The stubborn pair avoided each other again for the rest of the week but by the time Sunday lunchtime came around Fred was being physically dragged out of the flat by his mother so that he attended their family dinner.

Audrey had now learnt about the wizarding world, accepted Percy's proposal and met Molly and Arthur enough times that she felt comfortable meeting the rest of the crazy family so was coming to her first Weasley family dinner. She had met Bill and Fleur a few times too and Charlie and Oliver once, but seeing as she would have all of the Weasleys together at their wedding at the end of August it would be a good idea to get used to the chaos that was the Weasley family all in one place. Well, in this case all of the Weasley family except Ginny who Audrey would be attending the graduation ceremony of that coming Thursday on the 1st of July with the rest of the large and boisterous family.

Dinner went very smoothly and Audrey fit right in with the lively red heads, easily throwing jokes back at the twins as they teased Percy and messed around light heartedly, while chatting intelligently with Hermione and Fleur. Molly was thrilled at Fred's change of attitude, as soon as he had sat down beside Hermione and she had offered him a gentle smile before going back to her conversation with Ron and Harry, Fred's whole demeanour became lighter and much more like his usual self.

Having heard about the wizarding game of quidditch a lot from Ron and Harry over pudding, their conversation topic of choice since Audrey knew nothing about their fame which thoroughly delighted them both, the family went out into the late afternoon sun to give their newest family member a proper demonstration. Audrey, Percy, Fleur and Hermione settled themselves down on a rug on the lawn while Arthur and Molly positioned themselves nearby in lounging garden chairs ready to watch the match. Hermione had offered to explain the game as it happened to Audrey, having also grown up in the muggle world and therefore having a better understanding than any of the magic raised Weasleys about what would and would not need explaining.

Fred and George played as opposing beaters, Ron and Oliver as keepers, and Angelina and Bill as opposing chasers while Harry and Charlie each played as both seekers and chasers. The game was frivolous and a delight to watch as the players got really into it and carnage ensued every time the evasive snitch was glimpsed mid play causing the chasers formations and plans for the quaffle to go haywire. Fred was thoroughly showing off with more and more pointless acrobatic and ridiculous moves, spurred on by each chuckle, giggle and laugh he teased out of Hermione as she watched.

His gaze completely set on the heart stopping smile she sent at him, Fred performed a flip without holding onto his broom followed by several barrel roles then wiggled and zigzagged around faking being thoroughly dizzy and ending in an overly dramatic sloth roll just as a bludger came at him full pelt from the other direction.

With a sickening crunch the bludger collided at top speed with Fred's right shoulder and he slumped forward awkwardly, gripping the broom with his left hand. Hermione was off her feet in an instant, despite working strictly in the hospital's research labs she had to undergo monthly first aid and emergency medical care training as all hospital staff did in case of an emergency, serious attack or other catastrophe. It wasn't designed to do much but it meant that she could solve minor cases and stabilise more serious patients until they could be seen by a fully trained professional.

Descending in a slow, shaky spiral Fred made it back to the ground near the house and took a few unsteady steps before wavering and standing still again with a pained looking grimace set on his sun freckled face.

"Fred!" Ron bellowed in fear, rushing towards his brother as flashbacks from the final battle hit him full force, but George intercepted the family and told them all to give Hermione space to work. It pained him horrifically to do so and to not be right by his twins side in an instant, especially after the scare at the battle of Hogwarts, but Hermione had saved him with her shield charm then and he trusted her to save the other half of him again now.

"Freddie." Hermione coaxed gently as she took the last few steps up towards him. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Fred's eyes were still closed tight and his jaw clenched, broom hanging limply from one hand and the other arm cradled against his body.

"I'm fine love, just going to have a bit of bruise tomorrow." He heard her disbelieving scoff and continued with an attempt at a smile for her which just exaggerated his grimace even futher. "Really Mione I'm alright. Can I call you Mione again now?"

"Of course." She gave a soft chortle "That was forever ago now, or at least it feels like it. You know I can never stay mad at you for long."

Fred attempted to open his eyes to see the smile he could hear on her voice, but the second he saw sunlight again he became dizzy and swayed precariously, dropping his broomstick on the lawned floor at his feet.

