Harry sat quietly by the window in the Common Room, contemplating
everything that had been going on over the past few weeks. He looked
over at Ron who was still avoiding him. Since he'd returned from the
Ministry of Magic without Malfoy, it seemed Ron had been holding a
grudge against him. Without Hermione there, he was alone. He'd passed
his Apparation License Exam, but had no use for it while spending the
summer in Hogwarts where he couldn't apparate. The research on Xavier
Gilliam was going no where while Ron was pretending he didn't exist,
and Harry found himself spending most afternoons waiting for Hermione's
return. He'd wander the hallways until he ended up running into someone
from the Order and everyday he'd ask them if they were back yet.
"No I'm sorry hon. Try not to think on it. You're not going to do yourself any good worrying about it day after day." Tonks told him.
So he went back to the Common Room and sat by the window, watching the English summer rain poor down onto the Hogwarts ground. He hadn't seen Dumbledore around the school in two weeks and wondered if he was mad at him for helping Malfoy into the past. On their last encounter the night he'd come back, Dumbledore hadn't said anything about it and called on him only to ask how the research had been going. In fact, no one but Ron had spoken of the incident and Harry was fairly sure no one really cared if Malfoy was there or not. He wasn't really concerned about him either, but continued to think on it everyday hoping that him being in the past with her, would help Hermione not distract her from her mission at hand. It was as Harry was thinking about this again, that Ginny came running into the Common Room.
"She's back." Ginny announced and ran back out of the room.
Harry and Ron glanced at each other, and then both jumped up and ran after Ginny. They followed her to the Hospital Wing. Around one of the beds Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, Ginny, Fleur, and one of the twins huddled together blocking Harry and Ron's view. They pushed in next to Ginny, only to be given a stern look from Madame Pomfrey. Hermione lay unconscious on the bed.
"Fred dear, step back and give Poppy some room." Mrs. Weasley said kindly.
"She needs her rest, it'd be better if you all went back to your usual routine. You can visit her tomorrow." Madame Pomfrey told the crowd. Mrs. Weasley ushered them all out and told them to go back to Gryffindor Tower until supper was ready.
"What happened? Where is George and Malfoy?" Ginny asked Fred, as soon as they were out of Mrs. Weasley's earshot.
"I don't know where they are, they were supposed to follow us."
"What happened while you were there, did you hear the prophecy?" asked Ron as they climbed through the portrait hole.
"Yeah, Hermione was the one to tell it. Tom tried to kill her as Malfoy had suspected he would, so we went after her. I brought her here and they were to come right after, I'm a bit worried that something's happened. They should be back by now. Have any of you seen Dumbledore?"
"No, sorry. He hasn't been here for a few weeks." Ginny told him.
"So what was the prophecy?" Ron was relentless.
"Apparently Ferret Boy is Voldemort's key to defeating you and Dumbledore." Fred explained, directing it towards Harry.
"Well that would explain why he's still alive and why the Death Eaters are after him."
"This is good then, because he's on our side." commented Ron.
"Are you so sure he's going to remain on our side though?"
"Did Hermione hook back up with him?"
"What was it like being in the past?"
"Did you see Tom Riddle?"
"I sure hope so, no, interesting, yes. No more questions, I just want to get some sleep." replied Fred, then he departed from the group and went up to his room.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny all sat down near the fire in the Common Room. Anything Ron had against Harry seemed to have been dropped. Their friendship was reinstated by the mutual worry over Hermione, and concern as to what might have happened to George. The three Gryffindors sat there staring at the fire. Harry was unsure whether or not to break the silence. None of them spoke until Fleur came up and told them that supper was ready. Ron went up to the dormitories and retrieved Fred. They were on their way to the Room of Requirement, when George and Malfoy apparated right in from of them. Fleur and Ginny yelped as they were caught of guard. Fred ran over to his brother, who'd fallen to the floor.
"Go get Madame Pomfrey NOW!" Fred yelled. Ginny and Harry took off in a run towards the Infirmary.
"George and Draco are back!" they exclaimed in unison as they slammed open the large doors.
They lead her out into the hallway where George lay. Malfoy seemed to be okay, although he was nursing his side. Ron helped Fred escort George to the Infirmary and place him on a bed. Everyone turned to Malfoy for answers. He sat down on the bed next to George's as Madam Pomfrey began to look him over. It seemed as if his injuries from March had reopened, but were not as bad as they had been originally.
