Their last week at Hogwarts flew by, with many students bidding their goodbyes to their friends and professors. Gryffindor had won the house cup (yet again), but Hermione, Ron, and Harry could not celebrate with the rest of their house. Half of the students at Hogwarts still sneered at Harry in the halls, whispering about the Gryffindor boy spreading lies along with Hufflepuff's most wanted. If anyone actually believed Harry's tale of Voldemort, it was probably because of Cedric Diggory.

The Hogwarts express back to London was a quiet ride for their cabin, the three simply looked out the window while Crookshanks purred next to Hermione.


Hermione shielded her eyes from the sun as she lay on the grass, still in her pijamas. The fresh breeze felt nice on her exposed arms after tossing and turning in the hot room that she and Ginny shared.

"Morning." She heard behind her. She lowered her arm and saw Ginny standing there in her pijamas as well; an oversized quidditch shirt and some loose track shorts.

"You're up early." Said Hermione, sitting up.

Ginny sighed, "Mum's woken us all up. She says it's too much of a nice day to sleep in."

Hermione giggled while Ginny yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Have you had a chance to talk to Harry?" Asked Ginny

Hermione shook her head. They had arrived only two days ago, and they didn't want to overwhelm Harry.

"I think tonight might be good, I think mum and dad will be out tonight. Bill's having a promotion party and dad has to make an appearance, or so says mum."

Tonight, Hermione thought, chewing the inside of her cheek.

"There you are! Mum's making us wait for you to have breakfast, I'm bloody starving!" Exclaimed Ron, his head peaking out of the front door.

Ginny and Hermione laughed as they walked back in.

"Goodmorning dear, how did you sleep?" Asked Mrs. Weasley as Hermione sat on the wooden chair.

"Alright, thank you. It did get quite hot, Ginny was tempted to fill the bed with ice cubes." Said Hermione, giggling at the redhead girl sitting across her.

"Oh! I'll fix that right up for you, dear." Said Mr. Weasley before disappearing upstairs to the girls' room.

The breakfast table was rowdy, the Weasley siblings were known for their appetite, especially in the mornings. Hermione sighed, trying to drown out the noise of Ron whining about George stealing his sausage. She noticed Harry at the far end of the table, sitting next to Ron quietly while stabbing his scrambled eggs and moving them around his plate.

"Charlie should get here at about 2, and Bill said he was hoping to get here by 1 but may be late." Said Mrs. Weasley as she began charming the plates to clean themselves in the sink.

Hermione gave Ginny a confused look, wondering why the oldest Weasleys were coming.

"Charlie's birthday." Mouthed Ginny and Hermione nodded in understanding.

Charlie was the Weasley that Hermione had barely any interaction with. She had met him at the TriWizard Tournament when the dragons were brought to Hogwarts but Hermione was too focused on Harry escaping death to even acknowledge the redhead.

"Alright girls! I've cast a cooling charm in the room, it should be nice and cool." Said Mr. Weasley as he walked down the stairs. Hermione smiled at him as she thanked him.

When the clock struck 11, there was no one left at the table. Mrs. Weasley had kicked everyone out in order to get lunch started for Charlie's birthday, who was turning the big 21.

"So, do you think George is actually in love, like Parvati said?" Asked Ginny as they sat outside on the grass, watching the Weasley boys and Harry fly around in their brooms.

"It could be quite likely. I mean, I've never seen the twins with a girlfriend before." Said Hermione, playing with the blades of grass under her fingers.

"Fred and George? Oh they've had loads of girlfriends. Granted, they haven't lasted over a month."

Hermione's face looked like she had tasted something bitter in her mouth. Her mind played back the memories of the last conversation she had with Fred and it made her mad all over again.

"I'm going to go and get a head start on the shower before they all come in." Said Hermione before standing up and walking back into the Burrow.


"Oh my boy! Happy Birthday Charlie, dear. We love you so much!" Cheered Mrs. Weasley as Charlie walked in the front door. Everyone was lined side to side under a home made banner that Ginny and Hermione put together using magic, since the boys all claimed that arts and crafts were strictly "girl things". There were some pieces of cutlery thrown about after that, and Ginny was no longer allowed to be around metal knives for the rest of the day.

