Hey all, sorry that there hasn't really been any chapter updates lately. This is the last written 'installment' so it might be a good while before there is another installment uploaded. I'm really sorry 'bout that but I've had a real struggle with uni as well as I have only just in the last few days been able to update my other story. That story was always going to hold priority over this one because the storyline is much more established than this one, as you may be able to tell with spontaneous tangents with plot and stuff. I will see just where I can go with this one, I have ideas but just not to the extent that I do my other story.
Anyway, best to get to reviews and comments...
Macey Muse: Yeah, one could assume that it's not good news but ... will see! ;-) I always think that Ginny is more bubbly and spontaneous than perhaps the others given that she is the only girl in a family of 6 boys. I think that she is probably more like Fred and George, especially now after the fifth book. I can't imagine a dizzy-Lizzy Ginny, it wouldn't work...
MagicnMusicdgurl: Nope, so far Draco knows nothing about it and Lucius will never know because he has passed on (see part 17th September, 2001, 10:12pm in Narcissa's letter about this). How Lucius died is something that I am yet to come up with, but all I know is that he has at some point between the fifth book and Hermione's 21st birthday.
There has been a fair bit of speculation regarding why Fred and George would be talking about Hermione. The answer to that question can be found in this installment... I also have a feeling I will lose a few readers after this as well! Sorry bout that.
Thanks to everyone else who reviewed, I like comments! Anyway, on to the next installment...
19th September, 2001
9:43pm
Hermione was unable to think of her little problem that night, much to her great relief. Her night was as enjoyable as a night on the town could ever be. Much to her delight, Harry, Ron and Ginny decided that it would be better to go clubbing in Muggle London, as opposed to the one wizarding nightclub, Warlocks.
Warlocks was good on some occasions but was more renowned for having sleazy old wizards and ex-Death Eaters hanging around the bar as opposed to young witches and wizards on the dance floor. If anything, it had developed a bit of a bad reputation ever since Susan Bones, ex-Hufflepuff at Hogwarts, had managed to get herself into a fight with the bartender and hence start an all-out brawl.
The reason for the fight in the first place was because Horacious Nott, Theodore Nott's great-uncle, who refrained from joining the death eaters only because he didn't want to go to the meetings, had sidled up to Miss Bones in her drunken state, expecting some late night action. This in turn caused her to become extremely uncomfortable. After complaining to the witch behind the bar, she was greeted with a very non-committal response of "Miss, you do realise who just approached you, don't you? You do not refuse that man."
Very upset, Susan jumped the bar and started to frantically plead with the bartender to do something about it. Shocked but not perturbed, the witch only called security from where she was. Susan screamed at her to listen to what she was saying and started to punch the bartender in anger. The security guards (one tall, surly wizard and a very masculine-looking witch) could not get to the bar in time and before too long, the people at the bar had joined in the fight. Next thing, nearly the entire bar was caught in the middle of the brawl. The two security guards managed to hex some of the offenders before the Aurors arrived but it was still quite a session for the Aurors.
Nothing like that had happened for some time, since the fall of Voldemort in 1998. In fact, some witches and wizards in the Ministry had wondered whether there was any point to still have Aurors in the world. If there were any doubts, that night proved their worth.
It had never really been a favourable watering hole for Hermione and her friends anyway. She had always preferred the laid-back atmosphere of the Three Broomsticks or the raucous but entertaining crowd in the Leaky Cauldron on a Friday night. For those times that she wanted something completely different, she and the gang would go to the Muggle nightclubs and bars. Tonight was no exception.
She sat at a table close to the bar with Ginny and Lavender, watching the rest of them out on the dance-floor. Harry and Ron were as uncoordinated as ever but it didn't seem to bother them. Seamus and Dean were playing pool with Fred and George, who had taken time out of their busy weekend schedule to celebrate Hermione's birthday. They had only just taken up the Muggle sport in recent years but were more than adequate players. Still, they were not quite the match for Seamus and Dean, who both had a lifetime experience in playing. Luna was dancing with Ron and Harry, not bothered by their lack of ability, but instead making up for both of them.
