"Merlin, you've just had oral sex on my mum's couch!" Squealed Ginny, laughing. Hermione's cheeks burned as she threw a pillow at the girl, trying to get her to be quiet.
"I did not have oral sex. It was more of a... over the clothes heavy petting." Said Hermione, playing with the ends of her hair.
"Heavy petting? What are you, Ron?" Teased Ginny. "If his mouth and your vagina were involved, it was oral sex. Sorry, I don't make the rules."
Hermione rolled her eyes as she chuckled at her.
"Where did you and George run off to anyway? I would've gone to bed with you." Asked Hermione.
"Of course you would have, which is why we ran off." Said Ginny, resting her head on her hand as she lay on her side. "By the way you and Fred were looking at each other, George and I had about 2 minutes to get out of there before your clothes vanished."
Hermione sighed. "There was no looking in that manner, whatsoever."
"There absolutely was. Anyways, we went to check on the boys but Harry and Ron were fast asleep while Charlie snored on their floor. Probably making sure Ron wouldn't get alcohol poisoning or what not." Said Ginny, yawning.
Hermione lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Are you overthinking it?" Asked Ginny, quietly.
Hermione nodded as she chewed on her lip.
"I think it's best to just see how he's planning to go about it. He might say something tomorrow, or might not. Either way, I'll be ready with a Bat Bogey at your call."
Hermione giggled at Ginny.
"I just think, maybe I let him do things too easily. I was mad at him this morning, but I let him get into my pants." Complained Hermione.
"Well, you both were drinking. So maybe your mind was like lets put that aside for now and get some shagging going on." Said Ginny.
Hermione shrugged. "I guess I'll wait to see what Fred says tomorrow."
Hermione couldn't get any sleep. She watched the sun rise through Ginny's window as she lay in bed, thinking about how Fred might act today. Would he ask her about it? Would he ignore it? She tossed and turned, trying to get some kind of rest. It was around 7 am when her eyelids finally starting feeling heavy, the sounds of the birds chirping slowly lulling her to sleep. It must have been 15 minutes later when Hermione heard the stairs creaking, meaning someone was awake and walking downstairs.
Hermione sat up and began putting on her shoes and sweater, hoping that Fred had been the early riser. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before walking out of the room and downstairs. At first, she was confused to see that no one was downstairs. She looked around the kitchen and the living room, but there was no sign on anyone. She was about to go back upstairs before she noticing a familiar mop of red hair through the window.
She walked outside, wrapping her arms around herself as she walked towards the tall boy sitting on a log, looking at the sun shining above him.
"What are you doing up so early?" Asked Hermione as she got close enough for him to hear her speak.
He turned around, and smiled at her. "I could ask you the same thing."
"I could barely get any sleep. What's your excuse?" She asked as she sat next to him on the damp log.
"Couldn't get any sleep either, what with you and Fred having crazy wild sex downstairs." He teased, which earned him a slap on the shoulder.
"George! Your brother and I did not have sex." She said.
"Right, right. Just had some oral sex." He corrected himself while nodding.
"Merlin, you're just like your sister." Sighed Hermione, shaking her head.
George laughed at her before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in to his side.
"So, he's told you about it, has he?" She asked shyly.
George nodded. "Oh yeah. Seemed kind of shocked by it really."
"That makes two of us." Added Hermione.
George looked down at her and squeezed her shoulder.
"Has he told you whether he's planning on mentioning it? Or just pretend it never happened?" She asked.
"Well, he said that you had told him that the first time never happened, ever. So he was just thinking on waiting to see what you were going to do." Said George.
Hermione sucked in her lips, thinking on how she wanted to approach Fred.
"I guess I'll just see what to do later, then." She mumbled.
"If it counts for something, I personally am all for this thing you two have got going on." Said George, resting his head on top of hers. "I definitely think you're a better match for him than the other girls he's been with."
Hermione chuckled. Other girls he's been with... That reminds me..., she thought.
