Okay, I'm proud to finish this chapter in time because I had a rather hard time writing it. I got a not so nice review about this story on Tumblr and it got me into an overthinking mood where you question every words and plotline... Honestly, it made me really insecure. But the review stated clearly that it was a personal view on not liking some parts of the story so I tried not to take it personally and managed to end this chapter on time.
A lot of things are happening in this chapter but it might feel like a filler. I'm working on setting up the necessary plotlines for the next few chapters. I have great things planned for the sixth year ;) I hope you like it and leave me some sugar.
In celebration for having our first anniversary with this story, this chapter is extra long!
And I want to thank a special person: Moonfairy13, who really has become a great friend and writing partner in the last year. Check our her Fremione stories :D
ooo
WHAT IF
Chapter 26 - A New Deal
A purple flash of light. Burning. Hurting. A stabbing pain. Like a knife. No, burning. Like a flame. No, stabbing. Knife. Burning fire.
Then, nothing. Peaceful dullness. And maybe sleep? Unconsciousness! A part of her mind panicked as she drifted off. Losing herself was dangerous. But everything was better than this pain. Unbearable. Burning. Stabbing.
Harry! I have to help Harry!
With a jolt, Hermione came back to herself. Panic running through her veins. Her whole body ached. Dolohov! Dolohov had cursed her. She willed her eyes to open and tried to sit up. A sharp pain in her chest made her wince.
"Easy," someone pushed Hermione gently back into a soft cushion. "You shouldn't move too fast."
"What are you doing here? And where am I? We were at the ministry when..." Angelina smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Where's Harry? And Ron, and…" Hermione felt like her mind was racing as fast as the Hogwarts Express and seeing Angelina by her bedside confused her only further.
"Easy, Hermione," Angelina slowly stroked her hair. "You're back at Hogwarts, in the infirmary. Dumbledore and some other people got you all out of the Ministry. I don't know much. I'm only here because I'm doing an internship with Madame Pomfrey right now. Harry is fine, he's probably already back in his dorm by now, and everyone else too. Only Ron is here, he's resting."
Only now did Hermione realise that there was another bed occupied. A vibrant redhead glowed in the dark. "Ron!" Again she wanted to jump up but Angelina held her back. This was probably for the best because even the small movement inflicted a stabbing pain in her chest.
"Hermione, you really shouldn't move right now." Angelina scolded her softly. "You were cursed and we're still not sure what kind of curse it was. But it did a number on you." Hermione vaguely recognised the worry in Angelina's voice but seeing Ron in a hospital bed was too disturbing for her to remain calm. She pushed the realisation about her own pain back with force.
"What's with Ron? Is he well? What happened?" A flash of memories from the Ministry almost overwhelmed Hermione. It had been a trap. They had lured Harry into the Ministry to get something, a prophecy. Sirius hadn't been there and then they had been outnumbered by Death Eaters. They had lost each other in the chaos and then… the purple flash and nothing. Hermione had no idea how they made it out. The memory of Lucius Malfoy threatening them and Bellatrix Lestrange's crazy laughter was still so fresh in her mind.
"I don't know what happened exactly but apparently Ron was attacked by something in the Ministry. Something not... human, from one of these rooms in the Department of Mysteries. But Ron's fine. Pomfrey gave him something to sleep and aside from a few scars there is no lasting damage. He will be released tomorrow." She threw Hermione a sharp gaze. "You will have to stay a little longer. So, do me and yourself a favour and don't make it worse."
"Okay," Hermione finally sank back into her bed, into the soft pillows, and allowed herself to take a few deep breaths. She felt the pain in her chest clearly now that her mind had calmed down. With every up and down of her lungs, there was a sharp pain from the middle of her chest. Where the curse had probably hit her. She wasn't sure. The last thing she remembered was seeing the purple light. She must have fallen unconscious immediately. Hermione realised that her chest was wrapped in thick bandages. But the knowledge that her friends had made it out alive and relatively unhurt helped to calm her down.
"I didn't know you want to become a healer, always thought you would be a Quidditch pro one day," Hermione said it mainly to distract herself further from the pain but also for the sake of just saying something. Angelina had been the last person she would have expected to see when waking up in the hospital wing and it felt odd sitting here together. Hermione had so many questions but she couldn't ask Angelina, only Harry and maybe Ron would be able to tell her what else had happened at the Ministry.
"Well, there are some try-outs soon and I will try my luck but a girl needs a career afterwards too, right?" Angelina tried to joke but her smile quickly turned into something sad.
"But the truth is I realised we're living in dangerous times and I want to do something to help. I want to do something useful and being a healer is the best thing I can imagine. A year ago I would have wanted a career in the Auror department, I'm a wicked dualist after all, but after witnessing Umbridge and how corrupt the Ministry is… No, I think a healer is where I can help the most. Besides, I was always fairly good with potions and spells. I have an interview with St. Mungo's next month."
Hermione had her eyes closed, carefully listening to Angelina's voice so that she wouldn't concentrate on her pain too much. It sounded like Angelina had made her decision after thinking about it very throughout.