"I can't believe you guys insisted on taking me out!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Why wouldn't we?" Ginny asked.
"Well, since we went out on Thursday. I just thought that everyone would be over it by now."
"Hon," Lavender reassured, to the annoyance of Hermione at calling her 'Hon'. "It's not every day that one turns 21. Besides, we didn't go out on Thursday. We heard about it but we all still wanted to go out. So," she picked up her cosmopolitan cocktail and took a sip out of the straw, "we needed to get you sloshed because really, when was the last time that happened?"
They all laughed. It was true; due to her work commitments, there were not many chances for Hermione to go out anymore. Her birthday was the first time in more than three weeks that she had gone out. Even moreso, she had gone out twice in the last few days; an absolute rarity. She decided then and there that she would have to do it more often; she only realised at that moment how much she missed her friends' company.
"Okay," she replied. "But don't think that I'll be getting completely pissed tonight. I'm just here to enjoy my night with everyone."
"Are you sure?" Lavender questioned.
"Yes."
"That's not what you told me at lunch today," Ginny quipped.
"Well, there is a difference between a joke and the real thing. Besides, the last time I had a big night, I woke up half-naked next to that Muggle, who was it? Oh that's right, Anthony Baxter. Now, as appealing as he was to the eye, don't think that he was great in the sack." At this, her audience just looked at her, stunned. "It's true. Besides that, I don't want to have another one-night-stand, especially not with someone as incompetent as him."
"I guess."
They continued watching the rest of the group dancing to a remix of Kylie Minogue's 'On A Night Like This', smiling at the way Harry and Ron kept bumping into each other as Luna kept rolling her eyes. Hermione turned to make a comment to Ginny, although upon looking in her direction, she could see that Ginny would not be listening. Instead, she was all gooy-eyed, fawning over her boyfriend in the same way as a mother would gaze upon her newborn. Hermione laughed to herself and turned to see how the boys at the pool table were doing.
Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of Lavender's voice. "So Anthony was that bad in bed?"
Hermione spun around to see Lavender grinning, taking another sip of her cocktail. This caused Hermione to laugh, almost knocking over her own Toblerone cocktail in the meantime. At this, Ginny turned around to see the two of them in fits of laughter, unable to talk.
"What's so funny?" she asked cautiously.
"Oh," Hermione said, after a moment to compose herself. "You two have no idea how much Anthony was clueless about anything in the bedroom."
"We're still on that are we?" Ginny muttered.
"Only just. Really, it was highly embarrassing at the time, seeing as he really should have known better at 25 years of age. Now I look at it as a way to keep myself on track. In fact, I highly recommend everyone to experience someone that shit, in case they feel that they are a little incompetent themselves. Use it as a way to show that there is always someone worse off than you."
"Hermione, that's an awful thing to say!" Ginny exclaimed, however she could not suppress the grin from appearing on her face.
"I agree with Hermione," Lavender responded. "I mean really, how else are you meant to compare who's good and who's bad?"
"Well, I don't need to. Harry does all the right things."
"Ginny, how do you know that for sure?"
"I have my reasons," Ginny said slyly, grinning broadly at the same time.
"Ugh! I don't want to know." Hermione said as she covered her ears with her hands. Pulling them down to her lap again, she continued. "So Gin, you still haven't told me about your day organising the engagement party."
"Oh," Ginny said in exasperation. "Really, the day was an absolute disaster."
"Why is that?"
"First of all, Bill and Fleur insisted that they wanted only close friends and family to be present. We had planned all the food and stuff for that, in other words, it was going to be a formal three course meal in the Ballroom above the Three Broomsticks. As we were about to come up with the decorations, which was to be Fred and George's department, Fleur changed her mind because she realised that she had quite a few other close friends from Beauxbatons that she had somehow forgotten about. So now it's opened up to a lot more people, including all of our friends as well. This then put us in a tizz because we then had to arrange all the food to be hors d'œuvres instead of a main meal. That wasn't the worst part. Fred had wanted to use Bowtruckles in a garden display, much to Bill's delight except that it was now apparent that some of Fleur's friends have allergies to them, so they had to be scratched."