"Thanks mum." Grinned Charlie after hugging his parents, showing off his pearly whites. "Haven't seen you boys in a while, hey?"

Fred and George grinned back as they hugged Charlie, patting his back in a way that only men do when trying to prove their testosterone levels were high (or at least that's what Hermione thought). Percy gave him a quick hug before Ron smiled lazily at his older brother.

"You look like a bug from up here, Charlie." He taunted before giving his brother a hug.

"You've grown, Ron. Better tell mum and dad where all their snacks are before they figure out why you're so tall." Teased Charlie, making Hermione chuckle.

"You know, this whole 'greet the brothers first' thing has been long enough." Announced Ginny while yawning.

"Hello, little sister. Impatient as always." Charlie hugged Ginny and kept her tucked under his arm.

"Happy birthday Charlie. Ron hadn't told me there were going to be any celebrations so I didn't have time to get you a present." Said Hermione, looking guilty while she played with her hands behind her back.

"No worries, love! It's a good thing us Weasleys aren't materialistic, huh?" He joked as he pat Hermione's shoulder. "I don't think we had a proper introduction at Hogwarts. I'm Charlie, the best looking Weasley there is. And the manliest, of course."

Hermione chuckled. "I was far too busy trying to focus on whether Harry would have a funeral or not. It's nice to properly meet you without having a dragon around."

"Enjoy it, before he starts spewing dragons facts." Said Ron, making Charlie playfully punch him in the shoulder.

"I am happy to see you alive, Harry. What a tough luck, pulling the Hungarian Horntail. You know, they can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet! Hell, I've seen that one do forty!" Said Charlie as he hugged Harry, patting him in the back as well.

Harry laughed. "Perhaps that would have been worth mentioning to Dumbledore before bringing it to Hogwarts."

It was 3 in the afternoon when everyone sat outside, all around a large table made to fit all of the Weasleys plus Hermione and Harry. The table was full of food, everything ranging from steak and kidney pie to mouth watering ham with mashed potatoes. Everyone lifted their glasses as they cheered, wishing Charlie a happy birthday.

Hermione's plate had a small serving of steak and kidney pie, some buttered peas and carrots, mashed potatoes, and two slices of ham. She usually never ate like this, but Mrs. Weasley insisted in serving Hermione.

"If you can't finish it, just give it to Ron." Whispered Harry as he looked at his own mountain of food.

Ron looked over at them and nodded, his mouth already full of potatoes.

"So, Charlie. How does it feel to be 21? You can finally go on that trip to New York." Said Fred, drinking his pumpkin juice.

"No big change really, it just means I can do everything I've already been doing but legally in the United States." Said Charlie, making Bill shake his head.

"Nice." Said Fred and George at the same time.

"Anyway, how have you been doing Harry?" Asked Bill, who sat next to Charlie.

"Alright, thanks." Said Harry, keeping his answer short. "I heard you've gotten promoted, congratulations Bill."

Bill smiled at the raven haired boy. "Thanks, Harry! I can't wait to get started on more curses."

This peaked Hermione's interest. "What kind of curses do you reckon you'll see, Bill?"

Bill leaned over, clearly excited that Hermione had asked.

"I've heard there's been lots of cases with Transmogrifian Torture being applied on objects with the goal of torturing the next wizard who gets ahold of said object." He said and Hermione's eyebrows shot up.

"I never knew that was possible! Do you know the counter spell?" She asked

"Not quite, I'm hoping to see it in person before strategizing. That's the good thing about being a curse breaker, most curses you see aren't being shot at you so you have time to decipher it." Stated Bill.

Bill Weasley was the one brother that Hermione really looked up to. He was incredibly smart and well liked, but he didn't let that get to his head.

"Careful, Bill. Hermione will cream with all this strategy talk." Snickered Fred.

Hermione choked on the juice she was sipping.

"Watch your mouth, Fred." Threatened Bill. "You're lucky mum didn't hear that."

"Relax, Bill. I was just joking." Said Fred while rolling his eyes and stabbing his peas with more force than needed.

"Maybe you spend too much time thinking about Hermione's o-face, Fred." Smirked Charlie and laughed when he received several peas thrown at his face.

