All Gone Wrong By yellow duck
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry, Hermione, Ron, George, Ginny, etc. I wish I did, but J.K. Rowling made them up first.
Chapter Five: Reappearing Georges
This time, when Hermione woke up, she remembered where she was. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows, bidding her to get out of bed. But she just lay there, enjoying the warmth of the sun. After a while she asked quietly, "Harry?"
"Morning, Mione," Harry mumbled, kissing her forehead.
"I should probably go." Hermione paused, looking closely at Harry's features. He had been her best friend—and he still was. But it was different now.
"Mione, please, don't leave me all alone," Harry pleaded, stroking his friend's hair.
"I don't want to, but I really should."
"I suppose so. Must you, though?"
"Oh, Harry." She hugged him tightly. "Parvati will miss me."
"She won't!" Harry sat up. "Don't you get it? Parvati doesn't give a darn that you aren't at home! She's too busy snogging Dean."
"I—I..." Hermione looked taken-aback.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, realizing how sharp his tone had been.
"It's fine. Just calm down."
"But you will stay, won't you, Mione?"
"No," Hermione gave Harry a reassuring smile. "But I'll be back soon, I promise. I know you don't think Parvati notices my absence, but I need to get back."
"Alright." Harry climbed slowly out of bed, and began to get dressed. Hermione followed him, sighing.
When Hermione arrived home with a small "pop." Parvati was waiting for her.
"Uh, hullo, Parvati. I thought you would be... er, with Dean."
Parvati giggled. "You thought it was me, didn't you? No, no, I'm afraid not. Though maybe he is the man for me. Anyway, that was my sister, Padma."
"Oh no!" Hermione covered her face with her hands. "So you know, do you?"
"Know what?" Parvati asked, angelically.
"Drat it! Don't play innocent with me, Parvati Patil!"
"Fine, fine. Okay, I admit it. Me and Padma—"
"Padma and I. Really, Parvati!"
"Whatever. Anyway, Padma and I were plotting to get you to sleep with Harry. You guys are so obvious. I admit I was plotting. I'm sorry."
"Parvati! I can't believe you." Hermione was ecstatic with fury.
"Whoa, take a chill pill, Minnie."
"And do NOT call me Minnie!"
"Fine. What would you have me call you then? Hermy?"
"How about actually calling me by my name, for once. It's Hermione Marie Granger, you know."Half an hou
"Okay, whatever. Calm down, Mione!"
Hermione bit her lip. She didn't want to ruin her friendship with Parvati, but this was getting out of hand. It made her shiver when Parvati called her "Mione." That was Harry's nickname for her!
Her silence irritated Parvati. "My God, Mione! Just admit you're in love with Harry. It's not such a big thing. Everyone's known it for ages... except you, of course."
"I'm not—"Hermione cut herself off, mid-sentence. Was she in love with Harry? She supposed she was. Otherwise she wouldn't have given herself to him like that, right? But still, her feelings toward him weren't like how she imagined love to be. She didn't feel for him the way she felt for her parents. She didn't just want to make him smile, for him to be pleased with her. She wanted to touch him, taste him, wrap her arms around him, and kiss him, hard. Was that love?
"Do you love him?" Parvati asked, more patiently this time.
"I don't know!" Hermione suddenly burst into tears. "I don't even know, Parvati! I slept with him, but I don't even know if I love him! It's all wrong! It's all gone wrong!" Her words burst forth with amazing speed, as if she'd been longing to say them all her life.
Parvati hugged Hermione. "Come, Mione, it's all right." She patted her friend's head, soothingly, and let her cry until all her tears were gone.
"It's all gone wrong!" Hermione croaked, hopelessly.
"Why don't you take a quick shower? I'm sure you'll feel better once you're clean. Showers are quite refreshing. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Okay." Hermione squeezed Parvati, and then walked into her room, where she undressed, before stepping into the shower.
The doorbell rang.
