Hermione was pacing in an empty classroom while George sat on a desk frowning as he looked at his lap.
"What happened? How come we didn't go back to our time?" Hermione asked more to herself than anyone else.
"And our other selves looked at us smiling before they disappeared." George added as he looked up. Hermione stopped and turned to look back at him.
"That was weird, like they knew." Hermione strode over and sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a moment before George spoke up.
"Maybe we should ask Luna?" George suggested. Hermione looked over and when she opened her mouth, she heard someone whistle outside the door. The next moment Luna walked in. She had some cuts and bruises but she otherwise looked okay. Luna came in with her eyes closed as she kept whistling.
"Luna?" Hermione asked as she hoped of the table. Luna's eyes opened slowly as she gazed at them. She stared at them for a moment, taking them in.
"Hermione, George, you found one." She said dreamily.
George and Hermione looked at each other before looking back at the girl. "Wha-I don't know what you mean." Hermione stammered.
"I'm sure you do." She smiled at them. "I remember you coming to me, Hermione. You asked about the time turner." She pointed at where Luna's turner was hidden beneath her clothes. "You asked for a way to save Fred. And you two even saved two more lives. Tonks is alive, she will get to see her son grow up. And Colin made it, he gets to live his life like he was supposed to."
"How?" George started as he stood next to Hermione both looking baffled at the girl.
Luna hummed as she gazed out the window.
"And how come we didn't go back to the time we came from? Our other selves smiled at us and disappeared." George was getting nervous with Luna's behavior.
"I expected you to, to be honest. Maybe this was all supposed to happen. Maybe you two were meant to go back and save them." Luna's eyes drifted to the ceiling. "I'm tired."
"Luna.. can we talk about this later?" Hermione asked tentatively as the girl walked back to the door whistling.
"Later..." she said in a soft singing voice before she disappeared out the door. Hermione leaned back at the desk as she let out a long sigh. "We should go back; Harry should be back with Voldemort any minute now."
"Can't believe we have to relive that again." George sighed as he put his arm around her shoulder as they walked out the classroom and back to the great hall. She rested her head on his shoulder, trying to remember what she did the last time. When they entered the great hall Fred was sitting up with Ginny cuddled in his side. He looked up as he saw the familiar red mop of hair and the bouncing curls. His face faltered when he saw her tucked in under his arm, her head resting on his shoulder as they whispered. His face turned red in anger, he scowled at them as they neared him. Hermione and George smiled broadly at him as they saw him sitting up. Their smiles faded as they read his face, full of anger.
"Freddie?" They asked in unison. Hermione dislodged herself from George and crouched down beside him. Ginny looked between the three before excusing herself. "Freddie?" Hermione asked again and touched his shoulder. Fred's head snapped to her.
"What's going on?" He spat at her.
"Fred!" George warned.
"No! What's going on with you two?!" He almost shouted. Before Hermione could answer they heard a scream coming from the courtyard. George and Hermione jumped to their feet as more screams followed.
"It's time." Hermione said and George nodded. They looked back at Fred. "We will explain everything later." She said calmly to Fred, who looked even more confused. "But this- "She pointed between her and George. "-is not what you think, I promise." She kissed him quickly. "Stay here, stay save... For me."
"And for me." George added. Fred looked confused between the two but nodded his head once again and they turned, wand ready to the courtyard.
The war was finally over. Voldemort was gone, the same with Bellatrix who was killed by non-other than Molly Weasley. They placed the dead in an old classroom and moved the injured to the hospital wing, putting the tables back in the great hall where people could gather or get something to drink or eat. Fred was sleeping in the hospital wing when Hermione entered after leaving Harry, Ron and Ginny in the common room. George sat on a chair next to his bed, sleeping, his feet propped up on Fred's bed and his hands resting on his lap. Hermione looked over to the next bed where Tonks was lying awake staring at the ceiling. Hermione swallowed hard as she made her way over. Tonks turned her head to her direction when she heard someone approach. Hermione had only one word when she looked in her eyes, broken. She said nothing as she climbed in her bed and held her close as they cried together. They fell asleep together crying over the ones they lost.
She woke when a gentle hand nudged her shoulder.
"Mione." She turned and saw Fred standing over her. "Can we talk?"
Hermione looked around and everyone was still sleeping expect for Fred and George, the latter was waiting at the door. She nodded as she carefully climbed out of bed, trying not to wake Tonks. She followed Fred nervously as they searched for an empty classroom. The sun was starting to rise behind the mountains as they entered the ancients' runes classroom. Hermione sat down on a desk and Fred took the one across from her. George looked between them before settling down next to her.
"Talk."
"First of all there is nothing going on with me and Hermione, so get that out of your head." George said pointedly. "We just have been through a lot."
"We all have been through a lot." Fred countered as he crossed his arms.
"Fred, let him finish. What we have to tell you, you can't tell it to anyone else. Nobody. Do you understand?"
Fred looked between the two confused. "Alright."
Hermione waved her wand and locked the door while George put an imperturbable charm around the room. They looked at Fred and inhaled deeply.
"Fred... you died."
- HGFWHGFWHGFWHGFWHGFWHGFWHGFW -
Hermione wrote to Fred every day, keeping each other updated on their day to day. She wrote to him that Lavender broke up with Ron when she saw her and Ron coming down the boy's staircase presumably alone because Harry was under his invisibility cloak.
'If she only knew.' Fred wrote back, she knew he was laughing when he wrote it.
He sneaked in the castle four more times before the night Dumbledore died.
After Fred and George left the hospital wing, where their oldest brother was recovering, they walked up the stairs to the common room. When they climbed through the portrait hole Ginny unclasped herself from Harry and ran in their arms. They held her tight between them, their strong arm safely around her. Fred looked over her head and found Hermione's eyes, tears threatening to fall. Ron had his arm around her shoulders. Fred shoved down his jealousy as he focused on his sister.
When Ginny composed herself, they walked to the fireplace. Ginny sat down between Harry and George as Fred sat down next to Hermione, the moment he sat down she leaned into him. Ron and Harry went to sleep in their dormitory while Ginny and Hermione stayed down with the twins. Hermione curled up against Fred as they watched the fire in silence. Ginny already fell asleep in George's arms. Fred looked over at his twin, his chest rose and hell in a steady beat, eyes closed. He turned back his gaze to the girl that laid before him.
"I love you." Fred whispered from behind her. She turned on the sofa so she could face him. She cupped his cheek and looked up in his eyes.
"I love you too."
"I'm scared Mione. I'm scared about losing you, losing George. I don't know what I would do if that happened."
"Fred, we don't know what's going to happen. But I'm here now, we are here. And I'll do anything in my power to make sure the ones I love stay with me."
Fred rested his head against hers, taking in a deep breath trying to control his heartbeat. "When everything is over, I'm going to marry you."
Hermione looked up with her big brown eyes. She smiled broadly . "I wouldn't mind that." She answered softly and she kissed him deeply.