"We went to save Granger. According to the history books, Theresa Ellis died three nights after she went into hysterics at the O.W.L. exams. That was supposed to be the night we went to rescue her. Tom Riddle was about to use the killing curse against her so we attacked him and... and my grandfather. We held off the two while Fred got Granger to safety. After they disappeared, Tom caught George off guard and struck him with the Cruciatus curse. I was able to stun them both and conjure up a memory spell, but when I'd stunned my grandfather my scar came open for some reason. I was just barely able to get us back here before we were discovered." Malfoy replied, and winced as Madam Pomfrey put some sort of ointment on his wound.
"I'll send an owl to Dumbledore immediately, requesting his return to the school. I'm sure he'll have plenty of questions for the lot of you when he gets back. Until then though, you need your rest, so lay down. The rest of you are free to go." Madame Pomfrey told them.
"Do you mind if I stay? I mean he's my twin after all." Fred asked, looking for sympathy.
"You can stay, I should look you over anyway and make sure there weren't any sort of repercussions. Honestly, what was Albus thinking sending you all to the past? You're far too young for that sort of thing."
"I'll bring you in something to eat, dear." Mrs. Weasley said softly, putting her hand on Fred's shoulder. He nodded and sat down in a chair next to George's bedside.
Harry followed the rest to the Room of Requirement for supper, but found he could hardly eat. No one spoke and finally Harry excused himself from the table.
"Harry, dear... could you take this plate to Fred? Try and get him to eat some, will you?" asked Mrs. Weasley, as he reached the door.
When he got into the Infirmary, George was awake and joking with Fred about something. He went over and handed the plate to Fred, who nodded and sat it on the table next to George's bed. Harry pulled up a chair and sat down.
"All right, George?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'll be okay. How's Hermione?"
"She'll be okay, I think." replied Harry. He looked over at Malfoy's bed, noticing him staring at Hermione. He'd been bandaged up, but sat up awake.
"The ministry came looking for you." he informed. Malfoy turned to him.
"Is that so? What'd they want?"
"To arrest you. Dumbledore tried explaining things. That seemed to satisfy them enough. Suppose they'll be back though." he answered. Malfoy nodded, then went back to staring at Hermione. Harry turned back towards the twins and noticed Fred glaring at Malfoy. He was about to question him, when they heard a gasp from Hermione's bed. He and Fred jumped up and went to her side.
"Hermione?"
"Harry? What's going on? Where am I?"
"You're at Hogwarts. Present time, you're okay." Fred replied before Harry could. He'd been nearly pushed aside as Fred sat down next to her on the edge of the bed.
"What happened with Tom? Is Draco and George okay?"
"Yeah, they'll be fine. Everyone's safe. Don't worry about it. You need to get some rest." he told her, calmly. She smiled at him.
"Thank you, Fred. I wouldn't be here if you three hadn't gotten there in time."
Harry watched the two of them as they sat there looking at each other. He was beginning to have his suspicions. This wasn't going to turn out well if his theory proved correct. Ron would flip. He looked over at Malfoy who was scowling at them. Hermione hugged Fred then pushed him lightly over and smiled at Harry.
"I've missed you, Harry. How've things been here?"
"Well we've been given the job to research this guy Xavier Gillium. All we've found out is that he was in Azkaban, was part of the Goblin Wars, and had a daughter."
"That's all you've found out in a month? Seriously, you guys would be lost without me."
"You've said that many times before, and I know Hermione. We worship the ground you walk on when it comes to studies. So when you're well will you help us? No one can find information like you." he replied with a sheepish smile. She sighed and smiled back.
"Yeah, of course I'll help. Now come on, worship me some more."
"Hermione."
"I'm kidding with you, Harry."
Hermione was allowed to leave the Infirmary three days later. One day after George and Malfoy were released. Dumbledore had returned to the school and went to the hospital wing to listen to their story. The rest of the group hadn't been allowed to visit, save for about an hour each day. Fred was getting ancy, and everyone else staying in Gryffindor tour was feeling it. It wasn't normal to see one twin without the other. In fact, Ginny had never seen them apart. Fred spent as much time as possible in the hospital wing, until Madame Pomfrey finally told him he needed to leave so that George and Hermione could rest. No one was relieved more than Harry though, the day Hermione stepped back into the Common Room. Crookshanks went to her immediately and began rubbing up against her legs. She picked him up and cooed to him, having not seen him in six months in her mind. Ron jumped up and hugged her tight.
"I'm so glad to have you back."
"Oh so Harry's told you that I'm going to help with the research, huh?" she smiled.
"Yeah, he might have mentioned something about it, but that's not why I missed you."
"I know, Ron." she gave him a look of sympathy and a smile, then walked past him and over to Harry.