Parvati rose, gracefully, and took her time smoothing her hair and brushing off her skirt. Finally, she opened the door. She was surprised, the moment she saw the figure standing in the hallway. It was George Weasley—whom she would never expect to see at their flat. But that was not the only thing that surprised her. She remembered him as a skinny, teenage boy, nothing to get excited about. But he'd filled out, now, and was very good-looking. His red hair had darkened, and his freckles were less visible. He had developed a muscular body, and was dressed respectably, if casually.
"George?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow, and shooting him her most seductive look.
When he spoke, his voice was low, and intimate. "Hullo, beautiful. Parvati, isn't it?"
Parvati giggled. "Maybe."
"I suppose you want tot know why I'm here?"
"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact."
George stepped inside, and let one hand slide around Parvati's neck.
"Aren't you going to tell me why you're here?" Parvati let her eyes widen, innocently.
"I'll tell you—later."
He leaned forward and brushed his lips across Parvati's. She wrapped her arms around him, and smiled. "Why are you here, George?"
"I've come to see Hermione," George said, bluntly.
Parvati pulled away from him. "This isn't right," she muttered.
"All right, as you wish." George backed away from Parvati. "Where's Hermione?"
Parvati waved her hand in the direction of the bathroom. "Taking I shower. She's a bit... upset." She had to work hard to keep herself from mentioning the reason Hermione was upset.
George chuckled. "Don't bother keeping it from me, I'm not a gentle flower, you know. I won't have a fit. She and Harry... didn't they?"
Parvati looked at George, uncertainly. Finally, she managed to get out, "Yes, yes they did. We've been expecting it would happen sooner of later."
"'We'?" George asked, his eyes twinkling. So, he wasn't mad at her. It was good of him. She had seen the way he had kissed Hermione at the party.
"Well, Padma, Lavender, Seamus, Dean, Ron and I. Everyone from our year, pretty much; everyone who knew them. It was pretty obvious, recently." Parvati spoke quietly. She wasn't used to be around men like George. He was very peculiar, not like most men.
George grunted. "I see. Did you think I would kiss her?"
"No, I have to admit. No one thought you'd pay any attention to Hermione. But then again, we all thought you were happily married."
"No, no. Far from it."
"Was she pretty? Amy? Your ex?"
George looked amused. "Yes, she was. Lovely, Amy was. Long, dark hair, she had, and bright blue eyes. Gorgeous long legs, too."
"Did you—did you love her? What happened? Why—why... did the marriage fall apart?" Parvati knew she sounded rude. But she was curious, and wanted to know more about George's mysteriously short marriage.
"Long story," George said, simply.
"We've time," Parvati responded. "Hermione should take a while."
George took a long time in answering. Finally, he spoke, and even then, his words came out slowly. "I think I married her more for her looks, than anything else. And she married me to avoid a bad reputation."
"She was pregnant? You have a child?" Parvati breathed.
George stared at the ground. "She died." He looked extremely depressed.
"Amy died?"
"No!" George looked horrified, and Parvati suspected he still loved his ex- wife. "The child died. She was only an infant..."
Parvati said, gently, "What happened?"
"I don't really know. Amy wouldn't tell me. She seemed really upset, though. I came home from work one day, and Amy sobbing in living room. She said the baby had died, and we both started crying and hugging each other. Then, Amy was like, 'George, you know we can't...' She trailed off. Within a month, we were divorced. I think—I hope we're still friends. But I might never know. She just packed her bags and left, after the divorce. I suspect she's living with her boss, Jon O'Neil. Even when we were married, I think they were, well, sort of—a couple."
Parvati walked around George, so that she was facing his back. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and kissed his ear, gently. "George, that's horrible. Don't dwell on it," Parvati cooed.
"I'm over it by now," George said, uncertainly.
"Yes, Georgie, clear your mind of all this."
Parvati hugged George, tightly. "Just take a deep breath. It's going to be okay. I know, I know, it's hard to believe." Parvati was used to acting very motherly towards the men in her life. For some reason, they all seemed to be slightly unstable. She thought that was just how men were. It never occurred to her that it was just some men who were like that. It was a bit weird, though, being both a mother figure and a girlfriend to someone. It was just plain strange.