"Okay you just keep those eyes shut for me" Hermione instructed, the smile in her voice replaced immediately with a tone of personal worry and professional concern "let me cast a few diagnostic spells and I need you to be honest with me okay. That means you're going to have to tell me what's wrong and stop being quite so stoic."

Several hoops of light erupted from Hermione's wand and encircled Fred's body providing Hermione with all sorts of useful feedback. A purple hoop showed, by the momentary flare of purple glitter, where the pain was focussed and it indicated a large area around his right shoulder. White showed all of the breaks to his bones by leaving delicate bright white lines on the outside of Fred's body where the fractures were. Gold checked the functionality of his internal organs, no siren went off so that was a good sign as it meant that none of them were currently failing. The final one, red, was the one which caused Hermione serious worry though.

As the fourth and final hoop looped around Fred's body a loud dripping sound echoed from the circle of red light.

"Fred. I need you to answer my questions honestly now okay, promise me." Hermione requested seriously and took hold of Fred's left hand, now with the confidence that that wouldn't make him any worse.

"Promise." Fred replied, looking quite pale and his skin slowly turning a shade somewhere between grey and green.

"Do you have any tingling in your hands?"

"Just in my right one." Fred replied quietly, he looked like he was rapidly going downhill and Hermione started to conjure a stretcher just in case.

"Do you feel sick at all?"

"Mhmm."

"Can you walk if I hold your hand?"

"I can do anything… if you hold my hand Mione, love." Fred whispered and then clenched his mouth shut again before he had the chance to vomit.

"Okay, this way." Hermione carefully led Fred the short distance into the house and through to the lounge floo while muttering to a silver otter which quickly nodded and darted off out of sight. "Now, I'm going to cast a spell on you that will just get us through the floo to St Mungo's where the professionals will take over. I sent a patronus as we walked so they already know we're on our way and I'll go through beside you so that you definitely get out in the right place. The charm will feel very strange and make it hard to breathe for a while but the healers will remove it when we get there, okay?"

Fred opened one eye and gave a half smile to Hermione as she cast an immobilizing charm on his shoulder and all of the internal parts of the right side of his chest. It did feel like he was half suffocating without his right lung being able to inflate but Hermione smiled back at him encouragingly and he walked into the fireplace beside her and out at the other side with her too.

"Maya!" Hermione called out loudly across the bustle of St Mungo's emergency ward.

"Hermione!" A witch about five years older than Hermione rushed over in lime green hospital robes that clashed brilliantly with the pink dip dyed ends of her mousy brown hair. "Who's this handsome gent?"

Even as she greeted them Maya was casting diagnostic spells and undoing Hermione's statis charm.

"This is Fred Weasley, he got hit by a bludger to the shoulder while flying. He didn't fall off and managed to bring the broom to land safely but he's been experiencing dizziness, nausea and a tingling sensation in his right hand." Hermione reeled off while Fred attempted to simultaneously deal with the pain, keep his eyes shut so he didn't fall over, not vomit on his secret love or her work friend and breathe normally now that his chest would move fully again, which all seemed quite a challenge right now.

"Take a seat on this bed Mr Weasley." Maya instructed and Hermione helped him to sit down on the floating hospital bed and then followed Maya into another room as Fred floated along on the levitating bed beside them. "You were correct in your suspicions Hermione, Mr Weasley you have a mangled shoulder blade, several broken ribs and a fractured humerus along with some internal bleeding which is quickly becoming quite serious."

"My humerus is fine" Fred interrupted in an attempt to lighten Hermione's worry which he could feel coming off her in waves even with his eyes shut "I'm great at jokes. Did you hear the one - "

He was broken off by Maya casting a silencing charm on him.

"You can tell me later Mr Weasley but right now the magi surgeons are here to fix your internal bleeding before it becomes life threatening." Maya explained as a witch and a wizard came up on either side of Fred's bed, the new pair levitated him back into the correct position for them to work and began casting anaesthetic charms straight away. "Hermione and I are going to take a walk but we'll be back before you wake up so don't you worry."

Fred would have asked what she meant by 'wake up' but he was out even before Maya had finished her sentence.

...

Authors note

Thank you so much to jlchetti, ZoeyOlivia and dianaanne for your reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too...

Love you all and thanks for reading,

Wishin' Girl x x x