"So to the library then?" she asked. He looked up from the game of wizard chess he was playing with George.
"Now? You just got out, don't you want to rest a bit before getting into it?" George responded before Harry could, concentrating on the pieces in front of him.
"I've been resting for six days... well three days technically. But no, I'd rather be doing something to keep my mind occupied at the moment. I really don't wish to sit and think about everything. So then, Harry?"
"Yeah, you can go Harry... checkmate." George looked up at his opponent with a grin on his face.
"Actually, Hermione can I talk to you?" Fred asked and stood up from where he was sitting on the sofa near the fireplace.
"Er... yeah sure."
"But Hermione..." Ron began to protest.
"I'll be back. It's still early and we don't have a curfew. We'll have plenty of time to research." Hermione told him. Ron pouted and sat back down. He'd barely gotten a chance to see Hermione at all since she'd been back and he too really wanted to speak with her. He watched as she left with Fred out the Common Room Portrait Hole.
"Since when has she become best mates with my brothers instead of me?" he asked.
Harry went to one of the windows and looked outside. Fred had lead Hermione out into the courtyard and they were laughing about something. A twinge of jealousy hit him. Something was going on between the two of them. He wasn't completely surprised at this. After all she'd just spent six months in the past with the only familiar people to her were the twins and Malfoy. He half expected that Hermione would end up back with him, but maybe she was smarter than that. Although he couldn't come up with a reason as to why dating one of the Weasley twins would be a more suitable option considering everyone and Neville's grandmother knew how much Ron fancied Hermione. He was going to have to talk with her when he could get her alone, but he had a feeling with her just returning that was going to be a hard task. Ron came over next to Harry and looked out the window.
"What's with her and Fred? I mean honestly, he just tolerates her. She's been getting the two of them in trouble since her first year here, they've always had it out for her."
"People change I suppose. I wouldn't worry to much about it, Ron." Harry replied, hoping that Ron wouldn't jump to the conclusions he had.
"Don't worry Ronnikens, she still considers you the closest thing to a brother she'll ever have. No one can replace you." George piped in as he began cleaning up the chess set. Ron glared at him.
"So where are we going?" Hermione asked Fred once he lead her out into the courtyard.
"You'll see. It's a surprise."
"Oh no. If this is anything like you and George's last surprise with the exploding fireworks card for my birthday last year, I'm going to be forced to kill you." she groaned.
"No, it's nothing like that. George has nothing to do with this. I planned this one all on my own while you two were in the infirmary." he smiled.
"You mean you two do things individually?" she giggled.
"We're identical twins, not Siamese twins Hermione. George and I don't do EVERYTHING together, just most things." he replied.
He lead her down to the Quidditch field and past the locker rooms to the shed wear the school brooms were kept. He unlocked the door with his wand and opened it. It was musky and hot from the summer afternoon. He pulled out two brooms and handed one to her.
"We're not flying." she told him, with a frown.
"Yeah we are."
"I don't fly."
"You do now."
"No, I don't Fred."
"You're telling me you don't know how?" he smirked
"I know how! It's just I prefer for my feet to stay on the ground as much as possible." he had bruised her ego.
"It's not that bad Hermione. It's not like I'm asking you to play Quidditch. There's no other way for us to get where I'm taking you. You can't apparate yet, you still need to take your exam, so flying is our only option." he explained as they left the shed and he relocked the door.
"No, Fred. I'm not flying." she restated as he mounted his broom.
"Fine then, hop on. I'll fly and you sit."
"Is there any way of talking you out of this?"
"Not a chance." he beamed.
Hermione grudgingly took his hand and climbed onto the broom in front of him. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer so he could get a better grip on the stick. She closed her eyes as they moved upward. The sun was beginning to go down and the breeze was getting slightly cooler. He told her to open her eyes, which she did timidly. The sight was beautiful. They'd left Hogwarts behind and were over the lake. The sky was filled with a pink and orange color as it peered beneath the clouds, leaving the lake surface gleaming with ribbons of warm colors. They began to fly over the Forbidden Forest and they landed into a clearing of the forest that Hermione had been unaware of until then.
"It's beautiful." she gasped as she hopped off the broom. Fred smiled at her.
It really was rather breathtaking. It seemed as if this was where the lake had trickled off, leaving a small pond. Reeds and grass covered the edges and the trees loomed so high that the area appeared darker than it was. Vines had grown over the side of the mountain area, covering the grey rocks with a bright green, which echoed off the water. The vines had wrapped themselves around dead tree trunks and moss was growing over the decaying wood. She could hear the sounds of cicadas and bullfrogs settling in for the evening. It was serene and peaceful, and for the first time Hermione wasn't afraid of being in the Forbidden Forest.