"Bowtruckles? They're a bit delicate, aren't they?"
"Well, Bill has a fondness for them after discovering them on a Gringott's trip to Germany once. Fleur hadn't come across many in her life but still thought that they were cute. It complimented both of their favoured lifestyles of the outdoors.
"Anyway, we then had to settle upon something that would suit everyone. Bill still wanted some sort of live creature to be present, so finally, we all settled upon a flock of Jobberknolls to fly around the place and keeping the garden display to a minimum. The Jobberknolls seemed sufficient because they only eat small insects and they create no noise unless they are dying. Having said that, I can only hope that no-one tries to kill them because we will have all our hands full trying to ensure that the happy couple are enjoying themselves. We can't have people running around thinking someone is being murdered."
"Then why settle on them at all?"
"Things were getting quite stressful and in truth, I really think they were settled on to shut Fleur and her friends up. Now, I like Fleur but she really can be quite a snob sometimes."
"So are there going to be anything else that the twins have got planned?"
"Well, there is one more thing but they say that it is only for them to know about. They want to keep it under wraps for the big night. However, they assure me that it won't be like their usual pranks. They know how important this night is for Bill and Fleur."
"Wow, sounds like it should be a good night then."
"Yeah, I hope so."
Just at this moment, Harry had left the dancefloor to come over to the girls.
"You going to dance, or what?" he asked them.
"I'll come along, if you want," Ginny offered. "These two still have drinks to finish."
"Okay, but you two had better not be too long."
"We won't," Hermione and Lavender answered in unison.
"Don't worry, I'll teach him a thing or two about dancing," Ginny winked. "By-eee!"
She left for the dancefloor with Harry, leaving Hermione and Lavender sitting at the bar.
"So Hermione," Lavender said the minute Ginny was out of earshot. "How long do you think Ron and Luna'll last?"
"Ooh, I'm not sure if I should answer that, Lavender." Hermione knew the potential for any secret to be spread around the wizarding world within the hour at the hands of Lavender or her friend Pavarti. It was only that Pavarti was off visiting family with Neville in India that it wouldn't be spread around within the minute.
"Don't tell me you've questioned this yourself." Lavender's eyes opened with wonder.
"No, not really. It's just that Ron is so preoccupied with Quidditch lately that I wasn't sure whether Luna would get sick of it."
"Yes, they do seem to disagree on that."
"But then again, no-one seems capable of controlling Ron as Luna does, not that she has him under the thumb but just enough to keep him on the straight and narrow. And underneath, I know he has admired her courage and strength ever since the final battle. For a Ravenclaw, that is. I think he really respected that she joined the Order so early on. She was the only Ravenclaw to do so. They aren't renowned for their audacity."
"No, you're right there. But that doesn't mean that they will stay together now. I mean, the battle was four years ago."
"Yes, but Luna lost her father during it. Even though she may still appear to be somewhat on the strange side, she really matured after the war. I think she grew up quicker than she would have normally. She wouldn't just jump into a relationship without thinking about it. I know how much her father meant to her; she would be very careful in choosing a potential partner for life. She doesn't want to lose him like she did her father."
Lavender said nothing but looked back in wonder. "I suppose you're right. But you don't think she's willing to throw herself at anyone for that very reason? So as to fill the void in her life?"
"Hmm, now that you've said that, I'm not sure. Although it was a long time afterwards before either one of them made a move. No, I think she has thought about this considerably."
"True I suppose."
It was at this moment that Seamus, Dean and the Weasley twins made their way back over to the girls. Seamus took up a seat next to Lavender and Dean remained standing for a minute, checking out the talent on the dancefloor.
"What," Seamus looked at Lavender. "You aren't dancing tonight?"
"No," she responded. "I'm having a breather for the moment. I have a drink." She lifted up her glass.
"Hey Fred, how did you blokes go?" Hermione asked the twin standing beside her.
"Well, that's George but I'll let it slide," the other twin said from behind her. She spun around quickly to see the real Fred smiling at her. He took up the seat beside her and George sat beside him.
