I don't own the characters or setting, they belong to JKR :)


The two stepped into the floo and disappeared from view, travelling to the flat Hermione had never been to. They stepped out and George rubbed his neck, looking sheepish.

"Sorry about that back there. Ron really knows how to wind me up" He chuckled, before leading them to the large red couch. Hermione took in the room. It was small, and screamed Gryffindor. Red and gold lined the room, in furniture and paintings on the wall. Hermione sucked in a breath when she realized that they were Muggle paintings and that they didn't move. George noticed and again looked shy.

"Me and Fred went to a market in Muggle London a while back, found these there. Nice aren't they?" He gestured to the landscapes that covered the walls. Hermione gave him a smile.

"I love them. Your flat really shows your true colours. Definitely Gryffindors living here" She smirked and George let out a bark of laughter that made her feel light. He had a nice laugh, she thought.

"It's small, but we find it cozy. Usually it's just me and Fred, sometimes Lee and Angelina. Blimey, is that the time? Guess we can discuss everything tomorrow. Shower? Ouch! Okay just bed then" He covered his head as Hermione smacked him a second time that day. She glared at him and he pulled them to their feet. He led her through the kitchen to the hallway that showed two bedrooms. They stood beside the one on the left.

"Uh right, I'll give you a better tour tomorrow, but for now… I suppose I'll show you the man cave" He breathed out, opening the door. Hermione was surprised by how tidy it was. Books neatly on the shelves lining the walls, his bed was made, and the window was filled with green plants. It looked a lot like the room she had at her parent's house before she had obliviated them. Her heart panged at the thought of her parents. George had been talking but she hadn't heard him.

"What? Sorry" Hermione smiled, feeling awkward. Ron's room looked like a crash site compared to this. Garbage everywhere, smelling of sweaty boy from all the dirty uniforms he refused to wash. She scrunched her face at the memory.

"I was thinking we could just transfigure you a bed for tonight and then we can figure out something else tomorrow yeah?" He asked, moving to push the chair by the window beside his bed. She nodded and pulled out her wand, quickly creating a second bed. They pushed it beside his, but Hermione was sure to leave as much space between them as she could. George noticed but said nothing. Hermione looked down at her rumpled clothes, ones she had been wearing for what must have been two months. They were the ones she had transfigured into after she had woken in the hospital. Her nose scrunched in disgust and she almost regretted the shower she refused. Almost. She quickly realized there was no way to get her arm into another shirt sleeve. She could only transfigure clothes, which didn't clean them just change their appearance. George noticed too, his face twisted in disgust.

"Well this is quite a pickle. Lots of clothes, not sure how to get them on" He rubbed the back of his neck. Hermione noticed he did that when he was working through something in his head. They sat side by side on his bed, looking at their hands. Hermione used her free hand to touch her other one, magic zapping back and forth. George's voice startled her out of her focus.

"What if we try to let go? I tried when you were asleep but nothing happened. Maybe because we are both awake, it'll work? I'm nervous that it might affect our magic, but clearly we need to do something?" He said, sounding unsure of himself. Hermione felt tense. But he was right, they couldn't just stay in dirty clothes. They turned closer, until their knees were touching and Hermione stifled a smile. She pulled their hands into the space between them, and gave him a determined look. She slowly pulled their fingers apart, and the magic sparked between their separated fingers. They continued, and the magic grew stronger. Hermione felt the pull from George's magic, and the room started to spin. George pulled his hand further from Hermione's and the magic became overwhelming.

"George, I think we need to stop..." Hermione whispered. Their hands were barely touching now, a crack of space separated them. The air between them sparked with purple. It was electric and almost beautiful. Hermione froze as suddenly she felt faint. George pulled his hand further, determination written all over his face. Her vision swam, and she felt sick. George noticed suddenly, and stopped, frozen by the look on her face. He jumped up, grabbing her hand again. Instantly she felt better, her magic rushing to meet his. That wasn't a good sign.

