Hermione gave up the seat beside Harry to Ginny, sitting on her other side. Fred plopped down next to her. Harry held Ginny's hand and Ginny held Hermione's and Hermione held Fred's and Fred held George's. She couldn't quite see if Ron held Harry's.

It was miserable. Hermione didn't know why people said funerals gave closure. As though a two-hour service and a day off classes was adequate time for one to be remembered and mourned. She leaned heavily on Fred, though he was crying nearly as much as she was. Hermione sat in her seat long after the others left. Fred and George sat with her for a time. Then George left to find Angelina.

"I can't do this," Hermione gasped, brushing at her eyes. She pulled away from Fred to stand. "I can't- I can't."

"Hermione," he grabbed her wrist. He tugged her back into his chest. She was sobbing in a heartbeat, gripping him tightly.

"I- I hardly even knew him. I just- I'm not strong enough for this."

"It's not about being strong," Fred murmured into her hair. "It's about letting yourself feel it."

"I don't want to."

"I know, 'Mione. I know," Fred stroked a hand down her back gently. "But at some point, you're going to have to."

Hermione leaned away enough to look him in the eyes. "If you- If you leave me here alone, I'll kill you."

"Hermione Jean Granger," Fred cupped her cheek with his hand. "I swear to you on my honor as a Weasley, I am not going to die before I have married you and we've watched our children have children."

"You're awfully confident that I will marry you," Hermione said. Fred's eyes bore into her.

"I know that we are young," Fred tilted his face toward hers until their foreheads touched. "But there is nothing I can imagine wanting more than a life with you."

"I love you, Fred," Hermione murmured, kissing him lightly. He brushed the tears from her cheeks, pulling her closer, kissing her deeper. Hermione gripped the front of his robes.

"You're in public," Tess faked a coughing fit. She was already running away by the time Fred turned to glare at her. Hermione laughed quietly, settling her head on Fred's chest.

He held her.

~m~

"He looked like it was killing him," Ginny murmured. She rested her head on Hermione's shoulder. They were occupying a Common Room couch. It must've been past two in the morning. They didn't have classes the next day. "And I just . . . He didn't need to do that. To protect me. They'll come for me regardless, I'm not putting up with their shit!"

Hermione shushed her gently, stroking her hair. "It's not that you can't protect yourself. It's that being Harry's girlfriend is another layer, a bigger target. He just wants to keep you safe."

"You're the expert," Ginny sighed. "How have you and Fred done it all these years?"

"Luck, mostly," Hermione smiled faintly. "Besides, once alone in a room, we don't waste time."

"Is it weird that I'm slightly curious?" Ginny muttered. "Slightly mind you, just slightly."

"I don't have any real siblings," Hermione said, shrugging her free shoulder. "Not other than Harry. I don't really know if it's weird."

"Hmm," Ginny hummed. "That was a prompt for you to tell me things."

"Oh, I'm aware," Hermione smiled wider. "But, I don't need your commentary on whether or not Harry does things the same or differently."

"Did Fred keep it up very long the first time? Harry nearly came in his pants," Ginny snickered. She mimed wiping a tear from her eye. "I don't think I'll ever let him live it down."

"I don't think I needed to know that," Hermione answered, pinching Ginny's arm. The ginger swatted her for it. Hermione rolled her eyes. Ginny went quiet a moment after. Weasleys had the strangest ability. They could fall asleep almost anywhere, with little to no warning.

Hermione drifted off shortly after.

She woke to Harry pulling Ginny up into his arms. She waved him on and slumped sideways into the empty space. He took Ginny up to his dormitory, judging by the fact that she didn't hear the girls' stair turn to a chute. Harry came back for her, which she wasn't expecting. She was lain down next to Ginny on Harry's bed. He kissed her forehead and left. Ginny turned over, throwing an arm around Hermione.

Ginny spent all day in bed, but Hermione spent it with Ron and Harry.

Hermione found Ginny in her bed by the time she returned to her dormitory. The others were asleep already, but Hermione cast a Muffling Charm regardless. Ginny was awake, lying with her arms under her head. "Have you done anything today? Eaten?"

"Luna brought me some food," Ginny said. "You know, the other day? The funeral?"

"Yeah?"

"Fred wants to marry you," Ginny said softly. "He's nineteen, and you're seventeen. And he wants to marry you."

"I know, Gin."

"How are you not, like, freaking out?!"

