Warning: contains graphic scenes. Not intended for minors. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: The characters are owned by JKR. No copyright infringement is intended.

Into the Woods

When we arrived back at Fred and George's flat I was confused and unsure what was can happen next. The stability I had tried to regain in my life had gone flying out the window as fast as I could turn around, literally as fast as I had spun around with Malfoy's voice in my ear.

"George, what are we going to do? How did he find us?" I could hear some of my frantic worry echoing in my voice, and looking to George for reassurance seemed natural. Unfortunately, I wasn't very reassured by the wild look in George's eyes.

"Well, Fred is going to spend the night at Angelina's. Their on-again off-again relationship is on-again. We don't know if Malfoy knew you were with us, or thought you were there alone, or for that matter saw you with the redhead and assumed it was Ron. My biggest concern is if Malfoy was there alone or if there were other death eaters in the crowd. Regardless, we can't stay here tonight. Too dangerous."

"George, then where do you want us to stay? I don't want to go back to Hogwarts yet. My parents are still out of the country. Hell, your parents are still out of the country. If we go to headquarters they'll know something's up. The Burrow is too obvious. So is the Leaky Cauldron."

"I have an idea, and you think about it some more while you pack. Pack enough for three days. I am going to owl Fred."

Now thoroughly confused, which given the stresses of the evening did not take much, I went to do as George asked.

"Pack warm Hermione."

Warm? What the hell? Where is he planning to take me?

Rolling my eyes, I turned and went into George's room. Looking through my choices, I threw into a bag three pairs of jeans, some socks, knickers and bras, some long-sleeved shirts made of a soft comforting material, George's jumper that he had dressed me in that first night and I had never given back, and my old soft velveteen cloak. I debated on pajamas. I had some warm concealing conservative pajamas that I used to wear all the time, but I also had some pajamas my mother had gotten me for going back to school this year which I had never worn, having always found some just this side of risqué. I decided that if I wanted to get George out of protective mode and make him see me as something other than has younger brother's best friend, I had better be willing to take a few risks of my own. In went the new jammies. Shrinking my trunk, I shoved it in a pocket and headed back to the living room.

I arrived back in the living room to find George with several bags of food standing impatiently in the middle of the floor waiting for me.

"Are you ready?" He asked me.

"I guess… Aren't you going to pack some clothes?" I asked, wondering what he was planning to do for clothing for the next several days.

"Nope. I already have clothes or were going."

"Ummm, can I ask where that might be?" The mystery was getting a little old.

"I'd hate to spoil the surprise. If you're ready, then help me shrink these bags and we will be on the way." George was smiling, some of his is normal mischievous nature back.

With a sigh I did is he asked. Once the food was shrunk, he took my hand and once again I felt the distinct sense of having someone apparate with me as baggage.

The next moment, we were standing outside a small cabin in a clearing. The tree line was almost circular and about 100 feet from the cabin. Over head there was an uninterrupted view of sky and the stars were magnificent.

"Umm, George, where are we?"

"I'll tell you in a minute, come one, get inside."

Following him through the door, I saw that the cabin was tiny inside. There was one room which contained a sofa, chest, and fireplace, a sink, a refrigerator, and a tiny table, and a doorway which was standing open so that I could see the outlines of a toilet through it.

Once we were inside, George quickly closed the door. Humming to himself, he proceeded to put away the food we had brought from the flat.

I was beginning to get impatient.

"George. Where. Are. We."

"Right. Have a seat." He said, indicating the sofa. "We are at the cabin that Fred and I bought. Sometimes, even we get on each other's nerves. We don't come here together, well, not usually. When one of us needs some space, we come here. We own about 100 acres. Mostly woods. All primitive. No one knows about this place, including our loving family. You have been let in on one of our biggest secrets. So, don't tell anyone. This place has been charmed to be unplottable, so as long as we stay here, no one can find us. I owled George to let him know I had brought you here using our code. This is the safest place I could think of. Safer than Hogwarts, even, since no one knows about it. Bought it from some Muggles…"he trailed off.