"Parvati, you know we can't go anywhere, don't you? There's Hermione." George's voice sounded like that of a little child, crying to his mother.
"That's okay, I don't mind." Parvati forced herself to sound light-hearted.
"How can you live with that, love? Knowing we can't go forward, only backwards. Or we can just hang in where we are."
Parvati laughed. "How do you know we even have a position at the moment? Maybe we can't go backwards because we're still at the beginning of the tunnel."
"Nice metaphor," George complimented, smiling.
"Do you even want to go anywhere? Should we? Or is it better to leave you solely to Hermione?"
That wiped the smile right off George's face. He pressed his mouth against Parvati's, and sighed, "Don't say that, love. Someday we'll have a future. I'm sure of it."
Parvati blushed. "Don't get all dramatic on me, George Weasley." She looked into his face. "Are you sure you aren't still in love with Amy?"
George pulled away from her, slightly. "No, I don't love her anymore." He wouldn't meet Parvati's eyes. "I love you, Parvati," he muttered, still avoiding her glance.
Parvati covered her face with one hand. "George," she said, softly, "Let's give it some time. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know! And relationships aren't built in a day either."
George nodded, curtly. "All right, love, let's step back and work on it from far away, shall we?"
"No! I didn't mean that—"
"Sure!"
Just then, Hermione came into the room, wrapped in a towel, her long brown hair streaming down her back, dripping with water. "George?" Hermione exclaimed, nearly letting go of her towel.
"The one and only!" George replied, bowing deeply.
"Are you mocking me?" Hermione seemed uneasy.
"Not at all! I only came to see if perhaps you would like to go out for lunch? At Diagon Alley?"
Hermione sighed. She was having déjà vu. "Okay, sure." She said, lowering her head. "Let me get dressed first."
George's responding laugh was a hoarse one. "So be it," he said, smiling.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry, Hermione, Ron, George, Ginny, etc. I wish I did, but J.K. Rowling made them up first.
Chapter Five: Reappearing Georges
This time, when Hermione woke up, she remembered where she was. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows, bidding her to get out of bed. But she just lay there, enjoying the warmth of the sun. After a while she asked quietly, "Harry?"
"Morning, Mione," Harry mumbled, kissing her forehead.
"I should probably go." Hermione paused, looking closely at Harry's features. He had been her best friend—and he still was. But it was different now.
"Mione, please, don't leave me all alone," Harry pleaded, stroking his friend's hair.
"I don't want to, but I really should."
"I suppose so. Must you, though?"
"Oh, Harry." She hugged him tightly. "Parvati will miss me."
"She won't!" Harry sat up. "Don't you get it? Parvati doesn't give a darn that you aren't at home! She's too busy snogging Dean."
"I—I..." Hermione looked taken-aback.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, realizing how sharp his tone had been.
"It's fine. Just calm down."
"But you will stay, won't you, Mione?"
"No," Hermione gave Harry a reassuring smile. "But I'll be back soon, I promise. I know you don't think Parvati notices my absence, but I need to get back."
"Alright." Harry climbed slowly out of bed, and began to get dressed. Hermione followed him, sighing.
When Hermione arrived home with a small "pop." Parvati was waiting for her.
"Uh, hullo, Parvati. I thought you would be... er, with Dean."
Parvati giggled. "You thought it was me, didn't you? No, no, I'm afraid not. Though maybe he is the man for me. Anyway, that was my sister, Padma."
"Oh no!" Hermione covered her face with her hands. "So you know, do you?"
"Know what?" Parvati asked, angelically.
"Drat it! Don't play innocent with me, Parvati Patil!"
"Fine, fine. Okay, I admit it. Me and Padma—"
"Padma and I. Really, Parvati!"
"Whatever. Anyway, Padma and I were plotting to get you to sleep with Harry. You guys are so obvious. I admit I was plotting. I'm sorry."