"Is there any way of telling the difference between you two?" she asked in defeat.
Fred smiled. "Well, there is one difference."
"Do I want to ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing like that. But it's so small that it really is quite difficult to tell, even for us sometimes."
"Oh for God's sake!" she laughed. "Alright, what is it then?"
"George has a freckle on his neck about a quarter of an inch in diameter, about here," he said, pointing to the same spot on himself, "just off to the right side. As you can see, I don't have anything."
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's it."
"Sorry to interrupt this fantastic conversation," George muttered sarcastically, "but surely there's something better to talk about."
"What's wrong with it?" Hermione asked.
"Talking about Fred's and my personal features doesn't seem the most interesting topic for conversation."
"It might not be for you but I for the rest of us, well, we would love to know an easier way of telling you two apart."
"I think that you'll know the difference between the two of us soon enough," Fred said quietly to her.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Fred didn't say anything, but gave her a smile. Hermione just smiled back in wonder.
"So how did you boys end up going then?" Lavender asked generally, to avoid further confusion.
"Well," George stated proudly, "Seamus and I teamed up, to make it a bit more even and so far the series is very close. Dean and Fred are ahead 5-4."
"Gee, you must have been playing a while then!"
"Yeah," Fred cut in, before George could get a chance. "But the games ended up going rather quickly. So really, it's only been about two hours."
"Oh ok then."
"Would you boys like to join Lavender and I for a drink?" Hermione asked.
"We'd love to, right George?"
"Right."
"So, what are you having?"
"I have mine already," Lavender interjected. "Don't worry about me."
"Alright, one less person to shout. So Hermione, what will it be?"
"Hmm, I just finished my second cocktail so I think I'll have another one, only this time not as strong."
"Would you like me to surprise you?"
"Um, I don't think that would be wise. Perhaps I'll choose a Bloody Mary then."
Fred smiled at her. "Coming right up."
As he and the other boys went to order drinks (Becks beers for the lads and the Bloody Mary for Hermione), Lavender looked at Hermione with a newfound look in her eye.
"What?" Hermione queried.
"I saw the way Fred was looking at you!" she whispered excitedly.
"Oh come on! Fred?" This was news to Hermione. It was not something that she had even considered. "Lavender, it's Fred. I don't think he would be looking at me like that."
"You don't think he'd be looking at you like that, but I know he was. Besides that, you heard what he said. Well, what about it?"
"Lavender, I'm not going to go on some hunch that you have about him liking me. Besides, I hardly think he's my type."
"Why not?"
But Lavender did not get her answer because by that stage, Fred and the others had come back with their drinks.
"Here you are," Fred handed her the glass and sat down beside her again, "one Bloody Mary."
"Thanks, Fred," she smiled back and took a sip of the cocktail. "Wow," she said, wrinkling her face ever so slightly. "How much vodka is in this?"
"Is it too strong?" he asked worriedly.
"No no, it's fine. I'll be okay."
"If you want another one, I can get it for you."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I don't really wish to pick you up off the floor after having one too many," he grinned.
Hermione laughed. "Oh, so it's got nothing to do with you wanting to be a gentleman, has it?"
Fred joined in. "None, whatsoever. So, how about it?"
"Well, alright then, if you're willing to fork out for it."
"Not a problem. I'll be right back."
He got up again from the chair, leaving the two girls alone with the three other boys who were seated on the other side of the table.
She turned towards Lavender, moreso for confirmation about Fred's feelings towards her more than anything. In truth, Hermione was flattered that he would think favourably of her. Not that she had ever considered anything with him but she had always had fun around him and George during stays at the Burrow or at the twin's flat in Grace Lane, off Diagon Alley. For some reason, she knew that her afternoon would be guaranteed to contain excitement and most likely controversy with either twin. She had rarely seen either one of them in a serious mood, except when they were banned from Quidditch during her fifth year.
Lavender only gave her a sly grin that said, 'You know as much as me.'
"But I always thought that he and Angelina Johnson were together."
