now. She traced his face lightly with her fingers.
"Hermione?" Her mother called.
"It's all right, Mum," Hermione answered, "It's just Fred."
Her mother wandered into the kitchen, "Er, where is he?"
"Disillusionment Charm, makes him difficult to see," Hermione squinted at his form. She could see his shadow if she tried hard enough, and the tiles of the floor looked a little distorted after staring at them for a moment. "He's unconscious."
"Then how did he end up in here?"
"I'll explain in a moment," Hermione promised. "Can we put him on the couch?"
"Hermione," her mother said softly. For a moment Hermione was afraid her mother was going to question her sanity. Then she stepped on Fred.
"Mum!" Hermione rose to catch her mother as she tipped backwards. They very narrowly avoided having two unconscious people on the floor of the Grangers' kitchen.
"He's really invisible," Hermione's mother said, staring at the floor. "Oh, dear, I hope I didn't hurt him."
It took nearly ten minutes for the two women to move Fred from the floor to the couch. Hermione guessed that he'd been hit by a Stunner, which meant he should come around naturally in a little while. She didn't want to risk a counter jinx during the summer, especially in front of her mother. She had serious doubts about the Ministry's ability to determine what sort of out-of-school magic was acceptable. Then there would be all sorts of talk. Fred was a rags-to-riches businessman, his tale a heartening one that resonated even with Wizards. He (and George) had gained somewhat of a celebrity status. The Ministry inquiring into Hermione 'Harry Potter's Best Friend' Granger performing magic out of school to revive Fred Weasley. It was a scandal. Hermione didn't like hate mail.
Fred let out a low groan. Hermione sat patiently on the floor as the couch cushions shifted. Then something assaulted her and brought her against something very warm.
"Fred?"
"Are you all right?" Hermione was pushed back slightly. There was a small pause, "Am I still invisible?!"
Hermione nodded, smiling, "You can't imagine how confused my mum is."
Fred appeared then. Apparently he still had his wand clutched in his hand. He had sat up and subsequently stood and pulled Hermione to her feet.
"Who was it?" Hermione asked.
"Don't know," Fred shrugged, "George has felt like he's been followed for days."
"And you didn't do anything?!" Hermione demanded, "Didn't talk to Remus? Didn't think to Apparate here instead of Merlin knows-"
"I was trying to be polite," Fred groaned, rubbing his face. "I'm sorry."
"Polite?! Fred, we're in the middle of a war, my parents can understand you popping in directly!" Hermione said, exasperated. It was hard to stay mad, especially when he gave excuses like that. She leaned forward and threw her arms around his neck, "Why are you so considerate?"
"Mum'd beat my arse raw with a wooden spoon if I wasn't," Fred murmured, slowly pulling her closer. She was like a furnace but the Disillusionment Charm had left him chilly. He didn't mind. He sighed, touching her hair gently, "I didn't mean to scare you. It was only a Stunner."
"What if it wasn't?" Hermione whispered. She was reasonably certain that Fred was the luckiest man alive, and not just because she was dating him.
"We can't afford to think about that," Fred said quietly. "We just have to learn and move on."
"But-"
"'Mione," Fred pulled away from her and pulled on her wavy hair. "I'm not being reckless. You know what a disappointment it would be for me if I never got to see you stressed over something like... I dunno... Our wedding, perhaps? We'd have to find some way to relieve stress and, I don't know about you, but I'm partial to... Your mum is standing over my shoulder, isn't she?"
Hermione nodded, looking imploringly at her mother. Seeing as her mother'd never given Hermione a lecture about living in sin, she'd surmised the unthinkable; her parents had done - things - before marriage themselves. Her mother glared at the back of Fred's head. Hermione held Fred's hand and kept him from turning around.
"Knitting. I'm very, very partial to knitting. We could knit... Hats... For the undoubtedly large number of- of nieces and nephews that... that my brothers will have produced by then... With their, erm, their wives... Because it will be a very long time until then. Of course. Because we're-"
"Shut up," Hermione said fondly.
"Right! We have to get you to my mother!" Fred ran off to hide in Hermione's room while she did damage control with her mother. "I'll get your things!"
"I know that you are capable of making your own choices but-"
"He didn't pressure me into doing anything, Mum, if anything happened at all," Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, "What, just because older and a man you think-"
"He is a teenaged boy!" Her mother hissed. "It's all they ever think about."
"Not Wizards, Mum," Hermione said through gritted teeth, "Wizards have wars to think about. Important things."
"Yes, because the belief that one could die at any moment is a fantastic deterrent to poor decision making!" Her mother said shrilly.
"I thought you liked Fred!"
"I do, but you're just sixteen-"
"Nearly seventeen," Hermione said clearly. "Nearly an adult."
"Oh, they just want you to fight their wars for them," Hermione's mother muttered under her breath. Then she looked at Hermione, "Is it really so much safer at the Weasley's if Fred is being followed?!"
"He lives above his shop, he's not ever at the Burrow, except on occasion. There are powerful magical protections in that house, Mum. They may not be as ancient as the ones at Hogwarts, but do not doubt that they do their job well," Hermione said. "Harry will be spending part of his summer there, and wherever Harry goes is either the safest place in the world or the most dangerous. Since they're prepared for him, it'd be the safest."
