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


They apparated to the Burrow shortly after, landing on the front steps. Hermione raised her arm to knock, but was pulled forward as George barrelled in. She stumbled and his arm shot out to catch her. Her eyes locked with a pair across the room and she sucked in a breath.

"Got busy last night did we?" Fred chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows at them. Hermione squeaked and pulled her, or rather, George's shirt down farther.

"I had left my clothes here last night and my other pair I had to burn, they were so dirty and torn!" She rushed out, her face turning bright red. Fred laughed and slid down onto the couch. Hermione tugged George towards the stairs, hoping to avoid that whole situation with other family members. She took a step upstairs and crashed right into the last person she wanted to see. Ron took one look at her and his face went beat red. She pictured cartoon smoke coming out of his ears.

"Ron…" Hermione started, and he shoved past her, barreling into George at full force. He landed a single punch before Hermione yanked him off. She quickly raised her wand.

"For the love of- Ronald will you stop! You're being completely irrational! Leave him alone!" Hermione yelled. She pointed her wand at him and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What the fuck Hermione. What is the game you're playing? Are you some sort of slag now?" He hissed and she gasped, tears springing to her eyes. Before she could stop him, George leapt forward and landed a punch to Ron's face. It was sure to bruise. A bright light erupted between them and both men were launched back, George dragging Hermione to the ground with him.

"That's enough! You two need to learn to use your words! Hermione dear, please explain what is going on here" Molly insisted, gesturing at the clothes she was wearing. Tears pricked her eyes and Hermione fought to keep them from falling.

"I left all my stuff here, that's why we are here so early Molly" She whispered, pulling George to stand up. He was rubbing his cheek, where Ron had hit him. She saw him wince and wanted nothing more than to fix it and make him feel better. Ron huffed as he stood, rubbing his eye.

"Right, likely story" He spat, and a tear slid down Hermione's cheek.

"That's enough, clearly we were wrong to come back, come one Hermione let's grab your bag and then go" George huffed, pushing past everyone and heading up the stairs. Hermione could hear Molly scolding Ron down the stairs as they left. They knocked and entered Ginny's room, finding the redhead lounging on her bed. She looked up with a smirk.

"Nice look Hermione, I heard the commotion downstairs, Ron can really be a tosser" Ginny chuckled and stood, crossing the room to hug Hermione. George grabbed the bag on the floor, and then turned to Hermione.

"Is this everything you own Granger? You live a light life huh" He teased, but Hermione didn't return it. Aside from the confrontation with Ron, she didn't want to have to tell George that that was all she could carry out of her parents house after she obliviated them. Ginny smacked George with a stern look.

"You idiot, her parents" She whispered and George's eyes widened.

"Shit Hermione, I'm sorry, uh why don't we go to Diagon Alley and get you some stuff for the flat?" He rushed out, guilt clear in his eyes, but Hermione just shook her head. She hated today. Ginny gave George a look and then they all turned to leave the room. A door slammed downstairs and she jumped a foot in the air, war reflexes kicking in. George squeezed her hand and she gave him a tight smile. They ended up back in the living room, and noticed Molly on the couch. She had her hands wrung tightly together and when they entered the room she stood up quickly.

"Ron left, so you two are welcome to stay longer, I did make breakfast" She tried to smile, but George shook his head.

"We're going to pick up something and head back to the flat. Lots of things we need to discuss" He said flatly, and they turned to enter the floo. Ginny headed towards the front door.

"I've got to go out too Mum, I'll be back later. See you two later, yeah? We can catch up or something" She said and shared another look with George. Hermione was too tired to care. They flooed back to the flat and George tugged Hermione to his room.

"Let's get you into your own clothes, then I was thinking we could pop into the Leaky Cauldron? They've been open for about a month now, I heard. Rebuilt and ready to serve. I think we both need a pint" George laughed. Hermione glanced at her watch, noting that it was noon. She decided that it was late enough and she needed one.

"Yeah I think I do" George smiled and handed her the bag he had been carrying. She set it onto her transfigured bed, and dug through it. She glanced at George and saw he had already covered his eyes. She felt a smile tug at her lips, he was trying. She slipped into a pair of her own jean shorts, but decided to keep on his shirt, it would be easier. She tucked the front into her shorts and then pulled her hair into a bun.

"George, could we maybe try to come up with some rules for all of this. I am… stressed and I don't want to keep walking on eggshells" She pushed out, a frown on her face. George lowered his hand from his eyes and nodded.

"I was thinking the same thing" She smiled a little.

The pub was quiet when they sat down at a booth, a butterbeer in each of their hands. Hermione sipped hers and thought about how the two of them must look, hands pressed together over the table, her wearing his shirt. She shrank back into the booth. George noticed and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Middle of the day, we likely won't see anyone we know" She nodded and continued to sip. They chatted away for an hour, talking about George's plans for the shop, the hope to get it running again, and how he was excited to get back to creating. Hermione had to admit, she loved the way he lit up, talking about his work. It was inspiring.

"Do you plan on going to work? You know once this whole link situation is over?" George asked as he sipped on his second butterbeer. Hermione frowned. She hadn't even thought about it. She didn't even technically finish school.

"I might want to go back to Hogwarts… once I can… um" She trailed off and looked away. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to look at the castle the same. George squeezed her hand.

"Well we always need hands at the shop, not that you were ever a fan" He laughed and Hermione quickly shook her head.

"I was a fan! I was just a bigger fan of education. But I always found your creations brilliant, though most were quite destructive" She gave him a shy smile, and she watched as a blush rose on his neck and cheeks. Time passed by and eventually the pub became crowded with after work drinkers. The two rose and headed out into the night. The sun was setting later, now that summer had begun and it lit the street on their way back to the shop. It felt oddly nice to hold his hand, Hermione realized. She knew it wouldn't last and decided to enjoy it while it did.