"You guys are being gross." Said Ginny, wiping the butter off her fingers on a white cloth. "By the way you're talking it seems neither of you know how to talk to a girl as beautiful as Hermione."

George shrugged. "Eh, I mean... She's alright."

Hermione scowled at George, making him laugh at her while he lifted his hands up in a sign of defeat.

"Trust me Ginny, Weasley brothers are known for being good with the ladies." Said Charlie as he winked at Hermione, making her cheeks feel hot.

"Oh yeah? Perhaps Ron actually is adopted." Joked Harry, patting Ron's back in sympathy.

"I know how to talk to girls!" Whined Ron, leaning back on his chair.

"Oh please, you barely even realized I was a girl until this year at the ball." Said Hermione, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh lad. Hermione looked proper fit at the ball." Commented Charlie, earning a few heads looking at his direction.

"And how would you know?" Asked George.

"Dumbledore knows how to treat his dear dragon keepers, so I got a few drinks in. I also saw you with that girl, Fred. What's her name? She's on the quidditch team with you." Said Charlie, picking at a rogue pea on the table.

Everyone looked at Fred awkwardly, knowing who had been his date for the Yule ball. Fred cleared his throat before speaking.

"Angelina."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, her. She's fit as well mate. How are things going along with her?"

Fred leaned back on his chair, stretching his arms over his head and crossing them.

"He's gone and broken up with her, Charlie." Answered Ginny, saving the table from the awkward silence.

"Really? Shame." Said Bill. "She was a nice girl."

"Changing the topic. Did you see who took Hermione to the ball?" Ginny asked, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Oh, yeah! The what's his name seeker, from Bulgaria." Said Charlie.

Bill choked on his saliva. "Victor Krum took you to the Yule Ball?"

Hermione's hands covered her face in embarrassment.

"That's right! Good on you, Hermione. It's nice to get some wood once in a while, if you know what I mean." Said Charlie cheekily.

"Christ Charlie, you've been around dragons too long that all you care about is mating." Said Bill, smacking Charlie on the head with his hand. "Ron, you must have been buzzing."

Ron rolled his eyes. "He's not that great."

Fred scoffed. "You asked for his autograph before he left Hogwarts."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ron's just mad that Victor Krum took Hermione to the ball. They were the fittest couple there, girls were killing Hermione with their eyes."

Hermione scrunched her nose. "I wouldn't say the fittest... You and Neville looked quite nice. So did Harry."

"How about us, Hermione?" Asked George, showing off a toothy grin. "How did Fred and I look?"

Hermione looked over at the twins and accidentally made eye contact with Fred for the first time since she got to the Burrow. She immediately looked down at her plate and cleared her throat. "Sorry, I didn't really look your way... Being with Victor and all... But I'm sure you two looked lovely."

George pouted at her while Bill and Charlie laughed.

"So how come neither of you asked Hermione to the ball? Or did Krum beat you to it?" Asked Bill, sipping his glass of butter beer

Harry blushed. "Well, I had plans of asking someone else, but they were already going with someone. Then Hermione got asked by Krum so I had to find other dates for Ron and I."

"Oh, tough luck Harry. What about you, Ron?" Asked Charlie.

"What about me?" Asked Ron, cracking his bones as he stretched his arms above his head.

"How come you didn't ask Hermione to the ball, you plonker." Said George, leaning his elbows on the table.

Ron blushed. "Well, I-I..."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He didn't ask me because how could he ever imagine taking someone he didn't even see as a girl. Right, Ron?"

Ron scratched his head, looking guilty. "I already apologized for that, 'Mione."

"You wanker." Said Bill, shaking his head at his youngest brother.

"Bet you regretted it after. Bill, you've gotta believe me Hermone looked absolutely fuck-" Started Charlie, using his hands to outline the shape of Hermione's body.

Fred scoffed, interrupting Charlie. "Aren't you too old to be commenting about a 16 year old's body, Charlie?"

Charlie shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. Sorry to make you uncomfortable Hermione, I guess I have been spending too much time with dragons."

Hermione offered a tight lipped smile. "It's alright, Charlie. Thank you."

