Hermione was concentrating so hard on making a dignified exit that she forgot to try to make a dignified entrance. She landed in the Weasley's fireplace, stepped on a large log and promptly overbalanced, falling straight into the arms of the sexiest of the Weasley brothers.
"Now that's a greeting," Bill Weasley said, giving her a quick hug, before righting her properly. "Hello there."
"God, it's good to see you, Bill," Hermione said, smiling at him as he pushed an ice cold glass of fresh orange juice into her hand. She was used to his good-natured flirting, even if Ron wasn't. It was amazing to see someone who was uncomplicated and upfront after her day with Professor Snape.
"Been getting into trouble again, Hermione?" Fred asked, appearing in the doorway. Hermione had learned to tell the difference between them the year before and was hugely proud of the achievement.
Did everyone think she constantly got into trouble? She was usually the one trying to keep everyone else out of trouble! She resisted the urge to glower at them. Maybe Severus' bad temper had rubbed off on her...
"Do I get a greeting like that?" George asked, appearing next to Fred, a cheeky grin on his face. He winked at Hermione.
"I'm too wary of getting Weasley's Wizard Wheezes tested out on me," Hermione replied. She squeezed their shoulders and then plonked herself down at the kitchen table. God, she was exhausted.
This house had been a second home for Hermione during the school holidays and she was comfortable with every member of the family, especially Ginny who had become her best friend over the last couple of years. She'd finally stopped mooning over Harry and had got enough confidence to be her own person. Hermione loved her to bits.
"So we get this owl, saying there's been some raid on your house and we're to escort you everywhere you go..." Ginny said, appearing behind Hermione and giving her a quick backwards hug.
"Yes..." Hermione loved frustrating the hell out of any member of the Weasley family. It was one of her very favourite pastimes. And it was so easy.
Ginny sighed in annoyance.
"And that was it! What's going on Hermione?" she demanded. "Professor Dumbledore said Snape was looking after you, for God sake! Are you all right? Scarred for life? Broken, never to return to your previous, sane self?"
Nearly, thought Hermione, miserably.
She looked at the Weasley's expectant faces and cringed. She hated lying to them, but the more people who knew the truth, the more likely Severus... no, Professor Snape, would be exposed.
Hermione explained the fake version of the events, trying not to get teary when she mentioned Crookshanks. Ginny's tears set her off though and they snuffled together for a good ten minutes, talking about the bandy legged cat they'd both grown to love.
This was how Ron found Hermione when he finally got home from Quidditch practice with Harry. The Gryffindor team had taken to meeting once a week over the school holidays, so they'd be more practiced than Slytherin when term started. Harry treasured these days where he could escape from his Aunt and Uncle, who were still no nicer to him than they had ever been.
Hermione was sniffing into one of George's hankies (after a thorough examination by both Ginny and Hermione, just in case. Although Ginny had been looking for bogeys rather than curses and tricks). Ginny was trying to feed her home-made chocolate chip cookies in an attempt to cheer her up, but one bite of the rock hard baked goods told Hermione that Ginny and Hagrid had at least one thing in common with each other, other than their hairy legs. She reminded herself to teach Ginny the leg waxing charm at some point before term began.
She wondered if they used the same recipe book, but wisely decided not to ask.
"Mione!" Ron burst through the door and immediately went over to her and awkwardly put his arms around her. "Did Snape do this to you? What did he say? I'll kill the greasy bat!"
"No Ron, it's not..."
Harry interrupted Hermione by pushing Ron out of the way and pulling her to her feet.
"Hello Hermione," he said, hiving her a big, warm hug. "Greetings first, explanations later."
Hugging each other had become a habit a year earlier, when Harry had confessed to Hermione that the only hug he ever remembered getting in his life had been from Hagrid. She had hugged him for a good fifteen minutes without letting him go. They'd pulled apart, a little red faced, but it had started off a new more tactile friendship; a friendship Ron didn't approve of, but knew he couldn't really stop without looking like a complete arse.
Both Hermione and Harry knew their relationship was completely platonic, but since she'd got together with Ron he'd been a little touchy about how close they were.
Harry gave Hermione an amused grin, as the second he stepped back from her Ron moved to stand between them. Ron slipped his arm around her waist and blushed at Fred and George's jeers.
"Bugger off, Fred," he said as Fred tried to slip a 'Miracle Grow Condom' into Ron's pocket. It was the latest item in their new line of Adult toys. The problem was that no one ever knew quite how large they would grow, which was sometimes a bit of a passion killer and once had even lead to the RSPCA being called by a terrified neighbour with quite an extreme fear of snakes.
Hermione tried to hide a blush as she tried not to think about a certain Potions Master who really didn't need to use one of those...
The bastard.
It was hard to put him out of her mind, even with the usual Weasley commotion going on around her. She still felt sore and she half felt like she had 'I fucked Severus Snape' written in large letters on her forehead. Wouldn't what she'd done be obvious to everyone somehow?
Someone saying her name loudly jerked her back into the real world.
"You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you?" Ron asked, a little sulkily. He hadn't seen her for three weeks and he'd expected more of a greeting than this, even with his family surrounding them.
Hermione reached up and gave Ron a peck on the lips in apology. She felt vaguely guilty kissing Ron and told herself that Severus Snape, Complete Bastard of Hogwarts, didn't want her anyway. So why was she feeling guilty, as if she were somehow betraying him being with Ron like this?
He didn't want her and Ron did. In fact, Severus Snape didn't deserve her.
The bastard.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against Ron's again. She deepened the kiss by licking his bottom lip with her tongue and sliding it into his mouth, surprising Ron, who almost overbalanced. His family whistled and jeered at them.
She pressed her body closer to his, nibbling on his bottom lip and moving her hips slowly against him.