"I think the fact that he couldn't play Quidditch got in the way. You see, she was off playing Quidditch and even though he chose to open to joke shop, he was still banned from playing Quidditch and found her success a little painful. Actually, it was a mutual decision. Angelina wanted to join the Australian and New Zealand Affiliation of Quidditch as a change from the European league but knew that it would be hard for Fred to uproot his business and move it to Wellington. In the end, it worked out better for both of them because Fred could spend more time inventing new products and she could concentrate on her playing career."
"Hmm. Oh well, I guess that means that you don't always know what's going on with people who you considered close."
"No, not at all."
It was at this point that Fred joined them again.
"Here," he said as he gave the glass to her, "try this one. I told the bartender to only put a half-shot in of the vodka."
Hermione took a sip. 'Mmm," she responded, "this is much better. Thanks for that."
"My pleasure."
"I'm really glad you two were able to make it here," she told him in earnest.
"Thanks, 'Mione," George responded, having decided to join in the conversation. "It's been really hard some weekends. Lately we've had to stock up on a lot of things, especially the Wicked Watches. They've been the hardest things to produce so far."
"Why is that?"
"The thing is," Fred interrupted, eyeing George at the same time, "they needed a programming function to let the wearer know if they have an appointment or not. That was one thing. The other was that we needed to input all the quotes that the watch would spurt out if the wearer was late for anything. It was to be just a little side-project except that we had a few interests in them. So we decided to make it a product of the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes franchise. They are a little more serious than other products but we thought if we can do it, why not?"
"That's a good enough reason. You've nearly explored all areas of jokes and pranks so why not move into more complicated things?"
"That's the attitude we adopted. Sure, we don't have much time on the weekends anymore but that'll change soon when they are all finished and ready to sell."
"Do you still have a lot of work to do this weekend?"
"Yeah."
Hermione was about to respond to this when Dean and Seamus came up behind them. "Hey, sorry to interrupt," Dean cut in. "Seamus and I are going to join the others. We'll see you soon then."
"Yeah, no worries, Mate," George responded.
As soon as they left, Hermione asked the twins, "Why are you here tonight if you have so much work?"
Fred grinned. "Why would we miss this?"
"It's just a birthday."
"It's not just a birthday. You don't turn 21 every year."
"Besides," George added, "we needed some time off. Things have been so hectic lately that neither of us have been able to think of anything else. If truth be told, we needed to get away; otherwise we would have gone mad, I'm sure of it. We also had to organise Bill and Fleur's engagement party. Either way, we had to take today off anyway."
Hermione laughed. "Yes, I heard that it wasn't quite the success as it was meant to be."
"Oh," George rolled his eyes, "you have no idea. All I can say is at least we were born British. I have absolutely no idea how her friends have survived in this world at all with all the complaints that they mentioned. Allergic to Bowtruckles, being vegetarians, not liking dragon meat because it goes straight to their thighs. It was ridiculous!"
Hermione laughed. "Well at least it's all over until the main night, true?"
"Yeah, that's true."
"Except for the big surprise," Fred commented.
"Ah yes, I've heard that this is going to be quite special."
"So special we still don't know what it is yet."
Hermione stared at them. "What?"
"We have some ideas but we don't know for certain what it is. It's going to be good, don't worry."
"Just remember, you have a little under three weeks to get it done."
"Yeah, we know."
Hermione felt a little bad that it was just her talking to the Weasleys and not Lavender, however after glancing at her to see what she made of the situation, she was greeted with a knowing smile and a wink of her eye.
"So how are you going in your work at St Mungo's, anyway?" George asked.
"Well, lately I've been helping out in the emergency ward. It's been very insightful. They don't normally put fourth years in the emergency ward. They usually prefer that they have a bit of experience in some of the other wards first. However, the head mediwizard believes that I've exceeded in some of the tests that final years go through, and he gave me the opportunity to improve that knowledge tenfold."
"Wow, that's really good. I'm glad to see you move up in the medical world, Hermione. You certainly deserve it." Fred commented, lifting his beer up to toast her. "Cheers."
"Cheers." She clinked her glass with his, still a little shocked at his last words. Fred didn't usually talk so earnestly to her. He and George were usually caught up with their shop or the latest pranks that someone performed on someone else that it wasn't often that he (or George for that matter) was very serious.