"What are you kids talking about?" Asked Mr. Weasley

"Just nonsense, dad. Shall we start getting ready for the promotion party?" Asked Bill.

Mr and Mrs. Weasley agreed and everyone began to clear the table, each taking empty plates back into the kitchen. There was a certain electricity in the air, with Bill taking both parents out, there would be no one giving out strict rules to follow for the night. Fred and George had already set aside a couple bottles of butter beer and some firewhiskey, while Charlie had brought some more firewhisky from Romania.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione helped Mrs. Weasley in putting chairs back inside while Ginny and Mr. Weasley put the table back in the shed. It wasn't long before the clock struck 6 and bright green flames came from the fireplace, finally indicating that the parental figures had gone for the night.

"Shall we actually celebrate, then?" Asked Charlie, two bottles in hand.

The twins cheered with him and began to bring glasses out. Harry and Ron had gone to Ron's room to change into thicker sweaters while Ginny dragged Hermione to her room.

"Why'd you drag me here?" Asked Hermione, sitting on her bed.

Ginny threw her a top and a pair of jeans. "Get changed."

Hermione did so without asking. Ginny's clothes had fit her perfectly as she looked at the black longsleeve shirt with a inverted triangle cut out which showed her cleavage and a pair of light wash jeans that seemed to push up Hermione's bum.

Hermione put her sneakers back on and tied her hair up into a bun, trying to keep the wild hairs at bay.

"I can't wait to get absolutely plastered." Squealed Ginny, putting on some lip balm.

"It's just going to be a calm night of drinking, right?" Hermione asked nervously, not wanting to make a fool out of herself infront of all the Weasley brothers.

Ginny gave her a mischevious smile. "Whatever you say, darling."


It indeed was not a calm night of drinking. Hermione was sitting on the couch with a glass of butter beer in hand and her head on Harry's shoulder. The twins were loudly singing songs while Ginny and Charlie danced to them in front of the fireplace and Ron sat on the floor and laughed.

"They really are a roudy bunch, aren't they?" Asked Harry, laughing at Ginny imitating a chicken.

Hermione was laughing too. "They make it feel like a home."

Without moving her head much, Hermione peered over at Harry. The bright orange and yellow light coming form the fireplace looked warm on his skin, making him seem like he was glowing. She felt a slight ache in her heart, knowing that seeing Harry like this was a rare occurance these days. His smile actually reached his eyes, making them wrinkle at the edges, and his cheeks were pink from the alcohol. His laughter vibrated throughout the room, filling Hermione with joy.

"You know, I really love you guys." Said Ron, sitting next to Hermione.

Hermione and Harry laughed at him. "We love you too, Ron."

"No, I'm serious. You know, Harry's got a lot going on being the chosen one and all and you, Hermione, are the smartest witch of her age. And then there's me, dumb old Ronald Weasley. You guys are really all I've got, even if I'm not all you've got." Said Ron, not daring to look over at his two best friends and instead busying himself by looking at his calloused hands.

Hermione's head came off Harry's shoulder as she abruptly sat up to look at the red head next to her.

"Are you joking, Ronald Weasley?" She asked, her voice stern. Ron looked at her looking scared. "'Even if I'm not all you've got'? If you actually think that, then maybe you are dumb. You're our best friend, you are all we've got."

"Mate, you've been right by my side through it all. Getting the sorcerer's stone, going to the chamber of secrets, picking me up in your dad's car in the middle of the night and almost dying, getting dragged off by Sirius... You've been right there with me. Whoever made you believe you're simply 'dumb old Ronald Weasley' deserves a good beating, because you're the most loyal and brave friend one could ask for, Ron." Said Harry.

Ron sniffed, his eyes getting teary. "Thanks guys, it really means a lot to have you guys here. I know I don't have much to offer."

Hermione punched Ron's arm, earning a scowl from him. "Don't be an idiot, Ronald. You offer so much, I don't think I know anyone who's more generous than you."

Hermione wrapped one arm around each boy, pulling them in to a group hug. "We're the golden trio, remember?"

Harry and Ron chuckled before wrapping their arms around each other, their heads softly knocking together.

"I really don't want to ruin the moment, but I'm going to be sick in about 2 minutes." Said Ron, sounding queasy. They separated from the group hug rather quickly after that.