"And you know," Angelina paused shortly. "I already found a way to help. Or it found me. Dumbledore asked me to help with whatever he is doing. He says they're always in need of healers and as soon as I finish my first year I can join."
"That's… very brave, Angelina. And very noble, I just wish we wouldn't live in a world where people have to give up their dreams to fight in a war." The pain in Hermione's chest was still very present and very overwhelming. With small tears in her eyes, Hermione remembered that countless people had already died in this war. Harry's parents, who had also been so young and brave and noble… They had married right after school, only 18 years old. The same age as Angelina was now.
"You should sleep a bit, Hermione," Angelina handed her a small vial. "Take some rest." Thankful Hermione emptied the potion and instantly felt sleep creeping up on her. She was glad for losing consciousness this time, the pain ebbed away and her exhausted mind began to rest.
OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO
Angelina had been right. Hermione indeed had to spend a few weeks at the hospital wing till Madame Pomfrey was satisfied with the status of her health. Hermione had to take several potions every day at different times and she would probably have to continue taking them even during the summer holidays. Hermione had no idea how she could explain that to her parents. Or the ugly, purple scar on her chest. Madame Pomfrey had promised it would fade if Hermione took her potions dutifully but it would probably never go away completely.
But Hermione pushed the worries about her parents away for now and decided it would be more important to concentrate on Harry. He had visited her and Ron in the hospital wing the morning after the Ministry and told them everything. What had happened after Hermione had been cursed and Ron had been attacked by brains.
Hermione had waited with crying for Sirius until Ron and Harry had left her for dinner that day, she hadn't wanted to upset Harry even more. Hermione felt such a raw and deep pain about the loss of Sirius. They hadn't been that close but he had had an important role in her life. She had helped save his life once and it hurt Hermione to know that he had still lost it in the end. He had told her about James and Lily… he had given her advice. And he had deserved to live a long, happy life after all the hardship and loss and grieve.
The following weeks at the infirmary were slowly grating on Hermione. She was annoyed and wanted out. She hated being confined to her bed and not being able to attain classes or be with her friends. Or simply do something. Merlin, she was bored.
Even though Ron and Harry spend every free minute with her and always brought her plenty of books, she itched to leave the hospital bed. Ginny also visited but always when her brother and Harry weren't there. She claimed that they needed proper girl times without those two bloody idiots, which of course meant Ginny wanted to talk about things that made Ron explode. Like boys.
Right now the redheaded girl was lazing on Hermione's bed and kept her occupied with the latest school gossip. Ginny had also brought Hermione's favourite sweets from the kitchens.
"Michael is now dating Cho Chang." Ginny was very casual about it and Hermione only raised her eyebrows. Hermione would have bet everything that Ginny would be delighted about Cho dating someone else.
Towards Michael Corner, she was spectacularly indifferent since their equally spectacular break-up.
Not many had witnessed how after the Quidditch match Gryffindor against Ravenclaw Michael had more or less accused Ginny of not loving him because she hadn't let Ravenclaw win. It had been ridiculous. But the best was how Ginny had just smirked at Michael and told him to bugger off because if that was his definition of love then yes, she really didn't love him. Her words had been accompanied by throwing a large firecracker dangerously close to his head. Hermione had been equally horrified and amused and thought that Fred and George would be very proud of their younger sister if they knew about this.
"Dean Thomas asked me for a date," Ginny suddenly mentioned equally casual, pushing the emerging thought about Fred temporarily out of Hermione's mind. It was easier not to think about him anyway right now.
"I said yes." And now a slight blush tinted Ginny's face and Hermione grinned. Dean had flirted with Ginny since her break-up from Michael – thankfully not in the presence of Ron – and Ginny already had a small crush on the boy. Hermione was very pleased with the fact that this time Ginny actually had some feelings for a boy she wanted to date. Michael Corner really had been only a way to forget Harry and it had failed gloriously. But with Dean, it seemed to be different. Dean was nice and funny and Ginny was genuinely crushing in him.
Just as Hermione wanted to ask more Angelina stepped through the curtains with a large bowl of water, some fresh bandages and the lotion Madame Pomfrey had mixed to sooth the purple scar.
"Hermione, Madam Pomfrey asked me to do your bandages today. Is that okay?"
For a moment Hermione found no fault in letting Angelina do it. She trusted the older girl and during her time in the hospital wing they had formed a special friendship which was growing stronger every day. She liked joking with Angelina during her shift. For three hours every day, in the late afternoon right before dinner, Angelina watched the hospital wing when Madame Pomfrey had other tasks somewhere in the castle.
But then Hermione remembered that changing the bandage entailed getting her whole upper body naked in front of Angelina and, while she had no problem with the nakedness itself, it would surely show her soul mark.
"Um, I think I'd rather have Madame Pomfrey do it when she's back," Hermione muttered. She felt childish and stupid for such a request especially since she wouldn't normally object if it wasn't for the damn mark.