"How'd you find this place?"
"George and I came across it while looking for ingredients one day during our fifth year. Seems to be the only place untouched by the creatures that live here. We used to come here to get away from Filch sometimes when we knew he had a price on our heads. Care for a swim?"
"Swim? Now? It'll be dark soon... I don't know people are going to start wondering where we are. Maybe we should head back." she replied and walked back over to the broom, but she didn't have time to mount it before she was pushed into the pond.
"Fred!" she screamed. The sound of birds flying off could be heard and the sound of Fred bowled over in laughter.
Hermione wadded out of the water, drenched and sopping wet from head to toe. She hit him playfully and he tackled her back into the water. She pulled him in with her and emerged, gasping for air. The water was so cold. He splashed her and took off in a swim away from her. She swam after him yelling profanities but laughing all the same. She finally got a hold on him and dunked him under the water, determined to hold him under until he drowned, but he refused to be taken down alone and pulled her under. When they reemerged, she spit water at him.
"That wasn't funny." she scolded and headed for the bank of the pond.
Fred grabbed her arm and pulled her close. He was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. She stopped struggling and moving herself closer to him. He pushed her wet matted hair back off her face. She closed her eyes and felt his lips against hers. The water felt even colder as he felt so warm against her body. She kissed him back avidly and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled away from the kiss and looked into her eyes.
"I... I know you've been going through a lot lately, and I know we haven't always seen eye to eye... but I figured if you gave Malfoy a chance... just maybe you know... maybe you and I could get together? I'll be here for you and I'll even stop pulling pranks on you and Harry, Weasley honor." he remarked, nervously. Her stomach turned. He sounded like Ron, the way he was stumbling with his words, but she smiled.
"Are you asking me out, Fred Weasley?"
"Yeah. I believe so."
"What about Ron?"
"Ron had his chance and he never got the guts. He's my brother and I love him, but if he can't get up enough courage to even ask you out to Hogsmeade or something, then it's his own loss. You can't sit around forever waiting for him and he should know that by now. I fancy you Hermione, so please?"
"All right." she stated. He looked as if he was about to continue proving his case but stopped.
"All right?"
"Yes, All right. It's about time I moved on. It may have only been a month in the present since Viktor's death, but we've experienced a six-month interval. And I am keen on you. I'm willing to give it a chance." she kissed him softly as he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist.
"We need to get back." she stated and looked up at the sky through the trees. It was dark. He nodded and helped her out of the water.
"Bloody hell! What happened to you?" Ron asked, as Hermione and Fred walked back into the Common Room. Harry looked up from the book he was reading.
"Er...I fell in the lake. I lost my balance and fell in. I tried grabbing Fred for support and he got pulled in too." Hermione replied quickly.
She glanced at Harry, who looked back down. He knew. Somehow he knew. She excused herself and ran back upstairs to get a change of clothes. Ginny was on her bed writing in her diary. She looked up at Hermione and gasped.
"What happened?" she asked. Hermione told her the same story she'd told the boys.
"So what really happened?" Ginny smiled.
"I told you, I fell in."
"Are you dating my brother?" Ginny asked, blantly. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.
"Which brother?" Hermione played stupid as she pulled out a fresh shirt and a pair of jeans.
"Fred!"
"Fred... which one is he again?" she said absent mindedly while fishing through her things for a towel.
"Hermione! What about Ron?"
"You won't tell him will you? Please, I don't want him or Malfoy finding out." Hermione turned back around and gave a pleading look to her friend.
"What does Malfoy have to do with this?"
"I just don't want him giving Fred a hard time, which he's bound to do under jealously. It's just best if Malfoy doesn't know, okay?"
"I won't tell Ron. I wouldn't want to be the one to break his heart. You're going to have to tell him yourself, or have Fred talk to him." Ginny sat up.
"I will, when the time is right. School starts in a week, I'll talk to him before then." Hermione replied. She headed for the door.
"Hermione, you're one of my best friends, but please don't hurt them both. They're my brothers."
"I know, Ginny. I really like Fred. It's just not like that with Ron and I, we're too close."
"And you're done with Malfoy then right?"
"Yeah, I'm done with Draco." Hermione confirmed and headed back down to the stairs into the common room. She couldn't tell Ginny that she wasn't completely over Malfoy. It would make it look like Fred was only rebound. Was he? She wasn't quite sure herself, but tried to convince herself that she was in this new relationship because she wanted to be, not because she needed to be for security and company. She glanced over at Harry one more time before leaving. She would have to talk to him as soon as she could.