"Hey Mate, I'm off to join the others," George announced. "Coming over?"
"Not yet," Fred answered. "I've still got half a bottle."
"Suit yourself. Hey Lavender," he called to her across Hermione. "Care to join me?"
"Yeah, I will actually," she responded excitedly, eyeing Hermione as she did so.
"Nice. Alright, you guys coming later?"
"Perhaps," Hermione answered, smiling a little from the knowledge at what both George and Lavender were doing.
Soon it was just Fred and Hermione sitting at the table. Things were a little awkward to begin with, but the ice was soon broken by Fred.
"Hermione, I think you know what just happened there as much as what I do."
She looked at him curiously. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, Lavender has been giving me funny looks the entire time that I've been sitting here. Now she's ducked off with George, leaving me here with you. I think you're smart enough to put two and two together." He smiled at her.
She laughed and shook her head. "I figured as much. But Fred, I don't know about that. I think it would seem a little weird, don't you? I mean, you're Ron's older brother."
"I know. I only just figured that out myself. A bit of a shock really." He laughed.
"Hey!" she grinned and play punched him. "I'm being serious."
His mood changed a little and he became more serious. "I know. Look, to be truthful, I felt the same when George first mentioned it."
"If you felt the same, then why are we here?"
Fred hesitated a little before answering. "The thing is; I guess I've mentioned your name a little more than usual during the last couple of weeks."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah well I mean, firstly it was as someone whose expertise we could have used in the making of the watches. I know you're a mediwitch-in-training, but I still thought that your knowledge of Muggle technology as well as your general charms work would have helped us out."
Hermione was flattered. "You honestly considered getting me on board the famous Weasley franchise?"
"Yep, you were the smartest witch at Hogwarts; there's no denying it."
"Yes but how do you know you could have afforded my services?" She grinned cheekily.
He chuckled. "Oh, we would have been able to, don't you worry about that. If a lifetime of cream puffs didn't tempt you –" Hermione laughed at this, "Hey, they are very good. Anyway, if they didn't tempt you, then perhaps a sum of 5000 Galleons would. And if it took longer than expected, an additional 1000 Galleons for each week that you are away from the hospital."
Hermione was dumbfounded. Fred and George had considered paying her that amount of money for a week's work? This was absolutely beyond her.
"You're kidding."
"No, I'm quite serious."
"Then why didn't you?"
"We really didn't want to interfere with your studies. We knew how important they were to you so it seemed wrong to interrupt them."
"I'm sure they would have given me a week off; I haven't had any days off, except for Thursday."
"Well, there was another reason for it."
Hermione had the sense that this reason was the very reason that they were sitting at the table alone.
"Which is?"
"The very reason why I'm here tonight. Hermione, I didn't think it was a good idea either, for the same reason that you cited. But then the more I thought about getting your help for the watches, the more I thought about you. I mean, just about you."
He looked very seriously at her. Funnily enough, Hermione had already thought that her Weasley days would be over; now another one was asking her out.
She only nodded in wonder. Fred continued.
"It was then that I thought it would be more ideal to simply make the watches alone with George."
She sat silence for a little bit, pondering this last comment. The thing was, Fred was 23, not far off 24 and was far more mature than Ron during their sixth year. Fred was a man, albeit a young one, but still a man. He didn't push her for a response. Instead, he simply looked at her patiently, swigging his beer every few seconds.
He needed an answer; however Hermione was not sure she could provide a very good one.
"Wow Fred, I really don't know what to say."
"Look, Hermione, it's okay if you don't feel the same. I just thought that perhaps you needed to know why we were suddenly left alone." He smiled at her.
"I really appreciate it, Fred," she responded earnestly. "It's still a bit of a strange concept but only because I wasn't expecting it before I came out tonight."
"I'm not worried, really. George really pushed for me to do something about it. He said if I don't ask, then I'm not going to know."
"Seize the day, right?"
He laughed. "Something like that." He took another mouthful of beer. "So, no love lost?"