They entered the flat and settled down into the couch, Hermione summoning the notebook she had previously used for notes. She flipped open the purple cover and got her Muggle pen ready to write. She had brought one in the bag early and had slipped it into her pocket before they had left.

"Right, rules then" She said, turning to face George. He nodded, looking serious.

"I won't write no more fighting Ron, but I need to say it so I know you understand." She gave him a stern look and he sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"He deserved it this time" He said, pressing his lips together and Hermione sighed with a nod.

"No mentioning my parents, I'm not ready to get into that just yet" Hermione wrote it down. She wrote down her rules for when they use the washroom, if there isn't a tub, the other simply covers their eyes. She wrote down the rule for changing as well.

"What about showers, I usually need two hands…" She said, chewing on the end of the pen. George shot her a wink.

"I mean, four hands are better than two- Fuck Granger stop hitting me!" He shouted, rubbing his head. He pouted and she glared at him.

"I'm serious George" She sighed and he leaned back against the couch.

"Why don't we just go test it out. I need a ruddy shower more than anything right now" Hermione sighed and then nodded. She did too. She followed him to the bathroom and both stood, staring at the glass door separating the shower from the rest of the room. It didn't have a curtain, it was like a glass box with only a shower inside. Hermione sucked in a breath, anxiety filling her chest.

"Now what… George stop! I don't want to see all that!" She yelled covering her eyes as George started to pull down his pants. He laughed and she huffed at him.

"Granger I don't know what you want me to say, clearly we both have to go in there, unless you want me to rinse you down with a hose at the Burrow" He finally said after a moment of silence. She put on her best brave Gryffindor face and nodded.

"Maybe lets keep underwear on? That will make me feel a bit better…" She whispered, immediately feeling silly again. George nodded and slid his pants down. Hermione looked away, embarrassed and uncomfortable by the tingling feeling in her stomach. Her fingers zapped with magic and she looked up to see George pulling their hands apart to get his shirt off. She felt her vision blur and she stumbled, caught off guard by it. He grabbed her waist quickly to steady her and the feeling in her stomach grew. He stepped closer, her breath caught in her throat. She could feel his magic through her hands, and feel the warmth of his breath on her face. She wanted to close her eyes and lean into it. She felt dizzy. His head dipped towards her and she suddenly snapped back into reality and stepped back.

"Um, I left my uh- my bra in my bag" She said, heat rising to her cheeks. The look in his eyes made her insides squirm. She summoned it quickly and turned away from him. She slipped it on and slipped out of her shorts, then yanked the shirt over and off her head. She didn't know if he had covered his eyes. When she pulled her hand away from his, he gripped the counter to steady himself. He was standing slightly turned away from her, but she noticed the tent in his pants almost immediately. Her cheeks grew warm and she sucked in a breath. He side stepped her, trying to hide it she assumed and turned on the shower. She felt practically naked, and tried to use her free arm to cover herself. He didn't look at her, and she realized it was because she had asked him not to. She continued to be surprised by his kindness. The water ran warm, and they took turns being under it and washing themselves the best that they could. The underwear made it difficult but after two months of not bathing, neither of them cared. Hermione felt clean again. They had spent over an hour, sharing the shower and struggling to clean themselves, but it was well worth it. They climbed out and George wrapped his towel around his waist, then helped Hermione wrap hers around herself. She whispered a shy thank you and resisted the urge to stare at his wet chest.

They settled into bed and laid there silently, both lost in thought. Hermione was staring at the ceiling, focussing on the feeling of George's magic surging through her hand. She was pretty sure that she could also tell he was feeling through the link. She wasn't quite sure, but when she focussed on it, it felt like he was stressed. She was too. She wondered if he had realized that he could also feel her feelings. She turned to him, and noticed he was already facing her, with his eyes closed.

"Does your cheek hurt? I noticed a bruise in the washroom earlier" She whispered and she focussed on the link, feeling the magic shift into a lighter, happier feeling.

"It hurts a little, he got me good. But I'm strong, nothing to worry about" He smirked, eyes opening and meeting hers. The blue was electric as it hit the light of the moon through the window. Hermione shifted closer, bending their connected arms up, more comfortably.

"I can look at it tomorrow" She said and he nodded. A moment passed.

"Thank you, for hitting him back. I never expected him to say something like that…" She whispered, tears pricking her eyes. The magic in the link intensified. She could tell he was upset.

"You don't deserve to be talked to like that. You're brilliant, and talented and-" He cut off before saying anything else, shutting his eyes. The room was silent. Hermione slid closer.

"You're brilliant and talented too George. And you're kind" He smiled at her, and his eyes slid closed. She stared at him a moment longer then closed hers as well.

The nightmares forced a scream from her throat, as she laid on the floor of Malfoy Manor. Blood dripped from the lines cut into her arm. Mudblood. The cackling laugh of Belatrix Lestrange filled her ears. Her eyes were locked on the blood, watching it flow around her. She was dying.

"Hermione!" Someone was shaking her awake. She choked out another scream before sitting up, raising her arms. Someone wrapped their arms around her and pulled her in. She inhaled the sweet smell of strawberries and leaned into the warmth. They sat there in silence, until Hermione's breathing evened again. She slipped back, tear tracks clear on her face.

"I'm sorry George,I didn't mean to again I-" She sniffed, and his hand reached out, wiping away the tears.

"I get them too" He pulled her into another hug. Her heart pounded in her chest. They slid back into their own beds, exhaustion pulling them into sleep once more.