Thinking about it, I had to agree with him. It likely was the safest place we could be.

"Won't that leave Fred short handed at the store?" I asked. Both twins were always worried about the store.

"Nah, he should be fine with Lee. Rush season is over. We each usually take a week in January and come out here anyway. Helps us to re-center ourselves. Some of our greatest inventions have been thought of at this cabin."

I felt a little better knowing that Fred could handle the shop alone.

"Only problem with this place is that it's a little cozy for two…" George was still talking about the merits of his property. I looked at him to see if he was going to continue, but he had trailed off, blushing…

"George, I'm going to go ahead and get ready for bed." I looked at him and noticed his blush was increasing. Confused, I pulled my trunk from my pocket and headed into the bathroom.

Once the door was shut, I restored my trunk to its original size and began taking out my pajamas.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, finally realizing what had been causing George's blushes…

Self-consciously, I slid my clothing from this evening off and began putting on the pajamas. The shorts barely covered my bum and were low cut and snug on my hips. The spaghetti strap top showed a significant amount of midriff, and was cut low to expose cleavage. The pajamas were thin white knit cotton and more than a bit see-through. I'd brought them because they were soft and a little sexier than the baggy sweat suit I had been sleeping in.

Oh well…I was trying to get him to notice me after all…I was fairly sure he'd notice this.

Fortunately, I had also brought a red silk robe, which I quickly put on and left the bathroom.

George had gotten a fire going in the grate and was sitting on the couch, which had been opened to reveal a queen sized sleeper-sofa.

As he went into the bathroom to change into his pajama pants, I took my wand and went onto the porch to look at the stars. It was cold outside, so I went ahead and cast a warming charm on the porch, bringing the temperature up to a bearable level. Looking at my watch, which I hadn't taken off yet, I realized it was almost midnight.

What a year this had been…and none of it good…loosing Dumbledore, the strain in my relationship with Ron, the hurt and deaths of people I know and love…of people I had never met…being raped by Malfoy…

Yes, this was one year I was ready to have end. The only good thing to happen was being named Head Girl.

The only bad thing I couldn't blame on Voldemort was Ron.

How could one man destroy so much?

I was lost in thought when I heard the door open behind me. A moment later I felt George's warm form brush against my back and tentatively put an arm around my shoulders.

For a moment I had to suppress a shudder at being touched. His closeness felt strangely like Malfoy.

But then I noticed that he smelled…familiar. I had noticed it before, when I was wearing his jumper right after…the incident. For some reason, that calmed me, and seizing the moment, I leaned my head into his shoulder.

Looking down at my watch, I realized that it was midnight. Smiling, I turned around.

"Happy New Years, George." I said.

"Happy New Years, Hermione." He answered.

I noticed how close we were standing when I felt my breasts brush against his chest. Silk and skin tight cotton did not do much for dulling the sensations of touching. Especially not touching warm skin. George wasn't wearing a shirt, just some loose flannel pajama bottoms.

He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips.

"My nod to tradition. We can skip singing till old acquaintances be forgotten and all that. I don't find myself wanting to forget the people we've lost…" He trailed off.

"Funny, I was just thinking about the same thing when you came out here. I accept your nod." I was smiling now, amazed at how good George was at putting me in a good mood. I also noticed how good he looked without a shirt. And how good he was a kissing. We had barely bumped lips and I felt myself heating up…

"Shall we go inside?" George asked me.

"Lead on." I answered.

When we got inside I noticed that the bed was turned down, ready for sleeping. I also noticed that there was a pile of blankets on the floor and a pillow. I decided not to comment, for now.