Why even hide it from Angelina? The fleeting thought crossed her mind just as Angelina raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"If you really want that, no problem. But if it's about the mark then you should know that I already saw it the night you were brought in. I had to help Madame Pomfrey with the first aid treatment and saw it." Angelina declared casually while she set the water bowl on the small nightstand.
Hermione saw from the corner of her eye how Ginny gaped at Angelina with an open mouth, while a hot blush crept up Hermione's face and chest. She felt like she had been caught red-handed and had no idea what to say in her defence. Angelina just sat down and motioned for Hermione to take off her sweater. Hermione didn't even try to resist or argue or lie and just pulled the cloth off.
"You know," Angelina said as she carefully started to loosen up the old bandages, "at first I didn't know what to think. I mean, I knew what it meant from the moment I saw it. But it made no sense to me since you could have just told me about the mark when we were talking back then after they left. But you didn't even though I bared my deepest fears to you. I was confused and to be honest, I was also very angry. I felt betrayed."
"Angeli-"
"And," Angelina interrupted Hermione with a smile, working her way through the thick white gauze. "I grew even further confused when Fred and George visited Hogwarts that night with Bill." Hermione and Ginny exchanged a quick glance, both surprised by that news. They hadn't known Fred, George and Bill had been at the castle that night but they said nothing. It had probably been an Order thing.
"Fred was incredibly worried about you," Angelina smiled. "He spent nearly an hour at your bedside, just staring at you. It took all of my self-control not to ask him about the mark. But then I thought, what if Fred doesn't know?" Hermione blushed even further. Her stomach did a stupid little flip at the news of Fred being worried about her and a warm feeling spread through her chest. Ginny threw Hermione a wink.
"Yes, he doesn't know," Hermione admitted with a stupid little grin on her face. "I found out when you two were still a couple and I had no idea what to do. And afterwards, well, Fred had other troubles." She shrugged but both Ginny and Angelina rolled her eyes about her naming Fred's escapades troubles.
"Don't laugh about it," she scolded them lightly. "He was having troubles. What happened between you and him also hurt him, Angelina, and I wanted him to sort it out before I tell him about the mark."
"Yeah, I get that." Angelina now started to apply the lotion to Hermione's chest, coating the purple scar thickly. "I sat here for hours that night trying to make sense of everything and then you woke up, confused and hurt and afraid. After that, I decided that I need to face Fred. We really need to talk about what happened."
"And then maybe you can hook up with the right twin," Ginny winked and for a moment Hermione feared Angelina would be hurt since she already had had such a guilty conscience about choosing the wrong twin. But to her relief, Angelina only laughed.
"Yes, yes, maybe," the older girl grinned. "Maybe if George regains the ability to talk to me one day. When they visited it was a bit forced and awkward and I really don't know how to change that." The grin turned a bit sad and Angelina started to wrap the fresh bandaged around Hermione's chest. It was odd how their conversation was more intimate than the touching.
"You could always march into this shop and just jump the man," Ginny suggested with a mischievous expression. "I'm pretty sure George wouldn't put up a fight." They all laughed about the idea but Hermione wasn't sure if Angelina wouldn't actually do it. Maybe she wouldn't jump George but there was a high chance she would actually march into the shop where he had no way to hide from her.
"Angelina, thanks for not telling Fred about the mark. And for not being angry with me." Hermione said as she pulled her sweater back over her head.
"Nonsense, of course not! After all this drama we already had with these damn marks it would be foolish to be angry at you. It's actually more surprising that you aren't angry at me for snogging and being touchy with your soulmate," Angelina cringed. "Sorry, it didn't sound so crass in my head."
"Nah," Hermione waved her concern away. "I could never be angry at you. But please don't tell anyone," she urged. "I'm not ready for Fred to know… I-"
"You like him?" Angelina prompted and Hermione just nodded.
"Are you in love with him?" Again she gave a little nod.
"Does he know?" Now Angelina's eyed widened comically when Hermione nodded again. Ginny snickered beside them.
"You told him you're in love with him but not that you're his soulmate? That's incredibly brave… and incredibly stupid. Fred believes in the special bond between soulmates, why didn't you tell him?"
"I," Hermione shrugged. "I didn't want him to only look my way because of the mark."
I didn't want to be like you, Angelina, but Hermione could never say that out loud. She would never hurt her friend intentionally.
"I told him a few weeks before he and George left… we didn't have contact since. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to write and Umbridge would have confiscated the letters anyway."
"And the bloody git didn't think to write to you? Oh, now I will surely storm that little shop and kick both of their arses." Angelina seemed ready to be as outraged about this as Ginny was every time Hermione had to admit that she hadn't heard from Fred. Merlin, now she had two nosy friends with little impulse control.
"He will when he's ready, I'm sure," Hermione appeased her friends and then lead the conversation into safer waters by asking Ginny about Dean's invitation. Thankfully Angelina seemed interested enough to let the topic of Fred go and they spent the remaining afternoon with nice, senseless chatter until Harry and Ron arrived with her daily delivery of books and sweets.
OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO
The carriages arrived at the same time at the train station in Hogsmeade as the little boats carrying the graduating seventh years.
Every time Hermione saw those little boats she remembered her first day at Hogwarts. How excited she had been. How curious and eager to study magic. And now she watched how Angelina, Alicia and Lee exiting a boat together, laughing and with excited grins on their faces like they were first-years again. A pang of sadness coursed through Hermione's chest. Fred and George should be with them. This should be their graduation too.
As the carriages came to a stop Hermione was more than happy that she still wasn't able to see the thestrals carrying them. She hadn't seen how Sirius had vanished behind the veil. Unconsciously Hermione touched her chest. Madame Pomfrey had allowed her to remove the bandages but she still needed to take the lotion and several potions daily. But at least the scar was already slowly fading.
Around her students of all grades were walking towards the red Hogwarts Express, the younger ones running with happy laughter. Hermione felt another pang in her chest at the thought of children being glad to leave Hogwarts. But after a year like this, she understood that everyone wanted to be home with their families. This year they had survived the terror reign of Dolores Umbridge. They had gotten the ultimate proof that Voldemort really was back. Being with family was probably a comfort for most students at this point. Hermione instead pushed all thoughts about her parents aside for now.
"Hermione!" Ron urged her to enter the train with him and Harry. Neville, Luna and Ginny were already waiting inside.
They spent the next few hours together in a carriage chatting and playing exploding snap, just enjoying the last hours of being together. Their little group was connected by the incident at the Ministry and Hermione felt a special sort of melancholy leaving Hogwarts this year. It had always been bittersweet for her to leave Hogwarts, the place where she learnt the most fantastic things, but she had always looked forward to seeing her parents. This year she dreaded it because she had no idea how she could explain the scar on her chest without scaring them.
Hermione was doing her last prefect round on the train, urging the first year to change their clothes when someone called after her. Angelina was running towards Hermione through the halls of the train and pulled her into an empty compartment. Then she gave her a fierce hug.
"I will make sure Fred gets his head out of his arse, okay?" Angelina grinned, handing Hermione a little piece of parchment. "And here is my address, write to me."
"Of course," Hermione hugged her friend again. "And tell me if George also needs a kick." She winked.
OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO
After all the organising stuff was sorted out Fred and George finally had time again to do what they loved the most. Brewing, inventing and stocking the shelves. Well, right now it was mostly stocking the shelves for the opening in a few, short weeks.
Fred was in the middle of brewing a batch of Amortentia when George came into their brand-new workroom while waving a small envelope enthusiastically.
"Got owl post from Lee," George grinned happily. "He will be here for the grand opening."
"Brilliant, it wouldn't be same without him," Fred smiled as he looked at the messy loops Lee called a handwriting. Thank Merlin they knew each other for so long and had copied homework from Lee often enough to read the scribble. Fred felt excitement roar through his body.
They would have a blast at the opening. They had prepared several special products just for the occasion and had set the date strategically. They would open shortly after the students got their Hogwarts letters and would need to visit Diagon Alley anyway. That way they could the most out of the summer business. The young students would hopefully be eager to spend their pocket money on pranks and knickknacks for the new school year and some parents hopefully wouldn't be able to resist buying them some more.
With a hum, Fred turned back to his cauldron. Right on time he added the last ingredient for the love potion and watched how the colour changed. The mother-of-pearl-sheen appeared and the steam started to rise in characteristic spirals. Fred always loved this part best. When a potion was ready and you could finally see if everything had been done right. He always thought potion brewing was a bit like a surprise because the result was only visible at the end when it was too late to save the brew. It added a bit of excitement into the work. And it gave him immense satisfaction when the potion was well done.
Happy with the result he took a deep breath and wasn't surprised when he saw George doing the same. Enjoying the scent was the best thing about brewing the love potion.
"Hm, banoffee pie," George almost purred and Fred nodded along. It was the one thing they both smelled in the potion. Their all-time favourite banoffee pie. It reminded them both of all the happy memories of their childhood in the Burrow.
Next Fred smelled leather, something he associated with his Quidditch gear. It was the scent of a game starting soon. The scent of excitement mixed with slight nervousness. It was a scent that rushed adrenaline through his body and made his heart beat faster. It was also the scent of summers spent at the Burrow, playing with his siblings, and training at Hogwarts in the blazing heat.
But the last thing surprised Fred. Till now he had always smelled parchment as a third component. Which had always been kind of a puzzle to him because he didn't like books or writing or studying that much. Sure, he spent more time at the library than everyone thought, but he didn't particularly like it.
But now he didn't smell parchment anymore. Now it was something… fruity? No, more like citrus. Fred couldn't identify the new fragrance. It could be citrus or orange or maybe lime. And even though he couldn't identify it he knew exactly where he had smelled this fragrance. His thoughts wandered to the memory of Hermione laying in a white hospital bed, her face pale, his lips lingering on her forehead. Her hair had smelled like citrus despite the hell she had lived through on this day.