It was Hermione's turn to laugh. "No, not at all. As I said before, I appreciate it. I'm also pleased that you think highly of my skills in magic. That means so much in itself."
"Well, perhaps we can call upon you if we need your help later on then?"
"For sure. Please don't hesitate; I'll make time for it."
"Great." Fred raised the bottle to his lips for the last time and drained it, leaving only the dregs at the bottom. "Well," he said, putting the bottle on the table, "shall we join the others?"
Hermione smiled. "Yeah, why not?"
She finished the rest of her cocktail and they went to out onto the dancefloor.
The next couple of hours passed with all of them dancing to the Muggle dance tunes. It had certainly been a fun night with her friends. Hermione could not think of a time where she had more fun, aside from Thursday. And the talk with Fred was certainly a surprise, although not unpleasant by any means; just a little queer.
Every now and then, she caught his eye, and they'd both laugh and carry on dancing. Lavender nudged Hermione at one point as if to say, 'So?' but Hermione only shrugged her shoulders in response.
At 2:30am, it was time to leave. Not that the club was closing but Hermione felt as if she had had enough. She didn't want to wake up feeling horrible from a hangover and lack of sleep. The hangover that she was sure to wake up with would be bad enough. Outside the club, she said goodbye to Dean, then Harry and Ginny.
"Do I want to know what you and Fred were talking about?" Ginny whispered to Hermione.
"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. See you both later."
Harry hugged her and said, "Bye, 'Mione."
Then Seamus and Lavender were going to go.
"What happened?" Lavender asked quietly.
"Nothing. I'll have to catch up with you another time. Bye."
"Yeah, bye."
They then disapparated, leaving only the twins and Hermione standing outside.
"Hey Fred," George said. "Early start tomorrow, don't get home too late! See ya Hermione!" he grinned mischievously.
As soon as George disapparated, Fred shook his head.
"I'm sorry about that," he told Hermione. "I would have thought he'd act a bit better than that."
"It's fine, seriously. No love lost, remember?"
He smiled. "Yeah, I remember."
They stood quiet for a small moment, both unable to make the next move. Just as Hermione was about to break the silence, Fred bent down and kissed her gently on the cheek, allowing her to take in his expensive-smelling Wizard cologne. When he pulled away, he gave another smile and turned to walk off.
He turned his head back to her at the last minute and said, "Goodnight, Hermione."
She smiled in return. "Goodnight, Fred."
As they both went their separate ways, Hermione felt ten times lighter than she had before the night started, despite drinking three cocktails and dancing until she couldn't dance any longer.
Comments:
"Don't worry, I'll teach him a thing or two about dancing," Ginny winked. "By-eee!" - "Of course you know the Darcy's darling! And you remember their son, Mark, the human-rights barrister. Anyway, I must go. By-eee!" I love Bridget Jones!
"Checking out the talent" – doesn't mean seeing how good people are at dancing in this context. Instead, it's another phrase for perving on the opposite sex.
Australian and New Zealand Affiliation of Quidditch, or ANZAQ as its acronym – a slight variation on ANZAC, which of course means Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Pronounced the same, however. I only did this 'cos I thought it would sound cool and not out of poor taste at all. The Aussie and New Zealand readers will automatically know what this acronym symbolises but for the others, I will explain. This was the name given to the soldiers who fought in World War I, more notably, the Diggers at Gallipoli, Turkey. Anzac Day is remembered on 25th April because that was the date that the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli. The Gallipoli landing was in fact a disaster due to the strong Turkish forces that were waiting for them and all remaining soldiers had to be shifted out of there before they were all killed. Amazingly, due to the ingenuity of the ANZACs, this was done without a life lost. ANZAC day is a very important day in the lives of Australians and to commemorate it, dawn services around the country are held, where 'The Last Post' is played on bugle and returned soldiers go to remember lost comrades, or family go to remember lost relatives. They are very moving ceremonies for everyone in attendance.
It will be a while before I can update. I need to write more of the story - as I mentioned above, this is the last chapter that I have written. So please bear with me; I will get around to it at some point. See y'all and thank you for all being faithful to it! By-eee!