If she closed her eyes and concentrated enough she could pretend it was...
Oh my God.
She pulled back from Ron with a gasp, stumbling backwards as she shoved him hard to get out of his arms. She tripped and fell into Bill's arms for the second time that day and quickly righted herself, looking for an escape route.
"Getting to be a habit, Hermione," Bill said, with a wink.
Ron glared.
Harry looked worried.
Ginny looked confused.
Fred and George looked amused.
"I just... need some air," Hermione said, pushing her way past the twins into the jungle that was the Weasley's garden.
How could she? How could she kiss Ron and imagine he was Professor Snape? She didn't even like Professor Snape! Okay, she'd fallen into bed with him and he intrigued the hell out of her, but...
This is ridiculous!
She could hear Bill apologizing to an annoyed Ron, before the twins started teasing Ron, telling him it must have been his bad breath. She cringed, feeling guilty.
"Hey," Harry said, letting her know he was there. "Ron's chest is bruised from where you shoved him. Quite strong for a little-un."
Hermione smiled. Harry was a good eight inches taller than her now. He and Ron had grown, while she'd stayed the same height since she was fourteen. She was a month off eighteen now and had long given up hope of ever being tall enough to see over people's heads at Quidditch matches. Then again, it didn't really matter – Harry and Ron's eager yells and shouts of abuse at the referee usually told her what was going on.
"You've been targeted by the Death Eaters, then?" Harry asked, knowing he should probably give her some space and not ask her, but being too curious.
Hermione debated telling him the truth, but instantly got hit with an image of an irate Harry hexing Draco into oblivion. Nice thought the image was, it wasn't hugely practical.
Maybe instead she could find a charm to turn Draco's penis into some sort of a vegetable. Maybe a sprout, or a turnip, or...
"Mione?"
"Oh. Erm... what were you saying, Harry?"
Harry shook his head. "What happened? Whatever it is, you're not acting like our Hermione."
"Death Eaters broke in and messed up the house. They killed Crookshanks, Harry. How could they do that?"
Harry put his hand on her shoulder in what he thought was a comforting manner.
"How did you get away?" he asked, his forehead wrinkling. There was something about all this that didn't make sense.
"I... hid," she said. "When I heard them coming I hid in a secret room until they left. I just wish I'd thought to take Crookshanks."
She tried not to tear up again. She'd really loved that ugly old cat.
Harry put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said, stroking her back in a soothing way. "It's probably 'cos of me. They can't get me, so they're turning on my friends. I should have thought about that and talked to Dumbledore."
"It's not your fault, Harry," Hermione said, suddenly worried Harry would blame himself if something happened to her. "They... I... I can't tell you the whole story. But it's definitely not your fault. There is someone to blame, but it's definitely not you."
Harry nodded. He was as curious as hell, but she'd tell him in her own time. He'd learnt over the years that pressuring Hermione made her stubborn and even less likely to tell him anything.
"Harry?" Ron said, coming up behind them both and flicking his head towards the house in an obvious hint for him to go inside and leave him and Hermione alone.
Hermione sighed.
"It's alright Harry. I'll talk to you later," she said, squeezing his shoulder, before turning to Ron.
"Before you say anything Ron, I'm sorry," she said, putting her finger up to silence him. "I'm a little spooked after the whole Death Eater thing and I've had barely any sleep."
She was very proud of herself when she managed not to blush at that last bit.
And do you want to know why I haven't had any sleep, Ron? She said in her head. Because I spent what little time I had fucking Professor Snape. Lost my virginity to him, in fact. And you know, he's bloody good. The bastard.
Instead she said, "I'm tired and scared. I don't know what happened in there." She looked at his sweet, understanding face, knowing he didn't understand anything.
"It's alright, Mione," he said, looking like he wanted to hug her, but wasn't sure how she'd react. "Mum and dad are back. You ready to go?"
She sighed again, wanting to tell Ron that no, she wasn't ready to go. She wanted to curl up in bed and never get out again. Everything was so complicated and scary. Was this how Harry felt every day? Then again, Harry had probably never slept with his Potions Master. At least she hoped he hadn't...
"Let's go," she said, taking his hand and forcing her legs to take her back inside.
They walked back into the kitchen and were greeted by the sight of Bill shrinking Harry's tongue to the proper size, while trying to hide an amused grin.
"I'm going to kill them!" Harry was muttering, feeling his tongue tentatively with his fingers to make sure it was the normal size.
"You fall for it every time!" Hermione scolded, shaking her head at him. "Stop being so trusting! I don't even stand next to them unless I absolutely have to, and I always make sure I have my wand at the ready!"
"Hey! We heard that!" Fred yelled in an offended voice from upstairs, where he and George had run to escape Harry's wrath.
"Then stop trying to turn me into various animals, fruits and vegetables very time you see me!" Hermione yelled back up the stairs.
Maybe they would know a charm for her to turn Draco's bits into vegetables...
"Hello there, Hermione," Mr Weasley's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hello Mr and Mrs Weasley." Hermione grinned at them.
Molly gave Hermione an almost suffocating hug and Arthur clapped her on the back, making her overbalance again. At least this time she stopped herself falling before Bill had to save her again. He really would think she had a thing about him if she kept on.
After a lot of organizing, followed by a mass hunt for the Floo powder, they were ready to go. The twins and Bill were staying at home to wait for Charlie, who was due home at any moment. He had been away seeing to the runt of a dragon litter, who had been very ill and lonely. Hermione privately thought that sending the baby dragon to Hagrid for some TLC would have been a good idea.
They stepped into the fire and one by one disappeared.
"Here goes," muttered Hermione, throwing her pinch of Floo Powder in and trying not to look too apprehensive. "This is going to be hell."