Fred's heart constricted painfully.
Thanks to the Order he knew Hermione was fine and that her wounds had healed perfectly. But he still dreamed of her unconscious body lying in this bed. More often than not he awoke in the middle of the night with a racing heart. And still, he hadn't contacted her… something was keeping him from doing it. Like an invisible wall standing between him and his feelings, making him oddly detached from himself. Sometimes Fred thought be might be afraid but he wasn't sure of what. He already knew what Hermione felt for him, there was no real reason to hesitate.
"I thought I was the only one of us to get sad by smelling Amortentia," George said. He leaned against the work table, surveying his twin. "I hate how pathetic you look right now; mainly because that means I probably look the same. We can't look pathetic that's not our style."
George had a sad, bittersweet expression of longing on his face and Fred knew why. George smelled banoffee pie, snow, and cinnamon. George had always loved winter and snow best, while Fred strived for sun and warmth. It was the cinnamon which turned the potion bittersweet for George. It was the smell of the lotion Angelina used for her skin. A fragrance Fred had become closely familiar with, which now only served as a reminder for what had happened. He cringed at the memory.
When they had first brewed Amortentia at the beginning of their sixth year – with Snape looming over them like a bat, probably waiting for something to explode – Fred had eagerly waited to smell something that would show him that Angelina was indeed the one. Instead, it had been George who smelled her scent. Another reason why Fred had waited so long to ask her out. Merlin, in retrospective it all seemed so clear and obvious and he wanted to kick his past self for not seeing the red warning flags sooner. But it was too late now.
Fred sighed. He wished so desperately all of this would have never happened. The world would be so much easier.
"My Amortentia changed," he finally admitted. "I don't smell parchment anymore, it's something citrus now. I'm sure I know it and it smells really good and… well, I'm not sure what to do with that." Fred felt the uncertainty of the situation creep into every corner of his brain, his heart, his lungs. His body went stiff with the realisation that his feelings for Hermione were deep enough to change his Amortentia.
"You have a new girl? Is that why you rejected that gorgeous bird at the Leaky?" George smiled genuinely, no teasing in his voice, and Fred flushed. Eyes as dark as espresso and equally intense flashed through his mind. The memory of feeling silken curls while kissing her in the library made his fingertips tingle.
"No," he tried to lie but he knew it was too late. Fred was a good liar, as was George, and from time to time they could even lie to each other with enough preparation. When they wanted to play a prank on each other. Or when George had lied to Fred about being okay with him dating Angelina. But right now Fred was busted, the fat grin on George's face told him.
"Soooo," George leaned against the brand-new work table. "A new girl and you don't tell me about it? I'm hurt. I thought I was your favourite twin."
"Git, you're my only twin," Fred rolled his eyes. "And there is nothing to tell. Someone confessed to me before we left Hogwarts and that's it. Nothing happened."
Nothing aside from two kisses he couldn't explain even if he wanted to.
"Her-" He mentally kicked himself for almost mentioning her name. "She's still waiting for an answer and I don't have one yet." Fred exhaled. It felt good to finally tell George about it. Or at least parts of it.
"Why's that? You either like her or you don't, what's there to think about?" George made it sound easy but it wasn't. It really, really wasn't.
Fred took in a sharp breath, fully prepared for any reaction George could possibly have, and started to tell him everything about what had happened. About the kiss at Christmas. The kiss in the library. And Hermione's confession and their deal.
A part of him was afraid of George's reaction. Maybe he would laugh, thinking it ridiculous that Hermione liked him. Or maybe he wouldn't believe that someone as brilliant as Hermione could like him. Or maybe George would be angry about Fred not telling him sooner. Maybe he would yell.
Or maybe he would just stare at Fred like a stupid goldfish and say nothing. Like he did when Fred actually finished.
"Would you please say something?" Fred pleaded.
"I would love to but I don't know what. How-" George changed his sitting position nervously. "How did this happen? And why did I not notice?"
"No offence, but you were pretty busy with your own heartbreak and hiding from Angelina." Fred shrugged and George made a little whining sound. "But that's okay. Didn't want to talk about it anyway. It's a bloody complicated situation. I like Hermione but…"
"Bloody hell, yes it is complicated. Fred..." George rubbed his temples. "You can't... Hermione is not one of the girls at Hogwarts who have a crush on you. She's not a fling for a month or two. She can't be. She's... close to us. Like family."
"I know that! Have a little bit more trust in me, okay?" Fred almost yelled. He needed his brother right now and he needed George to give him actual, helpful advice.
"That's why it isn't so simple as deciding between liking her or not. It's about deciding if I want a serious, real relationship. It's about deciding if I like her enough to love her. I can't just like Hermione, I have to be sure and that's what makes everything complicated. Because if I'm not sure, I will hurt not only her but also our family. If she were someone different I would maybe just give it a try and see where dating would take us but..."
"But she's Hermione and you can't half-arse this. You either have to be with her seriously or not at all. She's Ron's best friend and probably Ginny's too. The two of them will hex you into oblivion if you ever dare to hurt Hermione."