"That was weird" Hermione huffed out, grabbing her head. George hummed, looking uneasy. Guilt swam in his bright eyes. He stepped closer to her, pressing his hand to her forehead. She sucked in a breath, surprised by the contact.

"You're warm, and you look like you might be sick at any second, let's not do that again. I'm not sure why I wasn't affected like you were. We'll have to discuss this with the nurse" He frowned, trailing off, hand still on her forehead. He seemed to be lost in thought. Hermione felt herself lean into the warmth, her eyes sliding closed. George let out a breath, and suddenly Hermione was being pulled to lay down. George pulled off her shoes, and pulled the blanket up to her neck. As she drifted off, she suddenly smelt a faint hint of rose and felt the air rush around her. She realized that George had cast a cleaning charm on her, silently. She was relieved to feel even a tiny bit cleaner.

Hermione's eyes sprang open, a scream dying in her throat. She gripped her arm, the scars burning. Someone was shaking her, and fear filled her chest. The room came into view and she was suddenly staring at blue eyes. They were wide and filled with worry. His hair was tousled from sleep, and he had deep bags under his eyes.

"Hermione! Granger, you're okay! You're safe" He seemed to be repeating himself. She sucked in air, filling her lungs. She was shaking.

"George" She whispered, slowly relaxing into his arms. He pulled her closer, petting her hair down. He was shushing her, and she tried to focus on his hand in her hair. She pulled back, embarrassed suddenly.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you, I haven't been sleeping well" She whispered, turning away from him. He tugged her hand.

"Hey, it's alright. I have too…" He tried to reassure her. Maybe that's where his eye bags had come from. She slid back down to lay on her back, and she heard him do the same. Their arms were stretched out between the two beds, and she felt his fingers twitch in her hand.

"Hermione… was what Ron said… are the two of you…" He whispered into the darkness, using her first name again, all seriousness in his tone. He sounded strained, like he hadn't wanted to ask. Colour flushed her face, and she closed her eyes. A moment passed between them, and she thought maybe he had fallen back asleep.

"We aren't" The room stayed silent after that, minus the pounding of her heart. She fell asleep shortly after, a small smile on her lips.

Magic zapping her fingers woke up awake. She sat up instantly, room spinning as the blood rushed to her head. She frantically glanced around the room, trying to get her bearings. What she saw made her suck in a breath and instantly look away. George stood in front of her, shirtless and in his boxers. His shirt was dangling from their connected hands. He froze, eyes wide and heat flooded his cheeks. He smirked and put his free hand on his hip.

"See something you like, Granger?" He hummed, and Hermione puffed out the breath she had been holding. She put on her best, bossy and stern face, turning back to face him.

"What are you attempting to do here George?" Hermione looked down at his shirt, realization setting in.

"I uh, was trying to slide my shirt through our hands… I thought I'd be able to'' He rubbed the back of his neck. Hermione nodded, grabbing his shirt and dragging it towards their hands. She released his hand and he did the same. This time as she pulled her hand away, she noticed that George was the one mainly affected. She noted that quickly and slipped the shirt through their open hands. Quickly grabbing his hand she stepped forward to steady him. His eyes shot to hers at the contact of her hand on his bare chest. The air was thick and something twisted in her stomach. She broke the silence, sliding back from him.

"So I think I've figured something out. It seems like whoever pulls away from the link, the other person is more affected. Today I pulled my hand back, and you were the one affected" She stated, and he nodded.

"I was thinking the same thing, man that is unpleasant. The longer the link is broken the worse we feel I think" He wiped his free hand down his face, the news adding a dark cloud to the room. Hermione frowned and they continued to sit in silence. Hermione glanced at George once again, his broad chest rising and falling. He caught her gaze and smirked.

"Are you planning on putting pants on?" She frowned and he laughed, standing up and pulling them towards his chest full of clothes. She blushed dark red as his first drawer contained only boxers. He grabbed a navy jumper and tan trousers before turning towards her again. He lifted the boxers and she immediately covered her eyes.

