A/N -some quick notes.
I own nothing.
I made some edits to the last chapter at the suggestion of my reviewer to make things more coherent.
This story is AU mostly having a strong Twin/Hermione/Ginny friendship throughout the first three books. We will have bits and pieces sprinkled in to give some of that background as we move along.
Early Summer 1994
Summer was Hermione's least favorite season of the year as a child. The lull in structured activity almost always led to a bit of a slump on her end. She ran off schedules off deadlines so having a nine week break was difficult to navigate.
Thankfully throughout primary school her parents had understood and kept her enrolled in a myriad of summer camps to keep her active and engaged. She took gym and dance, piano, violin, learned soccer, swimming and so much more. She did not excel at any naturally but with her work ethic did well at all. Happy and thriving, never once having a dull moment. Then Hogwarts came and wizards did not have any summer activities for their children. At first her parents tried to continue sending her to camp.
But it was clear after her first year that it didn't help in fact it seemed just to make matters worse. Her odd man out social standing being amplified by the fact she couldn't really talk about her school experiences at all and anything she could say sounded quite made up. Her second year they traveled to France for six weeks, making up for all of those missed holidays they did not take when she was young, which was nice then this year they had gone on a smaller trip to Italy then sent her to the Weasleys.
Well sent sounds wrong, she begged to go after over hearing her parents one night. Knowing that this year had been hard on them as business owners and knowing that a six week holiday was out of the question. So when Ron invited her she jumped at the chance. Seeing the relief on her parents' faces when she greeted Mr. Weasley, Ron, and the twins, who were acting as escorts, calmed the ache she felt with leaving. They always had next summer to spend as a family.
Then she heard her parents in the kitchen thanking Mr. Weasley for welcoming her into the family. Mentioning how hard it was for them to help her as she aged. Asking if there were ways to better connect with her or if the fact their family was growing apart was a common occurrence. The ache returned as she backed away from the door running into Fred as he and Geroge wandered back up the stairs no doubt coming to retrieve their father from asking too many questions about plugs.
The ache in her chest must have shown on her face, because a second after their "watch it there granger" both of their faces fell the slightest bit.
"You okay?" Fred asked hands on her forearms and brown eyes holding her gaze as if able to read what was troubling her from her mind as easily as she read a book.
"Yeah, All's good" She said, painting a pained grin.
"You sure, because we could beat up some muggle riff rough for you." George said, hunching over slightly as if the three were conspiring together.
"Riff rough?" She said with a soft giggle wondering where exactly Geroge had heard that expression.
"Isn't that what the muggle are saying?" Fred asked, his hands dropping from her arms.
"Not quite."
"What about our clothes?" George said as the twins stepped back in unison and gestured to their clothing choices which consisted of the most outrageously colored pieces layered atop each other with no care as to their purpose. Jackets under muscle shirts, a pair of pants over jeans that bunched in a way that made her certain there were more layers underneath.
It was enough to make her couch back a laugh. Which more than likely was the point.
"The height of muggle fashion, right Granger." Fred continued.
"Not quite."
"Well then you shall just have to teach us." George said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"After all, how else shall we learn?" Fred continued mirroring his brother.
"Maybe by going to class."
"Blasphemy." The twins said in unison.
"If this is what you have learned from three years with professor Burbage I worry about the future muggle ones of the world." She laughed.
"Alas Hermione, your fears are unfounded."
"For you see Granger we have been cast out."
"Abandoned"
"Banished"
"Cast out."
"Deserted"
"Evicted"
"Forsaken"
"Given the boot" she offered after George let the conversation lull a second too long.
"We…" Fred attempts to start again
"Are getting to the point." She offered.
"Burbage."
"Professor Burbage." She corrected.
"Our esteemed purveyor of muggleness has taken a leave of absence to do her duty in the jelly jam war." Fred said fainting on the couch in his theatrics.
"Translation….."
"They got a troll on their owls for muggle studies," Ron said as he walked through the door with all of the grace of a newly born foal. "I thought you all were getting Dad, it's almost time for lunch." Ron said a pointed look at the twins.
"Its only quarter to 11," Hermione mentioned through from the look of all three Weasley's the hour did not matter much when the conversation turned to food.
"Yeah, and…" Ron said as if pushing her to make an argument against 11 am being a good time to have food as any other.
She could, but that would only lead to a fight. And she did not want to start out her summer with the Weasley's with an argument. So instead she murmured a quick "Nothing," and shrunk a bit into herself crossing her arms and leaning back on a heel.
"Ah here we all, is everyone ready." Mr. Weasley said as the door to the kitchen opened and the parents spilled into the small hallway separating the kitchen from the rest of the house. The teenagers all let out a variety of affirmatives. Then Mr. Weasley started his kids over to the fireplace in the living room.
"Hermione," her mom said, offering her arms for a final hug. "Have a good year, and maybe have a little fun." Her mom whispered.
Her dad stepped up next, wrapping her in a hug and resting his cheek against her hair before kissing her hairline, "but not too much fun, or boys. Remember education..." He warned and let out a small laugh.
"Comes first, I know," Hermione offered them as she smiled, pushing away the small part of her that wanted to cling on to the girl she was before Hogwarts, the girl whose parents were everything to her.
But then she thought about Harry and Ron and everyone else she had met over the past three years. So she pushed that girl aside and walked away from them with a smile and hoped that she had made the right decision three years ago.