"George, you know I love you, right?" Said Hermione, out of nowhere.
"Here I was thinking you had the hots for my brother, now you want me? I accept." Teased George, making Hermione roll her eyes.
"Right... I love you like a brother." She rephrased. "And I want to see you happy. You deserve to be happy."
George furrowed his brow at her. "What are you going on about, Granger?"
"I don't know how the wizarding world is about this, but in the muggle world, there are horrible people who say and do horrible things. But I want you to know that I want you to be happy and to love openly and to be loved openly. You have the right to love as much as any other person, no matter if it's a girl or a boy." Said Hermione.
George's face paled. "Wait... Do you think I'm... Granger, do you think I'm gay?"
Hermione looked up at him. "I mean, are you? Because I don't care about your orientation and neither would your family."
There was a short silence before George burst out laughing.
"What made you think that?" Asked George.
"Well, it's just... Parvati and Lavender were saying some stupid things about the list." Sighed Hermione
"What kind of stupid things?" He asked, intrigued.
"About how Fred is number one and you're not, and since you're twins then there shouldn't be any difference, which I thought was absurd because there clearly is a difference between you and Fred." Said Hermione. "And some girls said that while being with you, they felt like you didn't really mean it, so they ranked you lower."
"They ranked me lower because I didn't mean to shag them?" Asked George, amused. Hermione shrugged her shoulders.
"If you're not gay, then why are you having sex with girls when you don't want to?" Asked Hermione.
George sighed. "Alright, I guess I'll be honest since you've been honest with me about Fred."
Hermione nodded.
"You know how Fred broke up with Angelina earlier this year?" He asked and she nodded. "Well, I guess you could say that was because of me."
Hermione gasped. "Merlin, George! Did you sleep with your brother's girlfriend?"
George sighed. "No, Granger. I definitely did not. Fred broke up with Angelina because he found out how I feel about her."
"How you feel about her?" She asked.
"I'm in love with her."
Hermione's jaw dropped slightly. "If you're in love with her, then why the hell was Fred dating her?
"Fred didn't know, it's not his fault. When Angelina came into the picture, I kept my distance so Fred thought I didn't like her. It took me a couple months to tell him that the reason I'd leave whenever she came was because I was head over heels over that girl." Explained George and Hermione couldn't help but feel an ache in her heart.
"When did you start liking her?" She asked.
"It's kind of stupid, really." Said George. "When Fred and her were just hooking up, I was alone in the common room waiting for Fred to come downstairs. It was kind of late, we were supposed to be sneaking out to meet some Hufflepuffs by the black lake. I didn't know that Angelina was going to come with, so I didn't see her when she snuck downstairs. Before I knew it, she spun me around and kissed me. I didn't really know what was happening but I kissed her back. Then, she pulled away and said 'Well, that's something new, Fred'. I couldn't believe it, I just told her that I'd be right back and went upstairs. Told Fred I felt sick and told him to go on without me."
"She didn't recognize you? Did you tell Fred about it?"
George shook his head. "I didn't think it was big enough to tell, I know he wouldn't have cared at the time."
"So you started liking her since then? And you kept that from Fred." She asked, trying to piece a timeline together.
"Yeah. The night Fred broke up with Angelina was the night he found out. We were trying the veritaserum for the drinks, to see if it was strong enough. I asked Fred who he fancied and he said no one, even though he was with her already. Then he asked me, and imagine our surprise to know that I fancied his girlfriend more than he ever did." He said.
"How did he react? Was he angry?"
"No, definitely not. He felt guilty, for not knowing how I felt. It's silly really, I never really minded that she was with him. Honestly, if I couldn't be with her then I rather her be with Fred than anyone else." He explained.
"You know, George, I know that you're always used to sharing with Fred, but sometimes what you want should be your priority." Said Hermione, leaning her head on his shoulder.
George hummed in response. "I'll have to think about that, I guess."
They both watched the grass fields as they leaned their heads together, keeping each other warm.