George smiled at me as I went to the bed. I turned my back to him and slowly let my silk robe drop to the floor. As it slithered down my body I heard a sharp intake of breath from him. When the silk was laying in a puddle at my feet, I turned around. George was staring at me, blushing a bright red. His shirtless state mad it quite clear that the blush covered him more or less all over…

Giving him my most seductive smile, which I had practiced on Ron for years, I climbed into the bed, fanning my hair out behind me. Leaning up on an elbow I watched as he quickly got into the pile of blankets and covered himself.

Reaching into the pile of my robe, I pulled out my wand and whispered "Nox" plunging the room into semi-darkness, lit by the flickering fire.

Still on my elbow, I could see that he was staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open.

"George," I called softly, "you don't have to sleep on the floor, you know. This bed is plenty big for both of us. I'd sleep better knowing that you were comfortable…"

"Hermione, I'm fine down here."

"You probably are. But between the guilt of having you on the floor and the stress of the evening, I am not going to be able to sleep at all. Please, come up here…"

"Hermione, I don't think that's a good idea." His voice sounded strangled. What was he afraid of?

I sighed. "Fine."

Sometime this evening I had come to terms with the fact that I wanted George. After Malfoy, I had been afraid that I would never want anyone again. But George made me feel safe again, good again. I could laugh with him, and I knew he would do anything in his power to protect me. Why is he avoiding me?

Maybe the old me would be shocked I even am thinking this. I wanted to be his girlfriend, yes. But I also wanted to sleep with him to prove to myself that sex wasn't like what had happened with Malfoy. Why was he not cooperating? I didn't want to just come out and tell him I wanted to have sex! Men! They were supposed to be willing to accept these kinds of offers. George was being more protective of my virtue than I was…

But I didn't want to go back to Hogwarts without having a positive encounter…something to balance out the…incident…

"George, please come up here. Because otherwise I am going to have to come down there so we can both be miserable and uncomfortable."

"Hermione, I don't think that's a good idea."

"George, I didn't ask what you thought."

With a sigh, George acquiesced. Bringing the pillow, he joined me in the bed, sliding under the covers on the far side. As far away from me as was possible…

I let it be for a minute or so, and then I squirmed my way against him, so that my head was pillowed on his shoulder, my arm draped across his chest.

Looking up at his face through my lashes, I noticed his eyes were opened wide and his breathing rate had increased.

"George? Is something wrong?"

"No." He said, his voice sounding a bit squeaky.

Again I propped myself up on my elbow and looked down at him. His eyes met mine for a moment. In that moment, some of my feelings must have been visible, because he swallowed.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He sighed, "I'm not sure of much right now."

"Ah." Was all I said as I laid myself back down, conveniently draping myself across his body. I felt his muscles tense against my cheek. With a feather-light touch I caressed his chest where it lay under me. Rather than relaxing, he tensed more.

"Hermione, please stop." His voice sounded almost like a sob.

Immediately, my hand dropped to my side as I sat up and moved away. As much as I wanted George, I didn't want to do something he didn't want to do. I had been on the receiving end of that.

"George, I'm so sorry. I thought you felt the same." I said as a tear tracked its way down my cheek. I began to slide out of the bed so I could sleep on the floor that George had vacated at my request.

"Hermione…I do feel the same. I just, well, I want us to be special…and I want to know how you really feel. I am afraid that you only want to do this so you can repay me in some way. Some girls that Fred and I have worked with after they had a run-in with a death eater have tried to earn our help that way. And as much as I want you, I want you…not you because you feel like you owe me something…does that make sense?"

"George, I don't feel like I owe you. I do feel safe with you, but I don't feel like I owe you sex. I do owe you…hospitality, yes. Cooked meals, yes. Even laundry service…but not sex. George, I have never met someone I was so comfortable with. Who made me laugh and let me cry. Who understands what's important to me. Victor didn't. As much as he was more than a Quidditch player, well, I hate flying. We could never have worked. And Ron, we were too close before. Sometimes you are just too good of friends to be more than that…

"Except for what Malfoy did, I have never done anything but kiss, and even that only a few times.