Fred groaned. For a moment he wished he didn't know about Hermione's feeling. Then he would be able to sit here in blissful ignorance and wouldn't need to make this decision.
"So, what will you do?"
"Didn't you listen? I have no idea! That's why I told you, I thought you could help me," Fred snapped, which he knew wasn't fair. But the knowledge about Hermione waiting for his answer was gnawing on him. He felt an intense amount of pressure on his shoulders simply by the knowledge that probably was already hurting her. The waiting hurt her. His answer might hurt her. He felt like he simply couldn't do the right thing in this situation. There was no way to do the right thing as long as his stupid heart was refusing to give him the answer he needed.
Maybe it would be the smartest to just let her down gently. Tell her that he couldn't take the risk of losing their friendship. But what if he would regret it? A not so small part of his heart loathed the idea of letting her, of not even trying.
"Well, let's get to the Burrow, have a decent meal for a change and then we will try to come up with a plan," George grinned. "You know everything gets easier when we put our brilliant minds in it together." He shoved him playfully and Fred finally felt some sort of relief. George didn't think they would make a ridiculous couple or that Hermione was too good for him. He had George in his corner and that alone was half of what he needed to hash this out.
And a family dinner now that Ginny and Ron were back for the summer was also a nice mood lifter. Fred would never admit it out loud but he had missed his younger siblings. He was so used to having them around at Hogwarts and at the Burrow. Sometimes the flat above the shop was almost too calm and silent compared to the crowded, loud and homey Burrow.
When they arrived at the Burrow a short floo travel later everyone had already gathered at the large kitchen table – well, everyone aside from Percy and Charlie, but at least the later on had a good explanation – including Bill and a glowing Fleur Delacour. Everyone was chatting but Fred instantly recognised the forced smile of his mother which usually meant she was immensely displeased with something. Ron meanwhile seemed awestruck and was staring at Fleur while nodding occasionally at everything she said. Ginny only frowned, not even trying to smile at their guest.
"Oh, good you're here," Molly jumped up from her chair and quickly gave each of them a tight hug. "Why don't you tell them the news, Bill, and I will get the food."
"What news?" George asked, not without a bit of worry in his voice and Fred knew why. Judging by Ginny's face the news was everything but good and these days that could easily mean the death of someone close and dear to them.
"Well," Bill cleared his throat, "I asked Fleur to marry me and she said yes." A happy grin spread on their eldest brother's face while he presented the ring on Fleur's hand. With a whoop both Fred and George were running around the table, hugging Bill and clapping him on the back.
"Congrats, Fleur," Fred gave his future sister-in-law a hopefully brotherly hug. On their night out with Bill a while ago he had told Fred and George how Fleur disliked being touched by foreign people who took liberties because of her Veela heritage. Fred didn't want to come across as one of them but he thought the occasion screamed for a hug. George followed his example and Fred was glad to see Fleur smile.
"Sit, let's eat," their Mum demanded as she levitated bowls and plates full of food into the room. Soon the air was filled with clattering and chatting. Fred tried his best – aided by George – to diffuse the lingering tension in the air. It was obvious that their mum wasn't so happy with the engagement, probably because it came so fast. Why Ginny was so frosty with Fleur was beyond Fred's knowledge and Ron's disability to stop himself from drooling all over Fleur was almost painful to watch. It really wasn't the relaxing dinner Fred had hoped for.
When they finally finished the small feast and their mum had excused herself to the bedroom – surely to be alone in her distress about her son marrying so quickly – Fred was more than glad to also be allowed to leave. Now George and he could finally get to their planning and scheming and decide how to proceed with Hermione.
"Fred! George!" Ron called them just as they were about to enter the floo. "Uhm, I have a question about… girls." The last word was a mere whisper and George raised a curious eyebrow at Fred. Normally that would be the moment to get the mickey out of Ron, teasing him a bit before actually helping them. But after seeing Ron mooning over Fleur for the entire evening they exchanged a glance and took pity in their brother.
"Well, what do you want to know?"
"How- how do I talk to girls… No, that came out wrong. How do I flirt with them? Get them to like me?" When Ron had finished his stammering question he was beet red and Fred suppressed the urge to snicker. He knew George felt the same by the way his twin had tensed beside him.
"You could try to look devilish handsome, worked for me," Fred flashed a grin. In the end, he couldn't resist teasing Ron at least a little, tiny bit and instantly his little brother blushed even more. Probably remembering the countless times he had caught Fred with a girl in a broom closet at Hogwarts.
"Nah, that won't work for ickle Ronnie but you could try Charlie's tactic and get a bit brawnier," George snickered.
"You gits, fine if you don't want to help me-" Now Ron's face turned a different shade of red which usually meant he was about to get very, very angry and have one of the famous Weasley temper tantrums.
"You know what, we have a book somewhere at home," George cut Ron off and turned to Fred. "Remember, the one Bill got us a few years ago. Worked like a charm. We can send it to you, Ron."
