Fred stared in disbelief when he walked into George's apartment and saw
Hermione sitting with George on his couch. His arms were around her waist,
and her arms around his neck, and they were watching Muggle television. He
just stared for awhile, then George looked up.
"Oh...Hi, Fred." George smiled nonchalantly.
"Hello. Fred," said Hermione, also smiling. "How have you been?"
"Er...great, Hermione..." He stared for another moment, then backed away slightly. "Er...I'm just going to...go, now..."
"Bye, Fred," said George.
"Bye, Fred," said Hermione.
Fred said "goodbye," and then left for his own apartment. He unlocked the door and pushed it open in a daze.
"What's wrong, sweetheart," asked Angelina as he sat down next to her on the couch.
"George is dating Hermione Granger," said Fred.
"Hermione?" Angelina smiled. "How sweet."
"Sweet? But isn't she a little...I dunno...young for him?"
"Young? No...didn't she go to the Yule Ball with that Krum fellow? He was three years older than her, and your brother is older by only two years."
"Well...but...but, she..."
"Don't worry about it," said Angelina, kissing him on the cheek. "If it works, it works, and if it doesn't, it doesn't."
"You're right," said Fred, kissing her on the forehead. "You're absolutely right."
Back at George's apartment, Hermione and George were giggling uncontrollably.
"Did you see the look on his face?" said George, laughing.
"He looked like he was about to faint!" Hermione giggled.
George noticed that a lock of curly hair had snuck in front of Hermione's cheek. He wanted to brush it away and tuck it behind her...no...wait...why did he want to do that? Why did he suddenly want so much to touch her hair? He looked away from her for a second while she stopped laughing. She was still in her work clothes, and under her red-trimmed, midnight-blue robes was a dress skirt and white blouse. She looked just about ready to head to a conformist convention, but for some reason, George thought it was a very pretty way of dressing.
"This is fun," said George.
"Yes. And I'm not really into tricking people. But I hope Fred sees that he was kind of leaving you out.
"He will. Don't worry." George looked at Hermione and gently brushed away the loose lock of brown, curly hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek where her hair had been resting, his heart pounding wildly.
"Er...George...Fred's gone, we don't have to..." she stopped as George kissed her on the lips. She surprised herself by kissing him back.
They stayed like that, close to each other, their faces inclined. Hermione looked at George and he gazed back into her eyes.
"I--I'm sorry, George...I...just...I said I'd meet Harry and Ron at the...place..." She picked up her bags and left. George sat back on the couch and contemplated. What just happened? Did he really kiss Hermione? Why did he kiss her? Why did he want to? And he did want to...he didn't know why.
"Hi, Hermione," said Harry when she entered the Leaky Cauldron.
"Hi, Harry...Where's Ron?"
"Oh, he's coming."
As if on cue, Ron sauntered over to Harry and Hermione's table. "Er...Hi, Hermione."
"Hello, Ron." Hermione smiled.
"How's...my brother?"
Hermione blushed, remembering his kiss. "He's fine," said Hermione.
"How is the...er...dating going?"
"We just started playing the trick on Fred. He walked in on us today and it was so funny! He looked like he was going to faint!"
"Hermione?" Harry was suddenly curious. "Are you actually enjoying tricking someone?"
"Well...all in the name of George's happiness."
Ron nodded. "Mmm-hmm," said Ron. "And...how long do you plan on keeping this up?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know. At least until Fred realizes how weird it is when they're not together and starts spending more time with George again."
"What if he just says 'oh, I'm happy for him' and never does?" Ron was hoping to get her to change her mind, hoping to make it so Hermione called the whole plan off. He was so ready to tell her his feelings for her, but she went and dated his brother.
Hermione swallowed awkwardly. "Well...then I'd probably just...or George would...just tell Fred why..."
"Ah," said Ron, "I see..."
"Well," said Harry, clapping his hands together, "how is everyone's departments doing?"
"Oh, mine's doing wonderfully. Your father is such a wonderful head of department, Ron."