Hermione laughed, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Because we can't upstage Bill and Fleur. We can't upstage Charlie or Percy either. I can know I want to marry him and not elope with him over the weekend. For now, the knowing is enough."

"You're going to be my legal sister one of these days," Ginny kicked her lightly. Hermione patted her leg. "Why have you and Harry and Ron been plotting all day?"

"We weren't. We were just enjoying each other's company," Hermione said. She did not deny having something to plot. Ginny noticed, judging by her frown, but did not speak of it. "Is your bed so uncomfortable?"

"I just don't want to be alone," Ginny said. "Neville spent most the day with me, but he needs his rest."

"He's not a toddler."

"I know, but he was tired and I didn't want to keep him."

"Well, I'm going to get ready for bed real quick, I think you should consider sneaking over to Harry's."

"We're broken up."

"Yeah, and neither of you wants to be," Hermione said pointedly. She stood and collected her things for the bathroom. When she came back, Ginny had gone.

~m~

"Over here!" Hermione's mother waved her over. She kissed Ron and Harry on the cheek and ran over, throwing little more than a wave back at them. She hugged her parents with one arm each.

"Hey, how you doing?" Her father asked, moving away to get the trolley with her things.

"I'm doing well. How's the practice?"

"Not bad, not bad at all. Remember Casey Hardwicke? Fitted him with braces last week."

"Biter," her mother mouthed. Hermione nodded.

"Nearly took my left thumb," her father said cheerfully. They moved through the station easily enough. Hermione noted someone following them and tried to urge her parents faster.

It was only Remus, and he caught her up quickly enough to escort them all to their car.

"Hermione," he pulled her aside as her father wrestled her things into the boot of the car. "I need you to know—Harry trusts you."

"I do know," Hermione said carefully. He was trying to get at something she couldn't reach.

"Don't let him convince himself that he can do it all on his own. He might try," Remus touched her shoulder carefully. "Just be mindful."

"I will be," she assured him.

She knew things were worse, far worse than they'd been before, for one thing only: Even when Remus left, Fred did not appear.

.o0O0o.

It's short but I had a teacher commit suicide as I was writing and I couldn't write anymore about it. It's been sitting in my notes app for almost a year now. Also, I've been writing on my Tumblr ( rwolf19 ) and made an AO3 account (rWolfWrites). Check 'em, I got my ACOTAR shit on Tumblr and a fresh bit of Zutara on AO3.

CrookshanksTheCat: It's been a hot minute since I updated, I will admit.

Guest: I think you are wailing 'why' but it is almost incomprehensible from this distance.

NHPhoenix24: Do you know what's going to happen? Do you? Do ya?

notanegatron: Update as requested *bows*

fairylightinthenight: Your username is beautiful, thank you very much.

Purple Myst: *nervous sweating* is two months soon enough?

mychellefennell: Eep! Thank.

123a456e: Thank you.

FREMIONEISSHIPED: are you related to the next reviewer?

FremioneIsShiped: Wolfstar? In my good agnostic house? It's more likely than you think.

Guest: Bless up, guest!

Bookwormkat1: Fun fact, less than 0.6% of rapes end in convictions. I've been sexually assaulted since I started writing this. I've been sexually harassed to many times to count since I posted the first chapter all those years ago. It's just normal. At work, a complete stranger wrapped his arm around my waist to tell me good night. My male coworker could only say, "But he didn't grab your ass, right?" It barely even registers, we're so desensitized to it as women.

NymphadoraQuinn: Me, feeding off readers tears? Nah, fam. That's fake news.

Guest: Heck.

BlueMarian: H e c k.

sdrlana21: Eeeeeeeee

dinogirl2210: Girl same. Every time I post a chapter I gotta go back to the one before and the one before and the one before . . .

Fandomqueen104: Let's be real, I have done you so dirty by updating so sporadically. You are a blessed reader for me, always commenting and shit. Look at me, gettin emotional about internet strangers. I am so sorry. And thank you.

Guest: Wishing I could hit that Devil's face emoji right now, not even gonna play.

Hollowg1rl: Thank y'all so much for being understanding. College drained my soul last year, plus I had so much shit going on emotionally. Trying to get back into the swing of things.

Infernalbooks: 'Don't kill anyone off' she says. Little does she know, I sleep in a graveyard of dreams and faves.

decadenceofmysoul: Thank you!