"Thanks, that would be nice." Ron cooled down instantly.
"Oh, and by the way, Mum is allowing us to visit your shop when we go shopping for the next school year. I think we will come as soon as Harry and Hermione arrive. I can't wait to see it." He grinned and Fred felt a lurch of happiness and nervousness. He was happy about Ron's excitement, he was happy to see Hermione again but also so, so nervous. They really needed to make a plan. He didn't want to screw up the next meeting with Hermione.
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Hermione was torn between sadness and relief when she left her parents' house to spend the last few weeks of the summer holidays at the Burrow.
Normally she would look forward to spending time with the Weasleys and Harry but this year it felt wrong to leave her family. Hermione had realised over the course of this summer how seldom she saw her parents and how strange it sometimes felt to be at home. Hogwarts had become her home too and Hermione felt that it became harder and harder to be part both of the magical and muggle world.
Especially since she had more or less lied to them. Hermione hadn't managed to tell them about the incident at the Ministry. How could she explain that without her parents worrying or maybe pulling her out of school? They wouldn't understand it. They wouldn't understand why their underaged daughter would endanger her own life to break into the Ministry with a bunch of teenagers. So, she had found excuses why she couldn't go for a swim until she had found a swimming suit and enough summer clothes to hide her scar.
The weeks with her parents had still been very nice. They had decided to have a camping trip to the forest of dean for their annual vacation together. It had been very refreshing to actually do everything themselves, without the aid of magic, and Hermione had enjoyed those quiet two weeks immensely. But still, the nagging feeling of betraying her parents by not telling them about the dangers lurking in the magical world had never left her.
And that was why Hermione also felt relieved when she finally left the house with Mr Weasley. Now she didn't have to feel guilty about keeping secrets from her parents. It was so much easier to keep things from them when she didn't have to see them. And that thought alone made her feel even more guilty and sad. When had it become so hard to keep both of the worlds she lived in together? Oh yeah, when Voldemort had returned and tried to kill her best friend.
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The grand opening of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was an even greater success than Fred and George had anticipated. The moment they had opened the doors in the morning to let the costumers in, the shop had been swamped. It seemed like almost every student at Hogwarts had decided to come and most of them brought parents and siblings.
It had been madness, but as everyone knew Fred and George strived in chaos and madness. They had spent the day with flitting trough the store to assist costumers, answering questions, and demonstrating their products. Lee had been at the till joking and laughing with the people. It had been everything they had ever dreamed of.
Now the three of them were celebrating the successful day with a firewhiskey and Oliver Wood at the Leaky Cauldron. Oliver had visited the shop as a surprise shortly before closing time and Fred and George had successfully convinced him to join them for a few drinks. It had been ages since they had seen their old Quidditch captain.
It turned out that Oliver was still a Quidditch freak, which wasn't that surprising since he played professionally now for Puddlemere United. He entertained them with stories about his games for Puddlemere and how he had made it from a reserve player to a starting member of the team.
"How's your family?" Oliver asked after a while when they were already all slightly drunk. "Haven't heard from Percy in ages. Not since he started this damned job at the Ministry."
A mighty snort escaped both Fred and George.
"Yeah, damn job-" Fred started.
"Describes it quite well-"
"The bloody git."
In their drunken state, it took a moment to explain what had happened between Percy and their family almost a year ago but in the end, Oliver looked as displeased as Fred felt when he thought about their elder brother. The news about Voldies return was out since a while now, even the Prophet and the Ministry had admitted that Harry and Dumbledore had been right from the beginning, and Fudge was no longer Minister. And still, Percy hadn't even lifted a finger to reach out to his family… It made Fred even more furious.
"Don't worry, he'll come around," Oliver muttered into his glass. "Percy always needs a bit of time before he can accept that he was wrong. We had some blazing fights in our dorm room and whenever I was right he ignored me for days or weeks until he was ready to admit it. We actually… we had a pretty ugly fight right before we finished school. I hadn't thought it would take him so long this time but he's still ignoring me… But I'm patient and I will wait until Percy is ready to accept it. I'm sure one day the penny will drop," Oliver joked, his Scottish accent now even thicker thanks to the alcohol.
"Well then, let's drink to Percy having an epiphany," Fred raised his glass.
"To Percy's epiphany!" George, Lee and Oliver declared and downed the next round of whiskey. After that Fred didn't remember much. Only that it was a glorious night crowning the glorious day they had had. The next morning however he certainly regretted going out for drinks as he and George opened the shop for another day filled with madness, jokes and costumers.
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Fred felt frozen in place when he spotted her bouncy curls beside Harry somewhere around the isle with the Daydream Charms. Merlin, he couldn't even fully see her and still his heart was beating up a storm and his hands began to sweat. That would do no good. He took a calming breath, then another, and reminded himself of the plan.
Approach her, be charming, be cool. Find a good moment to ask her about… All thoughts left his mind when she turned slightly. She had a black eye! An angry bile formed in his stomach and it took all of Fred's self-control not to storm over to her and demand to know who did this. Apart from the eye, she seemed to be in a good mood and Harry too didn't seem concerned.