Hermione didn't know the enchantments on Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She didn't bother mentioning them.
"'Mione, I'm ready!" Fred called.
"Bye, Mum," Hermione said with a sigh. "Give my love to Dad."
"Wait, if Fred's hardly ever at the Burrow, why is he taking-"
"I'm his girlfriend," Hermione kissed her mother's cheek and hugged her. Then she pulled away with a shrug, "He volunteered."
~m~
George was fond of doing things his parents wouldn't want him to. He was fond of guests. He was fond of women, their chests, their rears... Angelina's especially... George was especially fond of ammunition to tease Fred. He was fond of Hermione too.
All of these things together, he was not so fond of. And without Angelina they were even worse. He wasn't sure how to explain it, even to himself.
But there was something upsetting about walking in on his twin and potential twin-in-law.
"For Godric's sake, Fred!" George shouted angrily, slamming closed the door. "Will you let 'Mione keep her shirt for five minutes, you nasty son of a bitch?!"
Fred emerged, topless and red eared, not long after. George had taken up pacing in the living room in front of the fireplace.
"If Angelina had siblings, she'd be just as-"
"No," George raised a hand. "I get that you want to her safe, but Fred, come on. Hiding her in the flat? It's nice to have clean dishes and all that, but..."
George groaned, unable to find the words. Fred watched him pulled at his hair. George waved him off and sat down on the couch. He rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.
"What's wrong?" Fred leaned against the sofa's end.
George took a deep breath before admitting, "I haven't seen Angelina in a week."
"What?" Fred frowned, "But you've been-"
"I've been trying to get that bastard who's following us to show himself again," George murmured. "I told Angelina that I wouldn't... I can't drag her into this. She's got her Quidditch season starting-"
"And how does Angelina feel about being 'kept safe?'" George moaned at Hermione's words and mumbled that he hadn't told her that exactly. "Well, that's real intelligent, George."
"Fred does and he's a genius, I do it and-"
Fred began to laugh. George picked up his head, letting himself smile genuinely for the first time in a while. Hermione was wearing a shirt that wasn't hers and shorts that made her seem taller. She was not smiling, nor was she laughing.
"Fred does and it's the only time he's not a genius," Hermione said distastefully. She clicked her tongue and wandered to the fridge. She looked through it before moving on to the freezer. "Angelina is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, George. I'd like to see a Death Eater underestimate her and end up on the floor."
"Not a Death Eater I'd brought to her doorstep," George said darkly, jumping to his feet. Hermione snagged a tub of ice cream she'd had Fred get from one of the Muggle stores and picked up a spoon from the drawer. George tried to ignore her. He knew Angelina wouldn't like this. She'd want to help, but in helping she could get hurt. Thinking about it gave him a head ache. He was beyond thankful that he hadn't told her about the Order. He hadn't asked Remus if he could or not, afraid to be told to recruit her.
Hermione pointed her spoon at George, "George, you're miserable."
"Like you could-"
"I'm dating your twin you do everything the same way and you're making that- that face!" Hermione said quickly. She attacked the frozen dairy with vigor.
George glanced down at Fred, but he seemed more than willing to let Hermione take control. It made him wonder about who was on top.
Then he thought about the last time he'd been with Angelina and then he missed Angelina.
George groaned, "I'm not making a face, I don't know what you're-"
"Please, we both know the face," Fred muttered.
"Yeah, I just didn't think she would," George muttered. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"If we're allowed to do... You know, things, in the flat," Hermione gestured between herself and Fred, "Why can't you and Angelina?"
"Because hearing you is a definite turn off!" George said.
"Hey!" Fred protested. "You're the one who wants to know-"
"Know, not experience!" George said. He couldn't imagine anything more mortifying than walking in on one of his many brothers. Unfortunately, he'd had to get used to mortification. At first it was Bill and Charlie. Hermione and Fred was somehow much worse. Ginny didn't help; she wanted him to describe every incident and know every detail. George got the idea that he wouldn't like what that information would do in her little wily brain. Especially if what Ron had told him was right and she was dating another guy. He didn't often answer her questions about that sort of thing. Mostly he countered them and got dirty looks, and the occasional hex.
"Bring her here," Hermione said quietly. "We all use Silencing Charms and pretend nothing is happening outside the room we're in."
"You can't just-" George looked down at his brother. "She's inviting my girlfriend over, Fred. She doesn't even live here yet. Go teach her a lesson."
"Teach me-"
"What do you think I was doing?" Fred asked, grinning evilly. He looked back at Hermione, "Go take off my shirt."
"You're lucky I can't use magic, Frederick Gideon," Hermione growled. George blew her a kiss and chuckled, shoving Fred away from the couch.
"Be safe," George sang.
"You are an endangered species, George Fabian," Hermione took a step forward. "I have half a mind to tell your mother-"
"We're lucky I'm funny and strong, aren't we, Granger?" Fred wrapped his arms around her waist and started dragging her back to his bedroom.
"But the ice cream-"
"Mister George, the ice cream has been left on the counter," Fred cried from the hallway.