A/N: I'm a bad author! I have been so slow with this chapter! I'm sorry and I thank all of you who've waited patiently :) I got writers block, then I got challenged to some one shot fictions, so I've been working on those. I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can, I promise. As always, if you read then please review.
"No I'm sorry hon. Try not to think on it. You're not going to do yourself any good worrying about it day after day." Tonks told him.
So he went back to the Common Room and sat by the window, watching the English summer rain poor down onto the Hogwarts ground. He hadn't seen Dumbledore around the school in two weeks and wondered if he was mad at him for helping Malfoy into the past. On their last encounter the night he'd come back, Dumbledore hadn't said anything about it and called on him only to ask how the research had been going. In fact, no one but Ron had spoken of the incident and Harry was fairly sure no one really cared if Malfoy was there or not. He wasn't really concerned about him either, but continued to think on it everyday hoping that him being in the past with her, would help Hermione not distract her from her mission at hand. It was as Harry was thinking about this again, that Ginny came running into the Common Room.
"She's back." Ginny announced and ran back out of the room.
Harry and Ron glanced at each other, and then both jumped up and ran after Ginny. They followed her to the Hospital Wing. Around one of the beds Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, Ginny, Fleur, and one of the twins huddled together blocking Harry and Ron's view. They pushed in next to Ginny, only to be given a stern look from Madame Pomfrey. Hermione lay unconscious on the bed.
"Fred dear, step back and give Poppy some room." Mrs. Weasley said kindly.
"She needs her rest, it'd be better if you all went back to your usual routine. You can visit her tomorrow." Madame Pomfrey told the crowd. Mrs. Weasley ushered them all out and told them to go back to Gryffindor Tower until supper was ready.
"What happened? Where is George and Malfoy?" Ginny asked Fred, as soon as they were out of Mrs. Weasley's earshot.
"I don't know where they are, they were supposed to follow us."
"What happened while you were there, did you hear the prophecy?" asked Ron as they climbed through the portrait hole.
"Yeah, Hermione was the one to tell it. Tom tried to kill her as Malfoy had suspected he would, so we went after her. I brought her here and they were to come right after, I'm a bit worried that something's happened. They should be back by now. Have any of you seen Dumbledore?"
"No, sorry. He hasn't been here for a few weeks." Ginny told him.
"So what was the prophecy?" Ron was relentless.
"Apparently Ferret Boy is Voldemort's key to defeating you and Dumbledore." Fred explained, directing it towards Harry.
"Well that would explain why he's still alive and why the Death Eaters are after him."
"This is good then, because he's on our side." commented Ron.
"Are you so sure he's going to remain on our side though?"
"Did Hermione hook back up with him?"
"What was it like being in the past?"
"Did you see Tom Riddle?"
"I sure hope so, no, interesting, yes. No more questions, I just want to get some sleep." replied Fred, then he departed from the group and went up to his room.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny all sat down near the fire in the Common Room. Anything Ron had against Harry seemed to have been dropped. Their friendship was reinstated by the mutual worry over Hermione, and concern as to what might have happened to George. The three Gryffindors sat there staring at the fire. Harry was unsure whether or not to break the silence. None of them spoke until Fleur came up and told them that supper was ready. Ron went up to the dormitories and retrieved Fred. They were on their way to the Room of Requirement, when George and Malfoy apparated right in from of them. Fleur and Ginny yelped as they were caught of guard. Fred ran over to his brother, who'd fallen to the floor.
"Go get Madame Pomfrey NOW!" Fred yelled. Ginny and Harry took off in a run towards the Infirmary.
"George and Draco are back!" they exclaimed in unison as they slammed open the large doors.
They lead her out into the hallway where George lay. Malfoy seemed to be okay, although he was nursing his side. Ron helped Fred escort George to the Infirmary and place him on a bed. Everyone turned to Malfoy for answers. He sat down on the bed next to George's as Madam Pomfrey began to look him over. It seemed as if his injuries from March had reopened, but were not as bad as they had been originally.
"We went to save Granger. According to the history books, Theresa Ellis died three nights after she went into hysterics at the O.W.L. exams. That was supposed to be the night we went to rescue her. Tom Riddle was about to use the killing curse against her so we attacked him and... and my grandfather. We held off the two while Fred got Granger to safety. After they disappeared, Tom caught George off guard and struck him with the Cruciatus curse. I was able to stun them both and conjure up a memory spell, but when I'd stunned my grandfather my scar came open for some reason. I was just barely able to get us back here before we were discovered." Malfoy replied, and winced as Madam Pomfrey put some sort of ointment on his wound.