"You don't look too good, Ronnie. You're tapping out already?" Asked Charlie as he stood over the drunken boy.

"Might as well be sick on mum's couch." Mumbled Ron.

Charlie's eyes widened. "Oh, absolutely not. C'mon Harry, help me carry him to bed."

Harry and Hermione stood up, attempting to get Ron standing.

"It's alright, 'Mione. I'll be right back, you stay here." Said Harry with a smile before helping Charlie get Ron to bed.

Hermione sighed as she sat back down on the couch, her hands warming her butter beer.

"C'mon then!" Said Ginny as she sat next to Hermione, two shot glasses in her hands.

Hermione grimaced. "Don't think I can have one after last time, Ginny."

Fred and George sat down on the floor in front of the two girls, facing them, each with their own shot glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey.

"Hermione's backing out is she? How typical." Teased George, causing Hermione to roll her eyes.

"Fine, I'll have one."

Hermione didn't have one, but four shots in the span of 20 minutes. Her mind was fuzzy and she found herself laughing at all of the twins' lame jokes along with Ginny, who could barely keep herself together. The two boys sitting infront of her seemed to be just fine, cracking jokes as usual without a clear sign that they were intoxicated.

"On a scale of one to ten, Hermione, how fucked are you right now?" Asked Ginny, resting her head on her land.

"Like... a 7? What about you?" Asked Hermione as she stretched her legs in front of her.

"I'm about a solid 8."

Hermione's outstretched legs accidentally nudged Fred's shin as he sat cross legged and leaned back on his hands. The sudden contact caused him to look over at her, and the moment Hermione has been dreading had finally happened. When their eyes met, she couldn't look away. It might have been the alcohol, but everything about him looked exceptionally good tonight. His brown eyes contrasted with his smooth skin and the slight blush across his cheeks, the light from the fire behind him made him look like he was a fallen angel with a bright halo behind him. Her eyes travelled down his face to his chest, where the button down shirt he had been wearing at lunch now had the top 3 buttons loose. His sleeves were rolled up to right below his elbows and his shirt was untucked, which was ridden up due to him leaning back on his hands. His abdomen was barely peeking out from under the shirt, and Hermione had a hard time swallowing. She made her way up to his face again, feeling slightly embarrassed when Fred's lips were wearing a lazy smirk, knowing she had been taking him in.

She didn't know if it was the alcohol, but part of her didn't care if Fred had caught her staring.

"Merlin, get a room you two. Practically taking off each other's clothes." Said George, pushing Fred's shoulder and caused him to fall over on his side.

They all laughed and Hermione shook her head at the twin.

"What do you mean, George? You know you're the only one for me." She said and winked as George blew her a kiss.

"At least mum will be happy in knowing Hermione will become a Weasley, one way or the other." Said Ginny, confusing Hermione.

"What do you mean?" Asked Hermione.

"I mean, you could either marry Ron, or George, or Fred, hell even Charlie." Said Ginny, making Hermione wrinkle her nose.

"Why would I marry Ron?" She asked.

"He's the only one you're asking about? So we do have a chance of getting married then." Teased George and Hermione threw him a pillow.

"You're joking? Everyone's waiting for Ickle Ronniekins and you to get married and pop out 7 children." Said Fred, looking slightly annoyed.

"I can say for a fact that Ron and I would never see each other that way. He's like my brother!" Laughed Hermione.

"It's a humbling experience to see Hermione like this." Said George. Hermione furrowed her brow.

"Like what?"

"Such a smart person being so dumb, you mean?" Asked Fred, earning another of Hermione's pillow throws.

"You're the ones being dumb." Said Hermione as she stuck out her tongue at them.

"Speaking of Ron, Charlie and Harry never came back." Said Ginny, yawning.

"Maybe they went to sleep? I'm pretty tired too, actually." Said George standing up and stretching. Ginny joined him.

"See you tomorrow, lovely people." Said George as he followed Ginny upstairs.

Before Hermione could say anything, Fred and her were left alone. She chewed the inside of her lip, not knowing how to start a conversation.

Fred let out a chuckle before leaning forward and resting his arms on the tops of Hermione's knees, resting his chin on them and looked up at her.