"Thank you," said Ron. "Harry, how's Auror training coming along?"
"Oh, it's great," said Harry excitedly. "We do all this Dark Arts stuff and we all get to practice on these dummies."
"How long is Auror training, Harry," asked Hermione.
"Five years, depending on how good you are."
"Wow, mate...that's a long while," said Ron, who was not keen on studies. "What are you doing for money until you finish?"
"Well, I still have a lot of my parents' money left," said Harry, "And I reckon my new side job will support enough."
"What are you doing as a side job, again, Harry?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, I'm helping Dumbledore with paperwork and stuff. Not that he needs help, he's just getting along now and it's all really convenient for him to have an assistant. He was the one who said that I should be an Auror, then told me I could help him with stuff until my training was over."
They had a very pleasant conversation. The trio didn't have as much time for conversation as they did when they were at Hogwarts, and treasured their conversation time so much.
If only Hermione could see how Ron felt...
"George, how did you end up with Hermione, mate?" Fred asked curiously while they were closing the shop.
"It just happened," said George, smiling knowingly. "She came into the joke shop one day, and then we went to dinner."
"Did you kiss yet?"
"Yeah," said George, slightly blushing. "Just once..."
"Once? Just once?" Fred laughed. "And I'm planning on giving Angelina the..."
George looked confused for a second. "What?"
"You know...the...ultimate gift..."
George blinked. "The ulti--Oh!" George suddenly caught on. "Have you talked to her about this yet, mate?"
"Not yet, but we will talk about it." Fred smiled mischievously. "I reckon it's time. I mean, it has been two and a half years. I've waited awhile now."
"You're going to...wow..." George stared, amazed. "That's a huge step, you know. Don't do anything you're going to regret."
"How can I regret it? We've been on for years."
"Just think, mate."
"George, my wonderful, loving twin...I'm already twenty and pure as a baby's bum. How much longer do I have to wait?"
"I thought you'd wait for me..." said George dejectedly.
"Oh..." Fred glanced downward guiltily. "Well, If you get Granger to...maybe we won't have to wait too long."
"Maybe," said George, "Maybe..."
"Oh...Hi, Fred." George smiled nonchalantly.
"Hello. Fred," said Hermione, also smiling. "How have you been?"
"Er...great, Hermione..." He stared for another moment, then backed away slightly. "Er...I'm just going to...go, now..."
"Bye, Fred," said George.
"Bye, Fred," said Hermione.
Fred said "goodbye," and then left for his own apartment. He unlocked the door and pushed it open in a daze.
"What's wrong, sweetheart," asked Angelina as he sat down next to her on the couch.
"George is dating Hermione Granger," said Fred.
"Hermione?" Angelina smiled. "How sweet."
"Sweet? But isn't she a little...I dunno...young for him?"
"Young? No...didn't she go to the Yule Ball with that Krum fellow? He was three years older than her, and your brother is older by only two years."
"Well...but...but, she..."
"Don't worry about it," said Angelina, kissing him on the cheek. "If it works, it works, and if it doesn't, it doesn't."
"You're right," said Fred, kissing her on the forehead. "You're absolutely right."
Back at George's apartment, Hermione and George were giggling uncontrollably.
"Did you see the look on his face?" said George, laughing.
"He looked like he was about to faint!" Hermione giggled.
George noticed that a lock of curly hair had snuck in front of Hermione's cheek. He wanted to brush it away and tuck it behind her...no...wait...why did he want to do that? Why did he suddenly want so much to touch her hair? He looked away from her for a second while she stopped laughing. She was still in her work clothes, and under her red-trimmed, midnight-blue robes was a dress skirt and white blouse. She looked just about ready to head to a conformist convention, but for some reason, George thought it was a very pretty way of dressing.
"This is fun," said George.
"Yes. And I'm not really into tricking people. But I hope Fred sees that he was kind of leaving you out.
"He will. Don't worry." George looked at Hermione and gently brushed away the loose lock of brown, curly hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek where her hair had been resting, his heart pounding wildly.