Breakfast at the Weasleys was always roudy, but today Hermione felt exceptionally calm. It could've been the talk she had with George earlier, or it could be the fact that Fred hadn't come down for breakfast yet. She thanked his absence, allowing her to eat her eggs and toast without feeling like her stomach could throw them back out.
"That boy, it's 10 o'clock!" Huffed Mrs. Weasley. "Go wake your brother up."
George shook his head. "Don't feel like it really. Hermione was talking about helping around the house so I really think she should be in charge of that."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.
"I think that's a great idea! Hermione, would you be a dear and go wake up our dear brother?" Joined Ginny, smiling way too cheerfully.
"If you wouldn't mind, dear." Said Mrs. Weasley. Hermione couldn't say no to the mother, so she gave her a tight lipped smile and a nod before making her way up the stairs.
Her hands felt clammy, wiping them on her pants before raising her hand to knock on the wooden door. She had hoped for Fred to actually be sleeping, that way she could just go downstairs and say that she hadn't heard him say anything, but when she heard the quiet "come in" her hopes faded.
She peeked her head in to the room, looking around. There were pieces of loose parchment everywhere accompanied by empty vials and quills. In the far right corner of the room, there was an old cauldron which seemed to be empty. Apart from the mentioned, the room was quite organized. There were no dirty clothes abandonded on the floor nor a bad smell in the air, which she appreciated.
Fred lay on his bed, the sheets covering him up to his abdomen. His arms were crossed over his eyes, shielding his face from the sunlight pouring in from the window.
"Your mum wants you downstairs." She said quietly, hoping that would be the end of the conversation so she could go back downstairs.
Fred raised his arms, glancing towards the door where only Hermione's head could be seen.
"George put you up to this?" He asked, his voice still dripping in sleep. She ignored the way her heart raced.
"Kind of."
Fred chuckled quietly before crossing his arms behind his head. "Are you coming in or not?"
Hermione cursed to herself in her mind before stepping in and closing the door behind her, leaning on it.
"What's up?" She asked, trying to act as casual as she could.
What's up? Idiot, she thought, cringing inwardly.
Fred raised his brow, amused. "Do you want to sit?"
She shook her head quickly. "No thanks."
"I'm not going to ravage you, Granger. Sit down, you're making me uncomfortable standing there." He huffed, moving his legs so she could take a seat at the foot of his bed.
She reluctantly did as she was told, sitting on the mattress.
"Are you coming down?" She asked, picking at her fingernails.
"Don't think so." He said, staring at the ceiling.
"Why?"
"Been thinkin'." He answered.
"Oh." She said, sighing.
"Yeah."
She scratched her neck, wishing George would come through the door at any minute to save her from the awkwardness settling in the room.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked and she blurted out a "yes" before her mouth could stop her.
He propped himself up, leaning against his bed frame. His old quidditch shirt covered his upper body.
"Do you regret it?" He asked. She sighed, did she regret it?, she thought but couldn't come up with an actual answer.
"Why'd you do it?" She asked him, avoiding his question.
"Are you not planning to answer?" He huffed, looking at her while she tried to look anywhere but at him. "I did it because I wanted to, and I thought you wanted to as well. Did you not want me to?"
Hermione didn't know what to say. "I... I don't know."
"I kind of need an actual answer, Hermione." He breathed. "I'm trying to figure out if I've just abused my little brother's best friend or not, and I can't come to a conclusion if you don't tell me."
She looked at him, wide eyed. "What? No! You- You didn't abuse me or assault me."
He sighed in relief, the guilt that had built up inside him slowly fading away.
"I'm just trying to come to terms with it, that's all." She mumbled. Fred nodded in response.
"I just..." She started, taking a deep brath before continuing. "I was mad at you, Fred Weasley. You shamed me and you called me a slag and you say rude comments about me. Then, out of nowhere, you're taking off my trousers. I'm still mad at you, and now I'm mad at myself for letting you do whatever you want."