"Parvati! I can't believe you." Hermione was ecstatic with fury.
"Whoa, take a chill pill, Minnie."
"And do NOT call me Minnie!"
"Fine. What would you have me call you then? Hermy?"
"How about actually calling me by my name, for once. It's Hermione Marie Granger, you know."Half an hou
"Okay, whatever. Calm down, Mione!"
Hermione bit her lip. She didn't want to ruin her friendship with Parvati, but this was getting out of hand. It made her shiver when Parvati called her "Mione." That was Harry's nickname for her!
Her silence irritated Parvati. "My God, Mione! Just admit you're in love with Harry. It's not such a big thing. Everyone's known it for ages... except you, of course."
"I'm not—"Hermione cut herself off, mid-sentence. Was she in love with Harry? She supposed she was. Otherwise she wouldn't have given herself to him like that, right? But still, her feelings toward him weren't like how she imagined love to be. She didn't feel for him the way she felt for her parents. She didn't just want to make him smile, for him to be pleased with her. She wanted to touch him, taste him, wrap her arms around him, and kiss him, hard. Was that love?
"Do you love him?" Parvati asked, more patiently this time.
"I don't know!" Hermione suddenly burst into tears. "I don't even know, Parvati! I slept with him, but I don't even know if I love him! It's all wrong! It's all gone wrong!" Her words burst forth with amazing speed, as if she'd been longing to say them all her life.
Parvati hugged Hermione. "Come, Mione, it's all right." She patted her friend's head, soothingly, and let her cry until all her tears were gone.
"It's all gone wrong!" Hermione croaked, hopelessly.
"Why don't you take a quick shower? I'm sure you'll feel better once you're clean. Showers are quite refreshing. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Okay." Hermione squeezed Parvati, and then walked into her room, where she undressed, before stepping into the shower.
The doorbell rang.
Parvati rose, gracefully, and took her time smoothing her hair and brushing off her skirt. Finally, she opened the door. She was surprised, the moment she saw the figure standing in the hallway. It was George Weasley—whom she would never expect to see at their flat. But that was not the only thing that surprised her. She remembered him as a skinny, teenage boy, nothing to get excited about. But he'd filled out, now, and was very good-looking. His red hair had darkened, and his freckles were less visible. He had developed a muscular body, and was dressed respectably, if casually.
"George?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow, and shooting him her most seductive look.
When he spoke, his voice was low, and intimate. "Hullo, beautiful. Parvati, isn't it?"
Parvati giggled. "Maybe."
"I suppose you want tot know why I'm here?"
"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact."
George stepped inside, and let one hand slide around Parvati's neck.
"Aren't you going to tell me why you're here?" Parvati let her eyes widen, innocently.
"I'll tell you—later."
He leaned forward and brushed his lips across Parvati's. She wrapped her arms around him, and smiled. "Why are you here, George?"
"I've come to see Hermione," George said, bluntly.
Parvati pulled away from him. "This isn't right," she muttered.
"All right, as you wish." George backed away from Parvati. "Where's Hermione?"
Parvati waved her hand in the direction of the bathroom. "Taking I shower. She's a bit... upset." She had to work hard to keep herself from mentioning the reason Hermione was upset.
George chuckled. "Don't bother keeping it from me, I'm not a gentle flower, you know. I won't have a fit. She and Harry... didn't they?"
Parvati looked at George, uncertainly. Finally, she managed to get out, "Yes, yes they did. We've been expecting it would happen sooner of later."
"'We'?" George asked, his eyes twinkling. So, he wasn't mad at her. It was good of him. She had seen the way he had kissed Hermione at the party.
"Well, Padma, Lavender, Seamus, Dean, Ron and I. Everyone from our year, pretty much; everyone who knew them. It was pretty obvious, recently." Parvati spoke quietly. She wasn't used to be around men like George. He was very peculiar, not like most men.
George grunted. "I see. Did you think I would kiss her?"
"No, I have to admit. No one thought you'd pay any attention to Hermione. But then again, we all thought you were happily married."