"I'll send an owl to Dumbledore immediately, requesting his return to the school. I'm sure he'll have plenty of questions for the lot of you when he gets back. Until then though, you need your rest, so lay down. The rest of you are free to go." Madame Pomfrey told them.
"Do you mind if I stay? I mean he's my twin after all." Fred asked, looking for sympathy.
"You can stay, I should look you over anyway and make sure there weren't any sort of repercussions. Honestly, what was Albus thinking sending you all to the past? You're far too young for that sort of thing."
"I'll bring you in something to eat, dear." Mrs. Weasley said softly, putting her hand on Fred's shoulder. He nodded and sat down in a chair next to George's bedside.
Harry followed the rest to the Room of Requirement for supper, but found he could hardly eat. No one spoke and finally Harry excused himself from the table.
"Harry, dear... could you take this plate to Fred? Try and get him to eat some, will you?" asked Mrs. Weasley, as he reached the door.
When he got into the Infirmary, George was awake and joking with Fred about something. He went over and handed the plate to Fred, who nodded and sat it on the table next to George's bed. Harry pulled up a chair and sat down.
"All right, George?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'll be okay. How's Hermione?"
"She'll be okay, I think." replied Harry. He looked over at Malfoy's bed, noticing him staring at Hermione. He'd been bandaged up, but sat up awake.
"The ministry came looking for you." he informed. Malfoy turned to him.
"Is that so? What'd they want?"
"To arrest you. Dumbledore tried explaining things. That seemed to satisfy them enough. Suppose they'll be back though." he answered. Malfoy nodded, then went back to staring at Hermione. Harry turned back towards the twins and noticed Fred glaring at Malfoy. He was about to question him, when they heard a gasp from Hermione's bed. He and Fred jumped up and went to her side.
"Hermione?"
"Harry? What's going on? Where am I?"
"You're at Hogwarts. Present time, you're okay." Fred replied before Harry could. He'd been nearly pushed aside as Fred sat down next to her on the edge of the bed.
"What happened with Tom? Is Draco and George okay?"
"Yeah, they'll be fine. Everyone's safe. Don't worry about it. You need to get some rest." he told her, calmly. She smiled at him.
"Thank you, Fred. I wouldn't be here if you three hadn't gotten there in time."
Harry watched the two of them as they sat there looking at each other. He was beginning to have his suspicions. This wasn't going to turn out well if his theory proved correct. Ron would flip. He looked over at Malfoy who was scowling at them. Hermione hugged Fred then pushed him lightly over and smiled at Harry.
"I've missed you, Harry. How've things been here?"
"Well we've been given the job to research this guy Xavier Gillium. All we've found out is that he was in Azkaban, was part of the Goblin Wars, and had a daughter."
"That's all you've found out in a month? Seriously, you guys would be lost without me."
"You've said that many times before, and I know Hermione. We worship the ground you walk on when it comes to studies. So when you're well will you help us? No one can find information like you." he replied with a sheepish smile. She sighed and smiled back.
"Yeah, of course I'll help. Now come on, worship me some more."
"Hermione."
"I'm kidding with you, Harry."
Hermione was allowed to leave the Infirmary three days later. One day after George and Malfoy were released. Dumbledore had returned to the school and went to the hospital wing to listen to their story. The rest of the group hadn't been allowed to visit, save for about an hour each day. Fred was getting ancy, and everyone else staying in Gryffindor tour was feeling it. It wasn't normal to see one twin without the other. In fact, Ginny had never seen them apart. Fred spent as much time as possible in the hospital wing, until Madame Pomfrey finally told him he needed to leave so that George and Hermione could rest. No one was relieved more than Harry though, the day Hermione stepped back into the Common Room. Crookshanks went to her immediately and began rubbing up against her legs. She picked him up and cooed to him, having not seen him in six months in her mind. Ron jumped up and hugged her tight.
"I'm so glad to have you back."
"Oh so Harry's told you that I'm going to help with the research, huh?" she smiled.
"Yeah, he might have mentioned something about it, but that's not why I missed you."
"I know, Ron." she gave him a look of sympathy and a smile, then walked past him and over to Harry.
"So to the library then?" she asked. He looked up from the game of wizard chess he was playing with George.
"Now? You just got out, don't you want to rest a bit before getting into it?" George responded before Harry could, concentrating on the pieces in front of him.
"I've been resting for six days... well three days technically. But no, I'd rather be doing something to keep my mind occupied at the moment. I really don't wish to sit and think about everything. So then, Harry?"