Fred hummed. "You called me a slag first, so let's not start with that. I apologize for any rude things I've said, you did hurt me too when you were talking to Ginny that night."
"You weren't supposed to hear that." She sighed.
"That makes it even worse, Granger. I'd rather you stop saying things about me to other people and start saying them to my face." He said, his voice louder now than it was before. "Especially if it's about my decisions."
Hermione bowed her head in shame. "I'm sorry."
Fred sighed before he apologized as well. The tension in the room had cleared, although the silence still remained.
Hermione stood up and made her way to the door, planning to tell Molly that Fred was definitely not coming down. She paused before she reached the door knob. "Oh, and for the future." She said. "Don't ever try anything when you know I'm mad at you. I'll let it pass this time because we were both out of line, but next time I will hex you if you even try to touch me. Understood?"
Fred breathed out a laugh at the "scary side" of Hermione that everyone feared, not understanding why his chest felt just a little tighter than usual.
"Understood."
"Harry, I don't think this is a good idea." Announced Hermione, her voice trembling as she floated on the broom that Ginny had lent her.
Harry playfully rolled his eyes at her. "I thought you were the Hermione Granger, top of her class. I would not have imagined a little flying lesson would lead to the downfall of the brightest witch of her age."
"Don't you tease me, Harry Potter. I am not taking the bait." She said, staring at the ground that was merely a meter from her legs. Harry laughed as he flew circles around her.
"We could share one, 'Mione. I'll steer." Suggested Ron and Hermione quickly agreed, not wanting to be in charge of flying a broom.
The early July afternoon brought a warm breeze and bright sunshine. The golden trio had been lounging on the large fields of grass before bringing some brooms out to take advantage of the nice weather, although Hermione couldn't see how flying around would be 'taking advantage of a lovely day' as Harry had said. The rest of the Weasley siblings were scattered all about the burrow. Percy left after breakfast to meet with Penelope while Ginny went back upstairs to take a nap. Molly and Arthur Weasley were sitting on the couch, talking quietly between each other. Fred and George, however, were no where to be seen.
Hermione had situated herself on the broom that Ron was holding, gripping it tightly with both hands while her thighs clenched on it. After she had made herself as comfortable as she could be, which was not much, Ron placed himself behind her and his long arms made their way around her, gently holding the front of the broom.
The three friends began to ascend in the air, slowly in order to allow Hermione to get used to it. Ron was practically raised on a broom and Harry had been riding one effortlessly since his first year. Hermione, on the other hand, was not made for any activity that didn't include her feet firmly touching the ground.
"Open your eyes, 'Mione! The burrow looks amazing from up here." Said Harry.
Hermione took a deep breath before opening her eyes, which she didn't notice she had closed in the first place. The sun had painted everything orange, shining on the green grass and tall trees. They were floated approximately 30 metres above the ground, which had Hermione's stomach in a twist.
"R-Right, it looks great. Can we get down now?" She asked, her voice trembling as she looked down.
"Well, don't look down, Hermione. You'll only make yourself feel worse." She heard Ron say behind her, his chest vibrating against her back as he spoke.
"Kind of impossible not to, Ronald. I'd rather face what will kill me rather than look away." She mumbled. Ron laughed behind her before he wrapped an arm around her waist. The move was carefully calculated from Ron's part, he had made sure not to place it too low where his hand would rest on her hips and not too high where he might accidentaly graze one of her breasts. Hermione, however, didn't dwell on the fact that Ron was now embracing her with his free hand. She appreciated that she felt more stable now, pressed against Ron's tall frame.
Hermione saw Harry face her direction, but noticed that he wasn't looking at her but at Ron. She noticed the two boys having a long session of eye contact, most probably trying to communicate about something without having her listen in.
"What are you boys up to?" She asked, not liking the way she felt left out.
"Nothing. Should we race?" Asked Harry, answering her quite quickly and changing the subject. Hermione's face dropped.