"Please get on with it" She squeaked. She heard the rustling of clothes and then heard him sigh.

"Much better, although a shower would be nice" She could tell he wasn't pressing her buttons that time, and she had to agree, she wanted one as well… She took her hand down and saw he was still shirtless, but was now wearing his pants. Hermione quickly helped him get his shirt through their hands and they tested their theory. Her head spun when he pulled away and they both sighed in frustration. That meant their theory was correct.

"I think we should be writing this stuff down, do you have a journal or anything?" She said in a rush, determined to solve their issue. He laughed at her determination. He tugged her over to the desk under the window and sifted through piles of notes for the shop and journals filled with ideas for products. "Twisted Tongue Taffy" was at the top of a notebook and Hermione smiled. She was glad they had continued to do what they loved. George handed her a purple notebook, empty and ready to be filled. Hermione whispered a thanks and quickly wrote down everything they knew. George chimed in with his own information and soon there were close to four pages of notes. Suddenly Hermione's stomach growled and George let out a loud laugh. She yelped, startled and embarrassed.

"I suppose I might be a little hungry… Um George do you think I could borrow a shirt and maybe shorts? I left my bag in Ginny's room last night at dinner" She said sheepishly. His eyes went wide.

"Shit, of course Granger. I forgot. I don't have shorts… did you want a pair of boxers? They're clean I swear" He said, dragging her over to the chest. She let out a squeak as he handed her a burgundy t-shirt with the Gryffindor crest, about four sizes too big, and a pair of navy boxers which she also knew would be large on her. He didn't seem to be phased by the fact that she was about to be naked in front of him.

"Um, alright, I guess I'll wear this. Can you please close your eyes? I'm going to pull away but keep your eyes closed. I'll be quick I swear" She said, anxiety lacing her words. He smirked and she smacked his head.

"Right, right, sorry. Okay but I might fall so I don't promise to not save myself" That received another smack. He grumbled.

She slipped her dirty, torn pants down her legs and whispered a cleaning spell on her knickers, deciding that she would keep them on. She pulled his boxers up her legs and used a quick spell to tighten the waistband. They were long enough. She slid her free arm out of her shirt and tugged it over her head until she was standing in just a dirty white lace bra, shirt in her free hand.

"I'm about to let go, don't speak" She said sternly, and when he nodded she let go. He sucked in a breath and she quickly slid the shirt through the small gap between their hands. She grabbed his hand again and he let out a sigh. Quickly she got into his shirt, slipping it through their hands and pulling it down over the boxers. It reached just past her knees, completely covering the boxers. She let out an uncomfortable sigh, deciding to take off her dirty bra as well. Her shirt hid her figure enough, it would be okay. She heard George suck in a breath and her eyes shot to his face. His eyes were locked on the bra she was holding, and then they snapped up to meet her gaze. There was a look in his eyes that Hermione didn't recognize. He shook his head and then nodded towards the door.

"Ready for a tour? Then we should head back to the Burrow to grab your things, I can already taste the breakfast Mum's probably got over there" He smirked and Hermione laughed, following him into the hall. He showed her the single washroom, and into the small kitchen. Everything was very neat and organized, George told her that was all him, apparently Fred tended to be quite messy. The kitchen had notes across almost every surface, and pictures of the twins plus older students from Hogwarts that Hermione barely recognized were taped to the fridge. It was a very cosy little flat. It felt very homey to her.

"Oh I also need to pop down to the shop, we're still closed and I wanted to just grab some paperwork to go through, to get things up and running again" George said, as they headed towards the front door. Through it led them to a small hallway and they emerged into the backroom of the shop. He assured Hermione it was ward and password protected, and she felt more at ease.

"How was business during the war? We heard you guys remained open even during the worst of it" Hermione asked, glancing at the worktable that they passed on the way to the cabinet that held all the paperwork. It was covered in bits of candy, and torn pieces of paper. George pulled files out of the cabinet.

"It was good, people needed a reason to laugh then more than ever you know" He smiled at her and she nodded.