"No need to look so distressed, Granger." He teased.

"Considering last time you talked to me was only to call me a slag, I'd say I look quite fine." She said, looking down at him.

His eyes trailed down her body. "You do look quite fine."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Shut up."

He smiled and yawned before hugging Hermione's legs and rested his head on her thighs. Hermione gasped quietly, her body tensing while his hands rubbed her legs.

"Does this make you nervous?" He whispered, not bothering to look up at her.

She cleared her throat before letting out a quiet "no".

He hummed, not bothering to hide his cockiness.

"What about... this?" He asked before he abruptly spread and grabbed Hermione's legs and pulled her towards him, her bum sitting at the edge of the couch now with her legs spread and Fred sitting between them. Hermione's cheeks burned furiously as she looked down at him, his face only inches from her jeans button.

She let out a shaky breath before shaking her head, no.

"Good girl." He said with a teasing smile, his hands now rubbing the backs of her thighs.

Her eyes fluttered shut, not knowing how two simple words could cause such disruption inside of her. Her stomach clenched and her thighs wanted to rub together but Fred wouldn't let them.

She felt his lips kiss her inner thighs over her jeans and her breath got caught in her throat. Each kiss slowly trailing up, making her clench in anticipation.

Fred looked up at Hermione, seeing her with her lips slightly parted and her eyes closed made his pants feel tighter. He wished she was wearing a skirt, preferably the Hogwarts one, or better yet, nothing at all. He wanted to taste her skin, run his tongue over it and take in her taste. His hands gripped her hips as he kissed higher, he was almost to her jeans button and he could hear Hermione's quiet panting.

Hermione didn't notice when Fred had unbuttoned her jeans, and honestly she didn't really care. His hands were slowly peeling the pants off her, revealing her soft, red cotton knickers. They weren't the sexiest pair, but Fred loved when girls wore Gryffindor's colours. Her jeans were left to her knees before Fred couldn't help himself and kissed her inner thighs. Her skin was soft and sweet, like honey. He ran his tongue across the sensitive skin and loved the way Hermione's legs twitched, trembling in anticipation.

Fred bit his lip when he finally reached the edge of her knickers, debating whether he should take them off or tease her even further. He had decided to leave them on for a bit longer, just to rouse Hermione up even more.

Hermione gasped loudly when Fred placed a kiss on her heat, his tongue running up her slit over her underwear. It was a new sensation to her, and she couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut and buck her hips upwards. Fred's arms kept her hips steady before letting his tongue tease her clit. Hermione's hands grabbed Fred's arms and squeezed, her fingernails leaving small indents on his pale skin. She couldn't help the small moans escaping her lips, but tried to bite her lip in order to keep quiet. She didn't expect Fred's mouth to completely cover her clit, adding more pressure with his tongue. The sensation was intense, and Hermione cried out.

"Fred, wait!" She moaned before covering her mouth with her hand. Fred backed away slightly and looked up at her.

"Too much?" He asked, running his fingers over her soft skin.

She nodded as she hid her red face behind her hands. Fred chuckled at her before sliding her jeans back up her legs, leaving them unbuttoned.

"You alright, Granger?" He asked, leaning back on his hands again.

She nodded again, buttoning her jeans before sitting up.

"Cat got your tongue?" He teased and she gave him a shy smile.

"Did I make you uncomfortable?" He asked, worried that he may have overstepped her boundaries.

She quickly shook her head. "No! I mean... No, not at all."

He smiled at her before standing up and offering her his hand, hoping she'd ignore the tent in his pants.

Hermione took his hand and they walked up the stairs in silence. Fred walked her to Ginny's door before letting go of her hand.

"Okay... Well, goodnight." Said Hermione before she reached for the door knob. Fred grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. He ducked his head and placed a kiss on her neck.

"Goodnight."

Fred quietly walked downstairs to his own room, leaving Hermione flustered in the dark hall. She quietly twisted to knob so she wouldn't wake Ginny.

Tip toeing, she finally made it to her bed and let out a sigh before the lamp next to Ginny's bed turned on, revealing Ginny sitting on her bed cross legged.

"Spill."