"Yeah, you can go Harry... checkmate." George looked up at his opponent with a grin on his face.
"Actually, Hermione can I talk to you?" Fred asked and stood up from where he was sitting on the sofa near the fireplace.
"Er... yeah sure."
"But Hermione..." Ron began to protest.
"I'll be back. It's still early and we don't have a curfew. We'll have plenty of time to research." Hermione told him. Ron pouted and sat back down. He'd barely gotten a chance to see Hermione at all since she'd been back and he too really wanted to speak with her. He watched as she left with Fred out the Common Room Portrait Hole.
"Since when has she become best mates with my brothers instead of me?" he asked.
Harry went to one of the windows and looked outside. Fred had lead Hermione out into the courtyard and they were laughing about something. A twinge of jealousy hit him. Something was going on between the two of them. He wasn't completely surprised at this. After all she'd just spent six months in the past with the only familiar people to her were the twins and Malfoy. He half expected that Hermione would end up back with him, but maybe she was smarter than that. Although he couldn't come up with a reason as to why dating one of the Weasley twins would be a more suitable option considering everyone and Neville's grandmother knew how much Ron fancied Hermione. He was going to have to talk with her when he could get her alone, but he had a feeling with her just returning that was going to be a hard task. Ron came over next to Harry and looked out the window.
"What's with her and Fred? I mean honestly, he just tolerates her. She's been getting the two of them in trouble since her first year here, they've always had it out for her."
"People change I suppose. I wouldn't worry to much about it, Ron." Harry replied, hoping that Ron wouldn't jump to the conclusions he had.
"Don't worry Ronnikens, she still considers you the closest thing to a brother she'll ever have. No one can replace you." George piped in as he began cleaning up the chess set. Ron glared at him.
"So where are we going?" Hermione asked Fred once he lead her out into the courtyard.
"You'll see. It's a surprise."
"Oh no. If this is anything like you and George's last surprise with the exploding fireworks card for my birthday last year, I'm going to be forced to kill you." she groaned.
"No, it's nothing like that. George has nothing to do with this. I planned this one all on my own while you two were in the infirmary." he smiled.
"You mean you two do things individually?" she giggled.
"We're identical twins, not Siamese twins Hermione. George and I don't do EVERYTHING together, just most things." he replied.
He lead her down to the Quidditch field and past the locker rooms to the shed wear the school brooms were kept. He unlocked the door with his wand and opened it. It was musky and hot from the summer afternoon. He pulled out two brooms and handed one to her.
"We're not flying." she told him, with a frown.
"Yeah we are."
"I don't fly."
"You do now."
"No, I don't Fred."
"You're telling me you don't know how?" he smirked
"I know how! It's just I prefer for my feet to stay on the ground as much as possible." he had bruised her ego.
"It's not that bad Hermione. It's not like I'm asking you to play Quidditch. There's no other way for us to get where I'm taking you. You can't apparate yet, you still need to take your exam, so flying is our only option." he explained as they left the shed and he relocked the door.
"No, Fred. I'm not flying." she restated as he mounted his broom.
"Fine then, hop on. I'll fly and you sit."
"Is there any way of talking you out of this?"
"Not a chance." he beamed.
Hermione grudgingly took his hand and climbed onto the broom in front of him. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer so he could get a better grip on the stick. She closed her eyes as they moved upward. The sun was beginning to go down and the breeze was getting slightly cooler. He told her to open her eyes, which she did timidly. The sight was beautiful. They'd left Hogwarts behind and were over the lake. The sky was filled with a pink and orange color as it peered beneath the clouds, leaving the lake surface gleaming with ribbons of warm colors. They began to fly over the Forbidden Forest and they landed into a clearing of the forest that Hermione had been unaware of until then.
"It's beautiful." she gasped as she hopped off the broom. Fred smiled at her.
It really was rather breathtaking. It seemed as if this was where the lake had trickled off, leaving a small pond. Reeds and grass covered the edges and the trees loomed so high that the area appeared darker than it was. Vines had grown over the side of the mountain area, covering the grey rocks with a bright green, which echoed off the water. The vines had wrapped themselves around dead tree trunks and moss was growing over the decaying wood. She could hear the sounds of cicadas and bullfrogs settling in for the evening. It was serene and peaceful, and for the first time Hermione wasn't afraid of being in the Forbidden Forest.
"How'd you find this place?"
"George and I came across it while looking for ingredients one day during our fifth year. Seems to be the only place untouched by the creatures that live here. We used to come here to get away from Filch sometimes when we knew he had a price on our heads. Care for a swim?"