"Ronald Weasley, I swear if you-" She began but was interrupted by her own scream as Ron leaned forward and tipped the broom, causing it to more forwards very fast. Ron was laughing loudly, joined by Harry who was right beside him. Hermione closed her eyes as she shrieked, feeling as if she were on a roller coaster except there were no belts or bars to keep her secure.
She felt like it had been forever, but after 1 minute, Ron and Harry had landed on the ground. The minute she felt her feet touch the grass, she opened her eyes and began yelling at the two boys.
"I will hex you into oblivion! Even worse, I will stop helping you with your homework!" She yelled.
"Oh no, how could you two ever make it without Hermione's help." They heard a voice behind them. They looked back to see Fred and George making their way towards them with their own brooms.
"How'd you get this one on a broom?" Asked Georde, jerking his thumb at Hermione.
Harry and Ron laughed, comparing Hermione to a banshee when she was up in the air. She looked away from the conversation and peered over at Fred, who had been quiet. His eyes didn't meet hers, instead he was staring at Ron's arm which had stayed on her waist. She looked down, feeling small as Ron's arm had completely engulfed her figure.
She looked back up to realize that he had turned his head, now paying attention to what the boys were saying.
"Do you guys want to play? We could get Charlie and Ginny to join." Asked Ron.
"Charlie's off somewhere with dad and Ginny was snoring like a hog. We could play between ourselves, though." Suggested George, who was sneaking glances at Ron's arm every now and then.
Harry looked at all the members. "We're 5 people though, so we'd be uneven."
"I think it's best if I sit out. I definitely don't want to be up in the air twice today." Said Hermione, preparing to unmount the broom.
"Yeah, I agree." She heard Fred say, his voice monotone. Hermione looked at him, her brow furrowed as George cleared his throat and jabbed his ribs with his elbow, earning a quiet 'ouch' from his twin.
"Are you sure, 'Mione? We could fly together again, I'll make sure you don't fall." Asked Ron, not wanting to let go of her. Hermione smiled softly up at him.
"I'm alright. I'll go see if your mum needs help with dinner, anyway." She said before gently taking his arm and pulling it off her, getting off the broom.
George, Harry and Ron waved goodbye to her, but Fred remained stoic as he watched her leave.
She huffed as the made her way back inside. What's his problem?, she thought, rolling her eyes.
"Mrs. Weasley? Do you need any help?" She asked as she stepped in, seeing Molly in the kitchen.
Molly turned around and smiled at her. "Oh, that's alright dear! I'm just getting some things ready for dinner, you go on upstairs."
Hermione smiled at her and made her way to the shared room with Ginny. The redhead truly had been snoring like a hog when she made stepped in the room.
"Ginny? Wake up." Said Hermione, sighing as she dropped on the bed.
"Hnnnnng." Mumbled Ginny, her face planted into her pillow.
"Your brother's being an arse again." She commented, which seemed to have awoken her friend.
"Which one?" Ginny asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes with her hands.
"Fred. He walked out to see Harry, Ron, and I on the brooms and was in a horrible mood, it seems." Said Hermione.
"Why would he be in a horrible- Wait. You were on a broom?" Asked Ginny, her brows raised.
Hermione sighed. "Harry said it would be nice to 'enjoy the day'."
"No wonder." Said Ginny. "I thought I had heard a banshee."
Hermione laughed and threw her pillow at her. Ginny caught the pillow and held it against her chest as she sat up on her bed.
"So, why was Fred in a shite mood?" She asked. Hermione shrugged.
"Well, he did seem to stare at Ron and I for a bit. We were sharing a broom." Commented Hermione. Ginny raised her brows once again.
"Ron and you shared a broom? How were you sitting?" Asked Ginny.
"I was in front and Ron was behind me." Said Hermione, confused as to why it mattered. "Oh, and his arm was around me so I wouldn't fall."
Ginny hummed in response, which didn't help Hermione's confused.
"Hmm? Hmm what?" She asked.
"You really are clueless, my dear friend." Said Ginny, ignoring Hermione's demands for an explanation.
