Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is just a figment of my imagination
Chapter twenty-one: Out of LeagueShe whipped the door open and closed it behind her with a bang. She locked it with a vague swish of her wand and ran towards the door in the back so she could escape from Fred's befuddled expression.
'Why did I do that...' she asked herself frantically.
She burried her face in her hands and sank to the floor. George was probably upstairs and she had just confessed to something she wasn't even sure about. She loved George, didn't she? Softly she started to sob. Her head was so full of random thoughts that she couldn't get herself to focus.
Someone knocked on the door she was leaning against and she wiped the tears off her face quickly.
"Hermione..." it sounded tenderly.
She shook her head.
"Hermione, please...let me in."
Why, she didn't know. But she slowly managed to get to her feet and stepped aside. The handle moved down and with a soft click the door opened. Hermione turned away, but a pair of shaking hands turned her back so she had to face him.
"Hermione...you...You can't just say that and then run off...You can't expect me to ignore it."
Her bottom lip started to tremble and she hid her face in his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her to try and calm her, but it only seemed to make her cry even more. Hoping it would soothe her, he kissed the top of her head. But instead, she suddenly looked at him fiercely, tears burning in her eyes, and she pushed him away.
He was too stunned by all that had happened in the last few seconds to stop Hermione as she ran up the stairs to the appartement.
'I need to see George...' was all she could think.
If she could just see George then she would feel the love she had for him again and that would mean everything turning out the way it ought to. She ran blindly and heard slow footsteps follow her. She prayed that Fred wouldn't come after her. If anything, it could make George suspicious.
The door to his room was open, she saw, so she knew that he was definitely home. Without thinking clearly she barged inside, hoping that her mind would clear in his arms. She was already halfway through the room before any of them, herself included, had noticed.
"Her-Hermione!" George stammered, rolling onto his side and clutching the bedsheets to his chest.
Vivian, normally less keen on covering herself up, was so shocked by the sudden appearance of her employee that she automatically did the same. Hermione froze. She felt as if someone had stupified her; even though she tried, her feet would not move.
No one said anything, all waiting for someone else to break the silence. George tried to look at Hermione's face, but found he could not bear to see this kind of horror on her face. No, it wasn't horror, he realised. Somehow her eyes seemed void of any emotion.
He wanted to say something, but realised his own offence had been far graver than hers and so he closed his mouth again. Vivian sat up and seemed almost amused. She looked from one's face to the other's.
"Well!" she said loudly. "This is awkward."
Suddenly Hermione seemed to regain control of her body and she was finally able to unclench her jaw.
"Honestly, I could expect nothing else from you, judging by your record." she said to Vivian, surprised how vicious and distand her voice sounded.
Vivian's smirk disappeared and made room for a sneer-like grimace that didn't suit her. Hermione's eyes now swerved to George and she found that she didn't know what it was she was feeling. Sadness? The tears building up inside her did seem to suggest it was sadness.
Her heart pounded so loudly and it felt like something had slowly started to nibble on it as she took two steps back. Suddenly she burst out into a waterfall of tears.
"From her I can expect anything!" she spat, pointing her finger at him wildly. "But I never thought- From you, I never-"
He got up, still cluthing the sheets, and stepped up to her. Her disgusted look made him angry.
"Oh, like you're such an angel?" he roared at her out of nowhere.
She stopped. How could he possible have heard her talking to Fred when he had been...'busy' here?
"I-" she started confused.
"I saw you, Hermione! You and that backstabbing twin of mine! So don't you dare lay all the blame on me!"
"Wait..." she countered. "You're compairing a kiss to a- to a...to this? Do you have a screw loose or something!"
"Don't know about that, but he certainly just got screwed." Vivian remarked dryly.
Hermione's head snapped around.
"If you don't want to get hexed to hell and back again, I strongly suggest you stay out of this." she sneered.
"So what happened, then? I'm waiting for an explanation here!" George demanded. "You thought he was me or something?"
"I don't like that tone of yours, George Weasley!" Hermione yelled. "If anyone should give explanations, it's you! And don't you ever be that sarcastic towards me again! Ever!"
She glared at him and then turned around to leave but he grabbed her shoulders.