"But with you, George, I feel like you could be a partner. We're friends, but we haven't grown up together like Ron and I did…so I thought there was a chance for us. And maybe I am rushing this. Trying to get you to have sex with me for the wrong reasons. Not that I owe you. But that I really, really like you…I think I'm falling in love with you, George. And I don't want to go back to Hogwarts wondering if I'll ever get another chance to express it. We're at war, and we're both targets. The possibly wrong reason is that I want you because I want you, I want to be with someone I choose to give myself to. I want to see how it should be, instead of how it was…no George, I don't feel like I owe you…" My voice trailed off.

I could hardly believe I had the guts to tell him all that. What would he think of me now. I know I was blushing scarlet to the roots of my hair and the bottom of my toes. It's amazing how brave we can be in the dark…

I couldn't even look at him for fear of the rejection that I was sure was coming.

"Hermione," he said, gently turning my head to face him, "I don't really know what to say…" his voice trailed off. "I…"

In that moment I had a blinding insight. George, who always seemed so confident, wasn't. Not about this. Not about me. And I, who usually am too afraid to allow myself to be vulnerable, was going to have to decide what to do.

Without thinking any more lest I chicken out, I leaned forward, bringing my face so close to his that I could feel his breath on my lips. When we were so close that our lips almost brushed I stopped, waiting for him to come the rest of the way to me.

All in a rush, I felt his mouth connect with mine as he closed the gap. I had read a few romance novels with their descriptions of kissing in which two souls were said to touch and had discounted them because of my previous experiences. Kissing George was completely different. There was no more room for self-consciousness, only the connectedness that you share when you find someone special…

No longer worried about what he would think I me, I let myself free to explore this new sensation. Deepening the kiss, I tasted his lips, noticing how soft they were. How gentle. Slowly, his lips parted. I had never experienced this before and was unsure how I should react, but decided to follow his lead.

I parted my lips and allowed his tongue to enter my mouth and begin exploring. I had always thought deep kissing like this would be gross, but in reality I found it to be beautiful.

His kisses became more insistent as he continued to explore my face, kissing first my cheek, then dropping his mouth to my neck, moving over to my ear before returning to my lips.

Before the cabin had felt chilly, but now I was beginning to feel feverish.

I reached down and pushed the covers off of us, slowly dragging my hands back up his body. I caressed his arms before trailing my hands down his chest. I noticed as I moved over him that he was breathing hard, with his eyes closed. When I stopped and looked at him questioningly, he decided to return the favor.

Gently his hands traced their way from my shoulders down my sides, his fingers barely tickled my stomach as he slowly drew them up to my chest. He stopped with his fingertips peeking under the hem of my tank, pushing it gently up towards my breasts, as if he were asking my permission to touch me under my clothing.

I hesitated for a moment, realizing that this would be a point of no return and wondering if I was really ready or knew what I was getting into. But the concern in his eyes decided me. I knew that he wouldn't force me into something.

Smiling, I reached down and slowly, teasingly, began to work the tank up baring my stomach, then, even slower, my breasts before pulling it completely off over my head and dropping it on the floor next to my robe.

I knew George had seen me naked before since he had cleaned me up and put me to bed after…the incident. So I wasn't really prepared for his reaction at seeing my breasts exposed.

He was still gentle, I knew he wouldn't hurt me. But he became much more insistent.

He reached both hands down to cup my breasts, stroking my nipples with his thumbs.

I was shocked at the pleasure that coursed through me at this simple action, and a moan escaped.

"Mmmm, George…"

"Hermione, I won't hurt you."

"I know." I whispered, leaning forward so that he tightened his grip and silencing him with a kiss.

Once again he began to kiss my neck, this time stopping at my collar bone before dropping lower to take my upright nipple in his mouth. I felt the pulling sensation on my nipple echoed somewhere deep inside of me. I had never been so turned on before. After a moment he gave equal attention to my other nipple, and I began to loose myself in the sensations.