Okay, little delay of plans, Fred decided. Quickly he made his way back to the storage room and searched for the right box.
A slow grin spread on his face as he made his way back to Harry and Hermione. They were still in front of the Daydream Charms but now Hermione was admiring one of the small, purple boxes.
"You know, that really is extraordinary magic," Hermione said to Harry right as Fred rounded the corner. He thought his heart – and maybe his ego too – were swelling with pride as getting such a compliment from Hermione. He knew that she had a certain respect for their products but hearing her so freely calling it extraordinary was something really special,
"For that, Hermione, you can have one for free," Fred winked and made a show of shaking Harry's hand. "And what's happened to your eye, Hermione?"
"Your punching telescope," she said ruefully with a little glint in her eye.
"Oh blimey, I forgot about those." Fred tried not to grin. Not because he thought it funny that Hermione had been punched by the telescope but because he knew quite well that they had hidden the bloody things away safely in their room. It meant Hermione had snooped around and that was something really amusing to think about.
"Here," with a grand gesture, he pulled the little tube out of his pocket that he had gotten from the back room. "Just dab it on, that bruise will be gone within the hour. We had to find a decent bruise-remover; we're testing most of our products on ourselves." He threw a wink at Hermione at the last words, hoping she would remember their little brewing and testing session in the hidden room months ago.
"It is safe, isn't it?" Hermione asked her voice something between nervousness and teasing. He wasn't sure if the nervousness was about the cream or about him… He wanted to believe it was about him.
Merlin, get your bloody mind together and be brave. She said she likes you, why are you behaving like an idiot? A voice that sounded a bit like George sounded through his mind.
Okay, phase two of the plan. Separate Hermione from Harry and your ickle little brother so you can talk to her in private. Masterfully Fred directed Harry away from Hermione to give him a tour through the shop. Honestly, he would have done that anyway. Harry had been their first – and so far only – investor and they had to thank him for that forever.
Fred through George a wink when his twin subtly took over the tour and directed Harry somewhere without him even noticing that Fred was no longer with them. A quick glance through the shop told Fred that Ron was at the other end – far, far away from Hermione – admiring some products with their father and his arms already full of products.
It was easy to spot Hermione since she was unfortunately with Ginny, whose bright red hair was like a guiding light. Fred cursed under his breath but then decided that Ginny just needed a good distraction.
"Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?" He appeared behind them and guided both girls to the bright pink shelves. There was already a cluster of excited girls looking around and Fred grinned at the estimated profit they would make today. And at the opportunity to get rid of Ginny, who certainly would find the little Pygmy Puffs adorable.
Enthusiastically Fred showed Hermione and Ginny the love potions and the pimple vanisher, bickered with Ginny a bit about her boyfriends, and then – finally – when his mother appeared and Ginny tried to argue with her about getting a Pygmy Puff, he used his chance.
As fast and gentle as possible he pulled Hermione down a few isles and through a hidden door in one of the shelves. It was the second entrance to one of the backrooms and a safety precaution to escape in an emergency. Bill had been adamant that they needed one. And today it was a way to escape his way too noisy family.
"Hi," Fred smiled brightly at a very confused Hermione. "How are you?"
"Good, thanks." Hermione's confused frown deepened. "Oh, thanks for the cream, I think it's already working." She handed him the small tube back. "And thanks for the Daydream Charm."
"No problem, enjoy and maybe give me a review?" He winked and Hermione nodded but the mood was still a bit awkward. Hermione's face showed more and more confusion.
Okay, do it now or you will fuck it up! The little George in his head screamed and Fred took a final calming breath.
"Sorry for dragging you here so suddenly," he raked a hand through his hair. Shit, he was nervous.
"I thought it was about time I gave you an answer and I wanted a bit of privacy for that." He could see the exact moment Hermione's mind started to race by the way her body stiffened and her jaw locked. There was a vulnerable look in her eyes.
"Hermione," he took her hands. "Stop thinking the worst is happening, okay? If I wanted to reject you I would have done it months ago."
"Okay," she relaxed a bit.
"Well, you know I'm still terribly afraid of hurting you and destroying the friendship we have when we take this further but on the other hand, I will also hurt both of us if we don't even try… So, I thought we- I would love to write you letters. And maybe go on a date with you at Hogsmeade, if we get the chance. So that we can get to know each other better. I would love to get to know you better before we jump right into it. Is that okay?"
"It sounds lovely," Hermione smiled gently. "But be aware Fred, I will make you fall in love with me."
"Deal." Fred grinned, his heart skipping a beat at Hermione's cheeky tone and the glint in her eyes. Merlin, he really hoped he made the right decision. He wanted this to work. He wanted to overcome whatever nagging feeling was holding him back and to properly fall in love with her. Because there was a part of his heart that was screaming at him that she could be the one and if he wouldn't take this chance, then she would be forever his What If instead.
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