"Hey." said George siting down beside her.
Hermione looked at him tears that hadn't yet fallen glittered in her eyes.
George didn't know what to say to his dead brother's girlfriend, there was the awkward silence.
Hermione moved close and leaned her head on his chest.
George hugged her to him, his arm around the small of her back.
He felt her breathing increase as she cried, he could feel her tears on his shirt.
He longed to kiss her tears away, kiss her beautiful lips and assure her it was all right.
But today didn't seem the right time, he'd just lost a brother, the same brother she'd loved with all her heart and soul.
All George felt himself doing was hushing her with gentle whispers.
They stayed like that till George knew his family needed to mourn together.
He left hermione with a box of tissues and a picture of her and Ron at her sixteenth birthday party, in the kitchen.
He went into the lounge and saw the other order members had left.
George took his seat on the other side of Ginny and watched as his father passed a bottle of fire whiskey around.
It was exactly like when Percy had left.
They'd sat in a horseshoe passing around the bottle; the weasleys old enough to drink would take a sip of it before passing it on, in silence aside from the odd time when Ginny or mum had burst into tears.
Ginny was whimpering as Fred hugged her to him.
Dad was hugging mum to him gently whispering assuring words to her.
George looked at his twin and the usual glint in Fred's eyes was gone along with his usual grin, which had turned, into a blank expressionless mask.
George took the bottle Fred passed him over Ginny and downed a mouthful of the vile liquid.
He then passed the bottle across to Dad who downed some.
George looked down at the floor as he remembered the last time Ron had been around.
He'd been talking about marrying hermione and was pretty much planning his life.
If only he hadn't played the hero, then George wouldn't be the one having to comfort his girlfriend.
George felt someone nudge his arm and saw that everyone was leaving the room.
He looked at the clock on the mantel and realised it was way past midnight.
"You coming up soon George?" asked Fred who was covering a sleeping Ginny who was curled up on the sofa with a blanket.
"Yeah I'll be a sec. Is Hermione still in the kitchen?" asked George.
"Yeah. Mum said to just leave her there. She'll come up when she's ready." said Fred.
"You go on up Fred. I'm just going to put the rest of the fire whiskey away." said George grabbing the bottle from the coffee table and getting up.
"Night George." said Fred before he went up the stairs.
George walked into the kitchen and saw hermione stroking the picture gently in her lap.
He put the fire whiskey in a cupboard and looked over his shoulder at hermione.
"I'm going now to bed now herms. See you in the morning." said George.
"Wait George. Can you hold on a sec?" asked hermione.
George paused and turned around in the doorway.
"Sure Herms what's up?" asked George as he approached the table.
Hermione put the photo down and got up from her chair.
George froze and watched as Hermione walked towards him and hugged him.
George put his arms around her but was curious to know why.
Aside from his crush on her, they'd never been very close; he'd pretty much just known her as Ron's female friend.
"I'm sorry for you loss George," whispered hermione.
"I'm sorry for yours too." smiled George weakly.
"Its late. I'd better get to bed." said Hermione letting go of George and picking up the box of tissues and the picture of Ron from the table.