"You think you're the only one who has the right to get angry?" he asked roughly.
"...For someone who apparentally doesn't see there's a difference between sex and just a kiss you've got a lot of nerve to talk to me." she hissed. "I don't think I ever want to see you again."
She pulled herself from his grasp and walked towards the door.
"So what now? You're going to Fred for comfort? Going to him for love?"
She looked back over her shoulder for a second and he could see she was on the verge of crying again.
"...If he'll have me..." she whispered softly before she closed the door behind her.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Well...Didn't expect her to have that much firepower." Vivian mused as she laid back on the bed comfortably.
George said nothing and hid his face in his hands. He sat down on the side of the bed and looked at the floor helplessly.
"I...shouldn't have done this..." he whispered.
"Don't break your head about it too much." Vivian said dismissively. "She's left you now, right? For your brother...I mean, doesn't that show that she's clearly a-"
"It was just...Oh Merlin, I should never have- Nothing can ever make up for this."
He hung his head, wishing he could take back all the things he had just said to her, that he had never let himself be taken in by someone like the person he was talking to now.
"Not only does it show lack of judgement and character, it also shows that you were, well we were, way out of her league."
"Shut up!" he said fiercely. "Out of her league? You don't know what you're talking about! If anyone's playing out of her own league, it's you. Don't you go talking about her not being good enough, Vivian. She's better than you in every way you can imagine. She follows her heart and doesn't give it away as hastily as someone like you!"
He had a slight hint of disgust on his face which vanished quickly as he sat down on the edge of the bed again. Her expression had turned venomous.
"You know what?" she started.
But he shook his head and interrupted her. "No, I don't. But I want you to go, get out. Now."
"I'm not-"
"Now, Viv. Get out." he said fiercely.
With all the dignity she could muster, she got dressed and moved towards the door. Before she finally disappeared through it, she looked back.
"One thing, though. If she is such a good girl, then why did she leave you for your brother."
She didn't wait for his answer and departed. When the door had fallen shut, George closed his eyes with a painful expression.
"...Because she was out of my league, too."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The corridor was empty and all the doors were closed. The lights in the kitchen were switched off so she assumed no one was there. She walked on slowly and knocked on the door she knew to lead to his bedroom.
"Fred...?" she managed to whisper hoarsley.
There came no reply. She couldn't help asking herself whether he was in there or not, and, if he was, that she couldn't hope for him to listen to her. She knew how cruel she had been to him. First confessing love, then running away and now knocking on his door to beg for pity and comfort.
No wonder he wouldn't open the door, she thought with a stab of pain in her heart. Defeatedly she let her hand fall down by her side. It was no use, she had blown it all by running upstairs to George. Now that she had finally realised who it was she loved, she had ruined every little chance she'd had.
Her already puffy red eyes started to burn once again as she realised what the consequences now had turned out to be. She turned away from the door and slowly made her way down the stairs.
The shop was completely empty too. Not even Verity was there.
'So he really did lock himself in his room.' she thought bitterly.
He really had been ignoring her. She ran out the door and into the street, keeping on walking without thinking about where she was going. She didn't even care where she was going, her mind was even more confused than it had been before and it rendered her unable to think clearly.
The tears she had been fighting back started to flow once more as the thought of Fred not answering his door kept running around in her head over and over again.
She could only blame herself for this, she thought wildly as she tried to see through her tears. She should have realised it was Fred and not George that had been so sweet to her...who she felt affection for. But now it was too late.
When she'd had to make a choice, she had chosen to run upstairs to George. Now there was no turning back and Fred probably hated her.
She bumped into someone's back and muttered a hasty excuse. Wanting to avoid a confrontation, she headed into the nearest shop to disappear.
"Can I help you?" an elderly man asked.
She dried her eyes and took a look around. She recognised these somewhat dusty shelves filled with books very well. After all, she bought all her books here at Flourish and Blotts. She shook her head with a vague smile which looked oddly misplaced on her sad face.
It had been a long time since she had used this shop as her safe haven. But perhaps...just this once...
"No...I think I'll be fine." she whispered as she disappeared in between two rows of shelves, allowing herself to get lost in the only place she could really feel at ease.
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