"No, no. Far from it."
"Was she pretty? Amy? Your ex?"
George looked amused. "Yes, she was. Lovely, Amy was. Long, dark hair, she had, and bright blue eyes. Gorgeous long legs, too."
"Did you—did you love her? What happened? Why—why... did the marriage fall apart?" Parvati knew she sounded rude. But she was curious, and wanted to know more about George's mysteriously short marriage.
"Long story," George said, simply.
"We've time," Parvati responded. "Hermione should take a while."
George took a long time in answering. Finally, he spoke, and even then, his words came out slowly. "I think I married her more for her looks, than anything else. And she married me to avoid a bad reputation."
"She was pregnant? You have a child?" Parvati breathed.
George stared at the ground. "She died." He looked extremely depressed.
"Amy died?"
"No!" George looked horrified, and Parvati suspected he still loved his ex- wife. "The child died. She was only an infant..."
Parvati said, gently, "What happened?"
"I don't really know. Amy wouldn't tell me. She seemed really upset, though. I came home from work one day, and Amy sobbing in living room. She said the baby had died, and we both started crying and hugging each other. Then, Amy was like, 'George, you know we can't...' She trailed off. Within a month, we were divorced. I think—I hope we're still friends. But I might never know. She just packed her bags and left, after the divorce. I suspect she's living with her boss, Jon O'Neil. Even when we were married, I think they were, well, sort of—a couple."
Parvati walked around George, so that she was facing his back. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and kissed his ear, gently. "George, that's horrible. Don't dwell on it," Parvati cooed.
"I'm over it by now," George said, uncertainly.
"Yes, Georgie, clear your mind of all this."
Parvati hugged George, tightly. "Just take a deep breath. It's going to be okay. I know, I know, it's hard to believe." Parvati was used to acting very motherly towards the men in her life. For some reason, they all seemed to be slightly unstable. She thought that was just how men were. It never occurred to her that it was just some men who were like that. It was a bit weird, though, being both a mother figure and a girlfriend to someone. It was just plain strange.
"Parvati, you know we can't go anywhere, don't you? There's Hermione." George's voice sounded like that of a little child, crying to his mother.
"That's okay, I don't mind." Parvati forced herself to sound light-hearted.
"How can you live with that, love? Knowing we can't go forward, only backwards. Or we can just hang in where we are."
Parvati laughed. "How do you know we even have a position at the moment? Maybe we can't go backwards because we're still at the beginning of the tunnel."
"Nice metaphor," George complimented, smiling.
"Do you even want to go anywhere? Should we? Or is it better to leave you solely to Hermione?"
That wiped the smile right off George's face. He pressed his mouth against Parvati's, and sighed, "Don't say that, love. Someday we'll have a future. I'm sure of it."
Parvati blushed. "Don't get all dramatic on me, George Weasley." She looked into his face. "Are you sure you aren't still in love with Amy?"
George pulled away from her, slightly. "No, I don't love her anymore." He wouldn't meet Parvati's eyes. "I love you, Parvati," he muttered, still avoiding her glance.
Parvati covered her face with one hand. "George," she said, softly, "Let's give it some time. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know! And relationships aren't built in a day either."
George nodded, curtly. "All right, love, let's step back and work on it from far away, shall we?"
"No! I didn't mean that—"
"Sure!"
Just then, Hermione came into the room, wrapped in a towel, her long brown hair streaming down her back, dripping with water. "George?" Hermione exclaimed, nearly letting go of her towel.
"The one and only!" George replied, bowing deeply.
"Are you mocking me?" Hermione seemed uneasy.
"Not at all! I only came to see if perhaps you would like to go out for lunch? At Diagon Alley?"
Hermione sighed. She was having déjà vu. "Okay, sure." She said, lowering her head. "Let me get dressed first."
George's responding laugh was a hoarse one. "So be it," he said, smiling.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all my reviewers!!!!!! This is my longest chapter yet... hope you all enjoy! :D