A/N: Peaks around corner Is it safe? Or am I in danger of being pelted by pointy objects? I'm soooooooooo sorry that the update took so long. I wanted to wait until HBP came out to see if there was anything I wanted to work in, but I was very unhappy with the entire book so I've kind of been on an anti-Potter kick for awhile. Many, many apologies. I'm over my little hissy fit now, so I'll be updating again. Oh yeah, I read back over the story and I noticed that in the first chapter I had Bill engaged to a girl named Sarah. I can't believe I didn't catch that. Could somebody remind me to fix it eventually? I hope nobody minds if I don't respond to reviews this time. There are just too many. : )
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Disclaimer: Not mine yet.
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What I Didn't Know
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Harry walked down the stairs of the Burrow where he had been living since graduation. Having been accustomed to waking up early all his life, he still wasn't prone to sleeping in even on his days off. Mrs. Weasley had tried to persuade George to bunk with Ron so Harry could have his own room, but her refused the idea along with the idea to take over Ginny's room.
He was expecting to see Ron eating breakfast at the table seeing as how he wasn't in bed and never got up before ten on his days off except to eat. What he hadn't expected was to for Ron to have his head in the fireplace, talking to someone, waving his arms in wild gesturing.
Curiosity getting the best of him, he snuck over to the table as quietly as possible to get a pair of Extendable Ears that George had been working on at dinner the night before and they wound toward Ron.
"…I've done everything I can! I checked all the records, done the research. It's all legal." Ron yelled.
"Vell, you must sink of somesing else. I refuse to accept zis." the voice on the other end answered. Harry recognized it immediately as Claire, Fred's betrothed.
"You don't know how stubborn Fred is. Or Hermione for that matter. Head like a rock, that one. I don't know what I could do." Ron shot back.
"I…" she trailed off and Harry thought the Ears had stopped working until he heard her say "Vat is that?"
Without warning Ron jerked backwards, rounding to see Harry glaring at him. "Harry, let me explain."
"Explain what Ron? You've been plotting to break up your brother's marriage. Not only that, but one of your best friend's marriage as well. How could you do that!" Harry screamed.
"You don't know how I feel!" Ron yelled back. "You have no idea what it's like to love someone so much and find out that they don't love you, and they've married your brother and you have to live with seeing them together every day!"
Harry shook his head. "I would have never thought you capable of something like this Ron."
"Like you didn't run to Hermione with your suspicions before." he spat.
"She's my friend." Harry answered.
"And who am I?" Ron asked.
Harry felt his shoulders slump. "I wish I knew."
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"Hermione, where's my green shirt?" Fred yelled from the bedroom.
Hermione shook her head. He'd lose his head if it weren't attached. "Try the dresser." she yelled back.
A knock sounded on the door and George walked in. "Morning."
"Hi George." Hermione answered distracted by her task of trying to make a pie for the Weasley's picnic later that day.
George opened his mouth but was cut off by Fred's yelling. "It's not there."
"Check the closet." Hermione called. She turned to George. "I have no idea how he managed to dress himself for almost twenty years when he can never find his shirt."
"Mum." George replied.
Hermione nodded, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of that. "How's your pie?"
"Lopsided."
George looked and indeed it appeared that half of it had sunk down while the other was swollen. "I'm sure it still tastes good. You guys ready?"
"Just a sec." Hermione said and wrapped her pie up, placing it in a Tupperware container from her mother. "Fred?" she yelled.
"I'm ready." he replied, walking into the kitchen as he pulled his shirt over his head.
Now assembled, the three apparated to the Burrow. Once there, Fred and George went off in search of their brothers while Hermione headed to the kitchen to deposit her misshapen pie.
"Oh thank you dear." Mrs. Weasley cried as Hermione entered. She was enveloped in a hug before the pie was even on the table, and wondered how long Mrs. Weasley would keep this up. She wasn't angry about her initial reaction to the marriage.
"Hey Hermione?" Harry asked softly once Mrs. Weasley release her to check on the meatloaf.
"Yeah?"
"Um, I need to talk to you later okay? It's important." Something in Harry's eyes told her that this was big. And that it was bad.
Before she could ask what it was about Charlie came into the kitchen to tell Harry that they were going to play a game of Quidditch and see if he wanted in. "Sure." he replied with a fleeting glance back at Hermione.
When Mrs. Weasley rebuffed her offers of helping in the kitchen, Hermione wandered outside to watch the game with Mr. Weasley. Harry joined the team comprised of Fred, George and Alicia, who was there more and more lately. The other team was made up of Bill, Charlie, Ron, and Ginny.
"Hey, no fair. They played together for years. Bias." Charlie said pointing at the other team.
"Be nice." Ginny chastised him.
Grumbling, Charlie mounted his broom with the rest of his team to start playing. Hermione tried to talk to Mr. Weasley, but he was too engrossed in the game. Sighing, she got up to help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen only to be distracted by Ginny shrieking. She whirled to see Fred and Charlie both falling from their brooms onto the pitch.
Hermione felt like her heart stopped as she watched Fred plummet to the ground and land with a thump. Then she sprinted over to him and everyone landed their brooms around the two.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked as she helped Fred sit up. He was pale and breathing heavily causing Hermione to start checking him for bruises. He swatted her hands away stiffly. "I'm fine. Just a little winded." He got to his feet and nearly fell over. Hermione grabbed him around the waist to keep him from falling.
"That's it." Hermione said and began walking him towards the house.
"Where are we going?" Fred yelled.
"You need to lay down." she replied calmly.