"Master Fred, consider it done," George answered. "Just lock the bloody door!"
"Fair warning, mate," Fred kissed Hermione's ear, "We might be having sex."
"Or, we might not," Hermione pushed back on him.
"Or we might," Fred said. George rolled his eyes and pulled his wand from his sleeve. He'd made a holster for his wand that went on his forearm. If he liked his well enough, he'd make more for their more serious product line. With a wave he sent the ice cream to the freezer.
He listened to the absolute silence for a moment. Fred was pretty handy with Silencing Charms by then. George paced around the living room for one more moment.
"Ah, fuck it," he muttered. It was 11 at night on a Friday. She wouldn't be in bed yet-
A knock on the back door reverberated through the house. George started, doubted that his brother had even heard it, and scrambled down the steps. Not many people knew about the street that ran parallel behind Diagon Alley. Well, it was more of an alley, and Diagon Alley was more of a street. They'd somehow gotten things backwards.
George held his wand out as he cracked open the door. A familiar set of brown eyes and beautiful braids greeted him.
"Angelina," he breathed, pulling open the door fully and embracing her. She made a soft sound, and he realized he might've hugged her too hard. He took a step back and easily recognized the anger in her face.
Somehow, there was a trait that had wound up in Weasley men. They all just so happened to be attracted to angry woman. George wasn't sure why, but it explained his parents, and his brother, and his brother, and his brother, and his...
"Where the hell have you been?!" She demanded. "I swear to everything on this fucking planet if you-"
"Get inside," George went for ignoring her. He knew it wouldn't help. He preferred her riled up just a little bit. He liked calming people down, distracting them. Still, he couldn't distract himself too much. He scanned the alley behind her, wishing the golden light spilling from his doorway would spill just a little more. He pulled Angelina through the doorway and shut it behind her. He quickly put a few enchantments on the door, just in case they'd broken when she'd entered.
"Don't 'get inside' me, George," Angelina grabbed George and shoved him against the wall, her forearm pressed to his throat. "It's been a fucking week. I don't give a shit that your shop is busy it isn't an excuse - at least not one I'm going to buy for another fucking second."
"There's Death Eater tailing us," George said, slowly pulling her hand off. "I didn't want you to get hurt. If I led him to you, and you got hurt, I'd never forgive myself, Ange. Not ever."
"But Alicia-" Angelina took several deep breaths, "You're not cheating on me?"
"Why would I?" George asked.
"The store- and- and pretty girls, money, power," Angelina mumbled too quickly for George to tell what she'd been thinking.
"What did Alicia tell you?" George frowned, slipping his fingers through hers. Her hand was shaking slightly and it was cold. He would've suspected dementors but they wouldn't go within five miles of a joke shop, even the back of it.
"That you snuck some little brunette into the flat, and she was- and you-" Angelina's frowned to match her boyfriend. She glanced at George, "Is Hermione here?"
"I believe so, yes," George nodded.
"Which is why Fred isn't bothering us," Angelina muttered.
"Which is why Fred won't be bothering us," George whispered, kissing her lightly.
"I missed you," Angelina murmured.
"I love you too," George smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Isn't it a little weird, when you think about your brother, probably doing the exact same-"
"Just don't think about it," George advised, kissing her again.
"I might need your help with that," Angelina said slyly.
"I run a business, Angelina dearest," George grinned, "I aim to please."
.o0O0o.
Hey, so I probably should've mentioned that I was going to be gone for a little while before I left, but I definitely forgot. Whoops. Anyway, I've *officially* been writing this fic for a full year. Maybe not uploading, but writing. Funny thing is, some of the stuff I was writing isn't even out yet.
Anybody else been emotionally traumatized by the Curse Child? Fucking Hagrid man.
Horsecrazy141: I'm very happy that you like it! Thank you!
animelover5107: Haha thanks. Muggles, they never really notice anything, do they?
HisBrokenAngel91: You'll have to wait and see.
Rohirric: I didn't ship it until last spring or so. And now it's my OTP.
Guest: Yes, sometimes the coding shows up, pisses me off, and disappears for a few weeks, then shows up again. It's infuriating.
Just 1 Thought: The OCs will be back for the school year. And yes, they are getting very close to the Hermione-Go-Bye-Bye part.
aimsm: I hate it when characters I hate have a purpose. McLaggen is going to be verrrrrrry hateable in a bit.
I was BOTWP: Mrs. Granger got in because she is a master pickpocket. I added that thing about Hermione breaking the locks for you. My brother did that to all the doors in my house so I'm kind of used to things be locked but not really.
Fandomqueen104: Intense is a good word for that. I might use it in the future... Thank you so much I just troll smiled so hard!
baileybubbles: This is where I go die in hell for using my phone to write. It autocorrected Angelina to Angela. Thanks for pointing it out!
Raven that flies at night: That's my favorite thing to do on a Friday night.
Infernalbooks: The wall will explode. That's all I'm going to say. Maybe Fred will be hit by it and maybe he wont, maybe it'll be Ron, or Percy, or even Hermione. But the wall will fall. It is a bad wall.
Guest (another one... ?): Thank you very much!
