Chapter 6- Confrontations
The room seemed to get deathly still. Hermione could not
move, or even think. She felt numb. Then, as if she had
subconsciously called them, two pillars of strength rose up on either side of
her, backing her up and giving her strength. Each twin put a hand on her
shoulders, giving the silent message that they were there for her, no matter
what.
Alex chose that moment to enter the hallway, stopping in her tracks at the
sight before her. Hermione was standing facing Matt, her ex, with the two
Weasley twins close behind her. It looked like a face off for a war.
"So, who wants popcorn?" Alex called, bringing a huge bowl full and walking
directly between the opposing sides. Not breaking eye contact, the twins eyed
the man warily. Alex, however, grabbed the twin nearest to her, George, and
maneuvered him into the room with the movie playing.
"Come on, you guys," she called to Hermione and Fred. Reluctantly, the two
followed, as Matt turned his back and headed to the opposite end of the house.
"I'm sorry," Alex whispered to Hermione, as soon as he was out of hearing
range. "I had no idea that he would show up like that. Ballsy,
really." Hermione smiled softly and shook her head.
"It's okay, Alex, really. I've moved on." Although the
look in her eyes told her friend that she still harbored a king's share of
hurt. Hermione tried to concentrate on the movie that was showing, an old black
and white picture with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Fred had been pacing, then leaning against the doorframe as if to guard against an
attack from the outside. George reclined on a couch, stretching out his long
legs, and peeking at Hermione every so often. An hour later, Matt called to
Alex that he was taking off, and Alex gave a noncommittal wave in the direction
of the door. George had fallen asleep, and was occasionally a source of
entertainment with his snoring. Eventually all of the guest
were gone, with the exception of the original four. Fred had taken a
seat near Hermione, watching her whenever she wasn't paying attention. Alex ran
to the kitchen, with the intention of getting more popcorn. Fred examined his
friend, wondering how long he could keep contact from her, wondering what she
really thought about him. And, of course, if it was his
brother that she really cared about.
Hermione watched the movie, not really paying attention to what was going on.
She was solely aware of the fact that she was sitting next to Fred. Part of her
stomach had butterflies in it. Then, very slowly, he put his arm around her
shoulders. It was a tentative move, that he had
obviously considered for a while beforehand. Suddenly she was afraid to
breathe, afraid to break the spell that was being woven around them. Gradually,
Fred began stroking her shoulder, ever so gently. The gentle contact on her skin was soothing and calmed her nerves. Shifting
her position, Hermione leaned against Fred, resting her head between his head
and shoulders. He leaned his head in a bit, to barely rest upon hers. She was
completely at peace. Could they stay like this forever? Hermione noticed Alex
returning to the room from the kitchen. Alex smirked, raising an eyebrow
suggestively at Hermione. Grinning softly, Hermione closed her eyes briefly,
communicating the idea that she didn't care what position they were in, as long
as they were together. Alex smiled, and sat in front of the couch where
George's sleeping form lie. Hermione felt sleepy, despite the fact that every
nerve ending was tuned to Fred's closeness. Her worries about seeing Matt,
keeping her job, all of it seemed to dissolve. She lived in the moment. The
moment was only broken a few long minutes later, by the sound of George getting
up from the couch.
"I'm going to bed," he snapped in their direction. Hermione could have been
mistaken, but he seemed genuinely angry. But as Fred held her closer to him,
she couldn't make herself concentrate on anything else than the feeling of
being in his arms.
*-*-*
"You KNEW that I was in love with her," George snapped. Fred hadn't seen his
brother this angry at him in a long time. After cuddling with Hermione for as
long as possible the night before, she had finally followed Alex up to bed,
leaving Fred to follow his brother. Luckily, George had been asleep when he'd
gotten there. But the next morning, after waking late and joining Hermione and
Alex for lunch, George insisted that they go for a walk, to 'look around campus
a bit.' Five minutes later, Fred had an earful.
"How could you DO this? To your own BROTHER! There are hundreds of other girls just dying to date you. Couldn't you pick one of them?" Fred cringed. As much as he hated seeing his twin hurt or angry at him, he also couldn't help his feelings for Hermione.
"George," Fred finally interrupted, "I'm sorry. I just. . . I couldn't help it. YOU know how amazing she is. If you really want me to, I'll give up and she's all yours. I know how you feel about her. It'll be hard, but I understand." Fred averted his eyes from his brother, not completely sure about how sincerely he meant the words he had just uttered. George was silent for a long time.
"You would do that for me? Even though you have feelings for her?" Now Fred turned, and looked his brother in the eye.
"Of course. I can't have my own twin being miserable, can I?" George smirked. As dejected as he was, Fred tried to plaster a smile to his face. "Besides," he continued, "With good looks like yours, she'll have no choice but to fall head over heels for you." His twin grinned now, almost floating away in his excitement. Fred wondered idly if he would ever get over the loss of the woman he loved.