"Er...George...Fred's gone, we don't have to..." she stopped as George kissed her on the lips. She surprised herself by kissing him back.
They stayed like that, close to each other, their faces inclined. Hermione looked at George and he gazed back into her eyes.
"I--I'm sorry, George...I...just...I said I'd meet Harry and Ron at the...place..." She picked up her bags and left. George sat back on the couch and contemplated. What just happened? Did he really kiss Hermione? Why did he kiss her? Why did he want to? And he did want to...he didn't know why.
"Hi, Hermione," said Harry when she entered the Leaky Cauldron.
"Hi, Harry...Where's Ron?"
"Oh, he's coming."
As if on cue, Ron sauntered over to Harry and Hermione's table. "Er...Hi, Hermione."
"Hello, Ron." Hermione smiled.
"How's...my brother?"
Hermione blushed, remembering his kiss. "He's fine," said Hermione.
"How is the...er...dating going?"
"We just started playing the trick on Fred. He walked in on us today and it was so funny! He looked like he was going to faint!"
"Hermione?" Harry was suddenly curious. "Are you actually enjoying tricking someone?"
"Well...all in the name of George's happiness."
Ron nodded. "Mmm-hmm," said Ron. "And...how long do you plan on keeping this up?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know. At least until Fred realizes how weird it is when they're not together and starts spending more time with George again."
"What if he just says 'oh, I'm happy for him' and never does?" Ron was hoping to get her to change her mind, hoping to make it so Hermione called the whole plan off. He was so ready to tell her his feelings for her, but she went and dated his brother.
Hermione swallowed awkwardly. "Well...then I'd probably just...or George would...just tell Fred why..."
"Ah," said Ron, "I see..."
"Well," said Harry, clapping his hands together, "how is everyone's departments doing?"
"Oh, mine's doing wonderfully. Your father is such a wonderful head of department, Ron."
"Thank you," said Ron. "Harry, how's Auror training coming along?"
"Oh, it's great," said Harry excitedly. "We do all this Dark Arts stuff and we all get to practice on these dummies."
"How long is Auror training, Harry," asked Hermione.
"Five years, depending on how good you are."
"Wow, mate...that's a long while," said Ron, who was not keen on studies. "What are you doing for money until you finish?"
"Well, I still have a lot of my parents' money left," said Harry, "And I reckon my new side job will support enough."
"What are you doing as a side job, again, Harry?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, I'm helping Dumbledore with paperwork and stuff. Not that he needs help, he's just getting along now and it's all really convenient for him to have an assistant. He was the one who said that I should be an Auror, then told me I could help him with stuff until my training was over."
They had a very pleasant conversation. The trio didn't have as much time for conversation as they did when they were at Hogwarts, and treasured their conversation time so much.
If only Hermione could see how Ron felt...
"George, how did you end up with Hermione, mate?" Fred asked curiously while they were closing the shop.
"It just happened," said George, smiling knowingly. "She came into the joke shop one day, and then we went to dinner."
"Did you kiss yet?"
"Yeah," said George, slightly blushing. "Just once..."
"Once? Just once?" Fred laughed. "And I'm planning on giving Angelina the..."
George looked confused for a second. "What?"
"You know...the...ultimate gift..."
George blinked. "The ulti--Oh!" George suddenly caught on. "Have you talked to her about this yet, mate?"
"Not yet, but we will talk about it." Fred smiled mischievously. "I reckon it's time. I mean, it has been two and a half years. I've waited awhile now."
"You're going to...wow..." George stared, amazed. "That's a huge step, you know. Don't do anything you're going to regret."
"How can I regret it? We've been on for years."
"Just think, mate."
"George, my wonderful, loving twin...I'm already twenty and pure as a baby's bum. How much longer do I have to wait?"
"I thought you'd wait for me..." said George dejectedly.
"Oh..." Fred glanced downward guiltily. "Well, If you get Granger to...maybe we won't have to wait too long."
"Maybe," said George, "Maybe..."