"Swim? Now? It'll be dark soon... I don't know people are going to start wondering where we are. Maybe we should head back." she replied and walked back over to the broom, but she didn't have time to mount it before she was pushed into the pond.
"Fred!" she screamed. The sound of birds flying off could be heard and the sound of Fred bowled over in laughter.
Hermione wadded out of the water, drenched and sopping wet from head to toe. She hit him playfully and he tackled her back into the water. She pulled him in with her and emerged, gasping for air. The water was so cold. He splashed her and took off in a swim away from her. She swam after him yelling profanities but laughing all the same. She finally got a hold on him and dunked him under the water, determined to hold him under until he drowned, but he refused to be taken down alone and pulled her under. When they reemerged, she spit water at him.
"That wasn't funny." she scolded and headed for the bank of the pond.
Fred grabbed her arm and pulled her close. He was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. She stopped struggling and moving herself closer to him. He pushed her wet matted hair back off her face. She closed her eyes and felt his lips against hers. The water felt even colder as he felt so warm against her body. She kissed him back avidly and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled away from the kiss and looked into her eyes.
"I... I know you've been going through a lot lately, and I know we haven't always seen eye to eye... but I figured if you gave Malfoy a chance... just maybe you know... maybe you and I could get together? I'll be here for you and I'll even stop pulling pranks on you and Harry, Weasley honor." he remarked, nervously. Her stomach turned. He sounded like Ron, the way he was stumbling with his words, but she smiled.
"Are you asking me out, Fred Weasley?"
"Yeah. I believe so."
"What about Ron?"
"Ron had his chance and he never got the guts. He's my brother and I love him, but if he can't get up enough courage to even ask you out to Hogsmeade or something, then it's his own loss. You can't sit around forever waiting for him and he should know that by now. I fancy you Hermione, so please?"
"All right." she stated. He looked as if he was about to continue proving his case but stopped.
"All right?"
"Yes, All right. It's about time I moved on. It may have only been a month in the present since Viktor's death, but we've experienced a six-month interval. And I am keen on you. I'm willing to give it a chance." she kissed him softly as he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist.
"We need to get back." she stated and looked up at the sky through the trees. It was dark. He nodded and helped her out of the water.
"Bloody hell! What happened to you?" Ron asked, as Hermione and Fred walked back into the Common Room. Harry looked up from the book he was reading.
"Er...I fell in the lake. I lost my balance and fell in. I tried grabbing Fred for support and he got pulled in too." Hermione replied quickly.
She glanced at Harry, who looked back down. He knew. Somehow he knew. She excused herself and ran back upstairs to get a change of clothes. Ginny was on her bed writing in her diary. She looked up at Hermione and gasped.
"What happened?" she asked. Hermione told her the same story she'd told the boys.
"So what really happened?" Ginny smiled.
"I told you, I fell in."
"Are you dating my brother?" Ginny asked, blantly. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.
"Which brother?" Hermione played stupid as she pulled out a fresh shirt and a pair of jeans.
"Fred!"
"Fred... which one is he again?" she said absent mindedly while fishing through her things for a towel.
"Hermione! What about Ron?"
"You won't tell him will you? Please, I don't want him or Malfoy finding out." Hermione turned back around and gave a pleading look to her friend.
"What does Malfoy have to do with this?"
"I just don't want him giving Fred a hard time, which he's bound to do under jealously. It's just best if Malfoy doesn't know, okay?"
"I won't tell Ron. I wouldn't want to be the one to break his heart. You're going to have to tell him yourself, or have Fred talk to him." Ginny sat up.
"I will, when the time is right. School starts in a week, I'll talk to him before then." Hermione replied. She headed for the door.
"Hermione, you're one of my best friends, but please don't hurt them both. They're my brothers."
"I know, Ginny. I really like Fred. It's just not like that with Ron and I, we're too close."
"And you're done with Malfoy then right?"
"Yeah, I'm done with Draco." Hermione confirmed and headed back down to the stairs into the common room. She couldn't tell Ginny that she wasn't completely over Malfoy. It would make it look like Fred was only rebound. Was he? She wasn't quite sure herself, but tried to convince herself that she was in this new relationship because she wanted to be, not because she needed to be for security and company. She glanced over at Harry one more time before leaving. She would have to talk to him as soon as she could.
A/N: I'm a bad author! I have been so slow with this chapter! I'm sorry and I thank all of you who've waited patiently :) I got writers block, then I got challenged to some one shot fictions, so I've been working on those. I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can, I promise. As always, if you read then please review.