Fred began to protest, but seeing as how he was too sore to put up much of a struggle, she managed to get him to the couch. George was right behind her with Charlie and deposited him in an armchair next to the couch. Mrs. Weasley raced in from the kitchen to tend to them, but stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Hermione expecting Fred's back for marks with one hand and holding his shirt up with the other. She hit a tender spot and he winced. She whispered her apology and squeezed his arm earning a smile from Fred.
Mrs. Weasley blinked, coming out of her trance. Seeing that Fred was being attended to, she went to check Charlie. He tried to wave her off being that he was fine and only came inside at his father's insistence, but she refused to be deterred. She was going to coddle someone.
Once Charlie was declared fine, he was out the door in a flash to rejoin the game. Fred on the other hand was still being thoroughly examined by Hermione. She was expecting every inch of him she could while they were in the living room.
"Hermione I'm fine." Fred said, the impatience beginning to show through in his voice.
"I don't want you to go back out there." she stated bluntly. "Please." she added at the shocked look that came over Fred's face.
"Fine." he muttered and flopped back against the couch. "Mum, would you tell them that I'm going to sit out?"
"Of course." she answered and headed outside. When she came back in she stopped at the doorway to observe the two of them for a minute. Fred began rubbing his side, and Hermione scooted over from him and placed a pillow in her lap. Without a word, Fred stretched out and laid his head down on it, and Hermione began kneading his side with one hand and running the fingers of her other hand through his hair. A look of contentment settled over Fred's features and Hermione was smiling softly. Molly knew at that moment all her fears about Fred and Hermione were wrong, they really were suited for each other.
Mrs. Weasley wasn't the only one who went unnoticed by Fred and Hermione. Ron was standing just past his mother, also watching Fred and Hermione's interaction. Harry came up behind him silently. "I hope you realize what you're doing Ron."
Ron ignored his words and continued to gaze at his brother and the girl he had been in love with since he was eleven years old. It killed him that he had to hurt them this way, but he had no choice.
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"Are you sure you don't want to eat in the living room?" Mrs. Weasley asked Fred as he seated himself carefully at the dinner table.
"Mum, please. I already have one overprotective woman hovering over me." he groused.
"Do you want to sleep on the couch?" Hermione asked, placing her hands on her hips.
Everyone at the table recognized the expression on Hermione's face and hid their smiles at what she might do. Fred quickly pulled out the chair next to him for to sit down and grabbed a plate to hold up toward her. "Chicken?"
"Absolutely." Bill murmured. Everybody erupted into giggles.
Smiling, Hermione sat down and took a piece of chicken and passed it to Ginny. The rest of the table's occupants began helping themselves to food and chattering. Fred was waiting patiently for the rice to be passed down. It reached Hermione and she promptly handed it over to George. "Hey!" Fred cried.
"Don't start." Hermione said. "The last time you ate spicy food you were sick all night. You're hurt. You need to rest."
"But-" he started but she cut him off. "Fred."
He grumbled and took a bite of his potatoes.
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The next week Mrs. Weasley was out shopping in Diagon Alley and decided to drop in to see Fred and George at the shop. She walked in and saw George behind the counter. She smiled warmly and asked where Fred was.
"Upstairs. He left the books up there last night."
"Oh. I'll just pop up and say hello." she kissed him on the cheek and headed up. She loved George, but he still lived at home. Fred had been out of the house for over six months now, and she didn't get to see him nearly as much as she would have liked.
"Hi honey." she greeted him when he opened the door.
"Hi, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Just came to say hello."
She was going to ask about Hermione but at that moment Hermione apparated in, looking ready to keel over.
"What are you doing home?" Fred inquired.
"They made me." she replied sulkily.
Fred laughed lightly. "I told you that you were too sick to go in."
Hermione scowled. "It's just a cold."
"No matter. Off to bed with you." He took hold of her shoulders and began propelling her to the bedroom. Molly followed, curiosity getting the best of her.
Fred was turning down the bedding when she entered, then Hermione came out of the bathroom in pajama bottoms covered in flowers and a Cannons shirt she instantly recognized as Fred's
Molly stood quietly and smiled softly as Hermione climbed into the bed and Fred tucked her in. He sat next to her and stroked her cheek. "Do you need anything?"
Hermione pondered for a moment before replying. "Apple juice?"
Fred smiled. "Back in a minute." He kissed her forehead and apparated out.
Hermione's eyes landed on her mother in law. "You don't have to stay."
"I know. I'm just thinking." Molly told her.
"About?"
"It's a little sad when you realize your children all grown up. Not too long ago I was the woman in Fred's life and George was the most important person to him. Now it's completely different." Molly explained.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked confused.
"It's probably why your father was so upset about this. Realizing your child's life revolves around someone besides you is one of the hardest things for a parent to accept."
Hermione felt a cold wind sweep through her stomach. "I don't get it."
Molly sat in the chair across from the bed. "When Fred fell off his broom you were terrified for him. And you refused to let him eat that rice because you knew it would make him sick. And just now, Fred said he tried to talk you out of going to work today because you have a cold. Now he's gone to get you juice and will probably stay right here with you the rest of the day."
"Is that weird?" Hermione asked.
Molly laughed. "No. It just shows that you two think of each other first. Most couples don't have that for a few years, you two got it in just months. That's how I know you two will make it. It's obvious how much you love one another."
She patted Hermione's hand and left quietly. Hermione sat there in stunned silence. She was right. Fred had become the most important person in her life sometime when she wasn't looking. Everything she did, she first wondered how it would affect Fred and what he would think. And it scared her to death. What would happen when their marriage was over? Would she still feel this way? When Fred found someone else would she be jealous? But most importantly, did he feel the same way?
"Hey, I'm back." he popped back into the room, interrupting her thoughts.
Hermione looked up at him in awe. How was it that she had never noticed it before? She was supposed to be the smartest witch of her generation, how did she not know something that had been staring her in the face all along?
