Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All these characters belong to JKR. If they belonged to me, Ron and Hermione would have been the ones snogging senselessly in HBP. Remember tea in London bit.

First A/N: After two evil chapters in a row, here it is! The conclusion!

End of Chapter 4: Hermione went over to the door and prepared to face the worst. However, when she threw open the door, her jaw dropped. She stood face-to-face with the last person she ever expected to see. "Fred?"

Fred Weasley had known it was her immediately. Hermione Granger could never really change. She was carrying a big box, her shoulders hunched over with the weight. Just how she looked at Hogwarts while toting around 10 or so massive tomes. She did look different, that was for certain. She was…wow. She was curvy and completely grown up. She was a full-blown woman. However, she could never change her hair. It was still as frizzy as ever, even if it was pulled into a ponytail.

He couldn't decide if she thought he was someone else or perhaps a ghost. It didn't matter. He was so tired, both physically and mentally, but he still ran after her. He had been looking for a friendly face for days. He couldn't trust the French Ministry. They never had liked his father, anyway. Besides, they were French. They never had had the best of relations with the British ministry.

He followed her to a very nice hotel. He managed to catch a glimpse of her jumping on the elevator as he approached the lobby doors. He hated this kind of doors. They were those revolving ones that took forever to go through. Of course, back in the day, he and George would torture Ron and Ginny but capturing them in them. He sighed. Back in the day, indeed.

He went up to the lobby desk, his haggard appearance obviously startling the receptionist. "Hello. I need to contact Ms. Hermione Granger. Tell her my name is Weasley."

"Oh. Okay. Just a moment," the receptionist replied, eyeing him suspiciously.

She made the call. Fred listened, tensing up when he realized Hermione didn't want to see him. "She says she's ill and can't see anyone right now. Perhaps you could come back later?"

"No. I have to see her. What floor is she on?"

"Sir, I can't tell you that. Come back…"

The poor receptionist never got to answer. Fred jumped over the desk and pushed her into the wall. "Look lady, I don't want to hurt you, but I have to see Hermione. I'm a desperate man. You don't want to get in my way."

"She's in room 223," the woman chocked out, tears forming in her eyes.

"Thank you," Fred sighed, letting the woman go before jumping back over the desk. He ran up the flight of stairs with wings on his feet.

He found her room and began to knock. He could here Hermione rattling around in the room. He soon realized she wasn't going to open the door. "Hermione, I just need to talk to you. Please."

He knew he sounded desperate. Bloody hell, he was desperate. He needed to talk to her. He needed to get out of France. Fast.

She must have heard the desperation in his voice, for he heard the deadbolt unlocking. She opened the door half-way and looked at him. Fred would have laughed if the situation had been different. Her jaw dropped. For once in her life, Hermione Granger was rendered speechless.

Finally, she recovered enough to utter one word. "Fred?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Hermione, it's me. Am I glad to see you."

Her face paled. "Bloody hell, you're alive!"

He smiled. "Hermione Granger, cussing? I must be quite a shock to you."

"We all thought you were dead. Where have you been? How is it possible? Are you hurt? You look awful. I…"

"Stop! Can't I come in? You've worn me out today. I've chased you across Paris, for Merlin's sake."

"Oh. Oh, right. Sure, come on in," Hermione rushed, opening the door all the way, allowing Fred to pass her and enter the room. "Have a seat."

Fred flopped down on the inviting couch gratefully. "Ah, now that's the ticket." He looked up at the obviously confused Hermione. "Okay, now you are free to ask away."

"How are you alive?"

Fred sighed. "Rotten luck, if you ask me. It was awful, Hermione."

"The attack on the Burrow?"

"Yeah. We were eating dinner, and then, WHAM! They all apparated. All of them, felt like. Pettigrew, Malfoy, Lestrange, Goyle, Crabbe, MacNair. I tried to stop them. I did!"

"I'm sure you did, Fred."

"They kept asking me where Ron was. I kept telling them hell if I knew. They didn't like that answer. If only I hadn't been so short with them…"

"Don't you DARE blame yourself, Fred Weasley! You Weasleys do nothing else! You sound just like Ron!"

Fred stared at her in astonishment. "Well, it is Ron's fault, Hermione. They were looking for him."

"They would have eventually attacked the Burrow anyway. They hit all the Muggle-borns and 'blood traitors.' They got my parents that night, too."

"Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"I finally got over blaming myself. I think Ron still blames himself for your family. You had better not tell him that when you see him."

Fred sighed. "I know. It's just hard to accept everything. It was the worst night of my life. They thought I knew where Ron and Ginny were. Then they asked me about George and I said I didn't give a damn. I was so cocky, so sure they would lose against us.

"Then I saw Percy. And he laughed at me. Mum starting pleading him not to hurt us. But he killed her." Fred's eyes filled with tears. "She asked him to stop, and he just laughed at her and killed her. His own mum. I knew he was a sneaky little prick, but how could he do that to his own mum?"

Hermione couldn't believe it. "Percy killed your mum?"

"Yeah. Charlie came at him. Then MacNair got him. It was awful. My strongest brother just crumpled to the floor."

Hermione couldn't even imagine the sight. Charlie attacking Percy? That seemed more like the twins and Ron, not Charlie. Of course, given the circumstances…

"Then they captured me. I don't know why they picked me. I saw them begin to torture Fleur, thinking perhaps Bill would talk. He knew less than I did. I think Mum knew the most, actually. If that traitor hadn't killed her…" Fred trailed off.

"You know Lupin killed Percy, right?"

"Really?" Fred smiled. "Good. I hope he's rotting in hell."

"Everyone was shocked. Lupin didn't even know. There were just three of them using the cruciatius curse on Tonks. So he smoked them."

"Is Tonks okay?"

"Oh yeah. She and Lupin have two kids now. They're precious little things. Neither one is a metamorphmagus, though. I think everyone but Tonks was a little disappointed."

"I bet. That would've been cool. Kids that look like Lupin but with purple hair." Fred laughed. It felt wonderful. It was the first time he'd laughed in years.

"What did they do to Fleur, exactly?" Hermione asked, afraid to know but still too curious to not ask at all.

"I think you know that. They made Bill watch. It was awful, Hermione. All Bill and I could do was watch. Then Bill pulled a cool wandless spell on them. It got MacNair and Crabbe, but not Goyle and Malfoy. Goyle started to Crucio him, but Malfoy just smoked them. Right then and there.

"I just wanted them to kill me too. I couldn't handle it anymore. But no, that asshole informed me that I was the lucky one. They were going to use me as bait. They were going to keep me to see if Ron would try to find me. But he never did. Some of my captors avoided arrest and death in the end, so they took pleasure in keeping me. Blood traitor, they said. It was awful. I just got out. No one would ever think to look for me in France."

"We all thought you were dead. They burned the Burrow after the massacre. They just assumed your body was burned before they found it."

"How's George?"

Hermione didn't answer, but quickly looked away.

"Hermione, he isn't dead is he?"

"Oh no. No, George is alive. I just haven't seen him in a while."

"Oh. Well how is Ron?"

"I haven't seen Ron in a while either."

Fred looked at her incredulously. "You haven't talked to Ron? Seriously? Did you guys fight?"

"No, actually. Harry, Ron, and I just haven't talked in forever. After the defeat of Voldemort, we just all fell apart."

Fred sighed. "I never thought I'd see the day when there was no Golden Trio."

"I know. I never did either. But too many bad memories."

"Well, Hermione, do you at least know where Ron is?"

"London, I suppose. Why?"

"I need you to take me to him."

"I can't take you to Ron, Fred. I can't see Ron. I can't."

Fred was shocked. She was damn near hysterical. "Why can't you see him?"

Hermione turned away, tears running down her cheeks.

"What exactly happened, Hermione?"

"I can't tell you, Fred. Not now. I'll find Ginny for you, okay. I know where to find her."

"Okay then. Will you tell me eventually?" Fred asked curiously.

"Maybe." Hermione answered in a voice that allowed no further questions.

A/N: I really apologize for this long chapter. I hope you are still alive and did not keel over from boredom halfway through it. I really needed to explain everything. Next chapter will probably be long too, but nowhere near the length of this one. Please bear with me.

On a lighter note, I saw Goblet of Fire tonight and it ROCKED! They better get that director back for all the rest. I'm afraid they won't, though. I love Ron (as you can tell), and I didn't like the way the movie picked on him more than the book. However, the scenes where he was mad at Harry and the Yule Ball with Hermione were very well done. I do plan to pick on Harry in one of the next few chapters.

Oh, and to WalkingTheFallen: I hope this one was long enough. Word count of story only: 1562. Woot! About 800 more than my previous chapters.