When he pulled away and began kissing my neck again I decided to return to exploration, and trailed my hand down his chest until it met the waistband of his pajama bottoms. Hesitating only a moment, I slid my hand between his flesh and the flannel pants until it encountered his erection.

This time is was his turn to moan.

Taking this as encouragement, I slid my fingers from the head to the base, noticing the soft texture of his skin and feeling him move without direction. Lightly I stroked him, noticing he was getting more excited from the soft exclamations he made.

"Oh, Hermione…"

I took the waistband in both my hands and began tugging them down over his hips. He quickly raised himself to make this easier, finally kicking them off onto the floor before laying back on the bed.

I took a moment to just look at him, having never seen a man entirely naked before, and thinking that George was a fine example of a man.

Briefly raising my own hips, I slid my shorts off and tossed them on the floor with the rest of our clothing.

George smiled up at me from where he lay, and reaching up, grabbed my shoulders and pulled me on top of him. He began kissing me again, more passionately than before, his hands stroking my back and cupping my ass. Locked together in a kiss, he held me tightly in his arms and rolled us both over so that he was stretched out on top of me.

Again his kisses began trailing south, down my neck, over my breasts and stomach before he gently slid a hand up my thigh, following his fingers with kisses.

At first I was unsure of what he was doing, and a bit nervous. Then I felt his kisses move again to the top of my thigh.

I felt his tongue trace the line between my folds before parted me to taste me more fully. I cried out as he dipped his tongue into me before lightly flicking it over my pearl. This strange soothing, sucking bite took me over the edge to a place I hadn't experience before, not even with my self explorations in the dark of the night.

"Oh, George…" my voice trailed off.

A moment later he raised himself from between my legs and slowly, gently lay atop me again. Kissing me and looking into my eyes he ask, "Are you sure you're ready?"

It was in that moment that I was sure. With a nod and a smile, since I didn't trust my voice, I reassured him.

The next moment I felt him enter me. Unlike the previous time there was no horrible pain, although there was a feeling of being filled completely and joined with the man I love. For a moment I almost panicked, feeling trapped under him, but the next moment he began moving rhythmically and the feeling of pleasure grew and I smelled him, his own smell that brought me comfort.

Smelling him and myself on him, feeling him fill me, having him hold me in his arms as he gently made love to me. I don't know which part took me from enjoyment to the next level, maybe it was a combination of them all.

But as he started kissing me and stroking my face, I felt a pressure begin to build within me in time to his thrusts until, like a wave breaking over me, I moaned my new pleasure, feeling my muscles contract around his shaft. His orgasm followed with the next stroke.

As we lay in each other's arms, completely spent, I realized this was how it was supposed to be. If I hadn't been so filled with joy at what had just happened, I would have hated Malfoy more. But sometimes you have to experience something horrible to appreciate something wonderful.

"Thank you." I whispered into George's ear.

"I should be thanking you." He said, gently disengaging.

"George, I don't just mean the sex. Thank you for showing me what it should be like. As far as I'm concerned, you were my first."

"Hermione…I…I don't really know what to say to that…"

"You don't have to say anything."

"How about I say I love you?" George asked. "I love you, Hermione. Thank you for sharing your first time with me."

"I love you, too, you know."

"I'm going to go gel cleaned up." George climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom. I heard water running.

Thinking now that it was a good thing Ron had gotten me that book, I quickly pulled my wand from my robe on the floor and said a contraceptive charm. I replaced my wand and got up to straighten up the covers as George came out of the bathroom.

We got back in bed together, and fell asleep in each others arms. Lumpy fold out bed mattress or no, it was the best night of sleep I had gotten all of break.

A/N: Please review. The story has been read 5000 times and there are only about 60 reviews! If you like it, review it!