A/N: I know. I know. I always promise that the next chapter won't take so long, but I'm always in a rut. Lol. I'm sorry. No promises this time except I have plans for the next chapter. Anyway, enjoy, and as always comments are much appreciated. Happy Pride day to my fellow queer people! Much Love- Bookworm
Fred and George invited both Hermione and Lee to stay the night in their flat that night, claiming that they needed to all be together. George had gone and picked up some takeout food, sandwiches, and they had all sat down at the coffee table for dinner that night. Hermione was happier sitting there with her three oldest friends than she had been in a long time.
"So, what have you been doing?" Lee asked, staring directly at Hermione.
"You saw me earlier." Hermione said, raising her eyebrows at him. "I've been working here."
"Oh, right." He smiled sheepishly at her and shook his head slightly.
"We should be asking you what you've been doing, mate." George said, turning his head to look at Lee.
"Oh, you know." He shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. "Visiting mum in France." He said.
"France is lovely this time of year." Hermione said with a smile, recalling the summer that her family had spent the summer there.
"Yeah, well mum didn't much want me to be out of the house after Hogwarts." He said softly, looking down at the table.
"Reasonable." George said with a solemn nod.
Their dinner was interrupted by a knock on the door, at which they all drew their wands as Fred went to answer it. At the sight of Harry, everyone but Hermione lowered their wands with relief. Harry kept his hands raised, his eyes locked with Hermione's.
"Why did Harry Potter stop talking to me in our third year?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.
"You told McGonagall that I had gotten a broom and that you thought it was from Sirius Black, and she took it from me." He answered seriously.
"Alright." She said, lowering her wand. With a sigh, she walked forward and pulled him into a hug.
"You alright?" He asked softly. She nodded into his shoulder before releasing him and taking a step back.
"What are you doing here Harry?" Fred asked, puzzled at the surprise visit.
"Not that we aren't thrilled to see you." George added.
"Draco Malfoy's sentencing." He said simply.
"Already?" Hermione asked in a whisper.
"They don't really want to drag this on longer than needed. His was today, Narcissa's is tomorrow, and Lucius' is Monday." He explained.
"Oh." She said simply.
"Well… Why don't we all take a seat then?" George suggested. They all seemed to think that it was a good idea, and everyone took seats in the sitting room.
"So, Kingsley sent me an owl, didn't want me to find out in the paper tomorrow morning I suppose." Harry said, shaking his head. "It's a bit harsh if you ask me." He added.
"But… I thought we all agreed, he was forced into it?" Hermione asked.
"He was. I know that, you know that… However, Ron wasn't nearly nice enough apparently." Harry informed her. Hermione tried to recall what Ron had said in his questioning, but couldn't seem to bring forward his answers.
"He has a year in Azkaban, and four months wandless after his release." Harry told her.
"A year?" Hermione repeated. "But… he was forced to take the mark." Hermione said.
"I know." Harry said with a sigh. "I went and spoke to him after, he said he'll be fine, but wanted to thank both of us for speaking on his behalf." He told Hermione.
"Damnit Ron… I thought for sure he would get maybe six months… he's barely an adult." Hermione said.
"I know." Harry repeated.
"Wait… you two were trying to get the ferret off?" Fred asked incredulously.
"Yes." Hermione said quickly.
"Why?" He asked.
"He turned himself in, turned over his memories. He was forced into taking the mark. Sure, he tried to kill Dumbledore, but he made sure to fail every time. And.. He helped us in the battle." Hermione told him.
"Seriously?" George asked, looking to Harry for confirmation.
"A bit, yeah. He was just a kid…" Harry said. They all fell into a silence, thinking about how Draco Malfoy, another teenager forced into a war he had no place in, would be spending the next year in prison.
"Well." George said, standing with a sigh. "I could use a drink. Anyone else?" He asked, glancing over the group.
"Me." Hermione said, as the other three shook their heads.
"Are you sure?" Fred asked.
"Yeah. Firewhisky if you have it." She said. George nodded, and made his way to the kitchen. He poured two glasses, and handed one to Hermione as he rejoined the group. Hermione took a sip on the drink and closed her eyes as the burn from the alcohol made its way down her throat.
"Are you alright?" Fred asked, sounding concerned.
"I'm fine." Hermione said, looking at him and giving him a small smile.
After Harry had left, it had only taken Hermione and George a few minutes to convince Fred and Lee that they should drink too, and have a fun night. They had loudly argued that they all needed to let loose and just have fun, Fred and Lee were now on their fourth drinks, while George and Hermione were on their sixth.
"I have a brilliant idea!" Fred said loudly, grinning.
"What?" Lee asked.
"You should move in with us." Fred said, pointing to him. "Just like Hogwarts!" He said with a nod.
"Well that…" Lee seemed to think hard for a moment before continuing. "That is brilliant. Move in here?" He asked, looking around at the flat.
"Of course!" George chimed in happily, his cheeks a deep pink from drinking.
"If he moves in, I get to too." Hermione insisted, glaring at her boyfriend, who just seemed to notice her sitting next to him.
"Of course you will." He said happily, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. "You can share my room." He told her with a lopsided smile.
"Where will I sleep?" Lee asked.
"Eh, we'll just make you a room, mate. Unless you want to cuddle up with me?" George asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at Lee.
"No offense, I'd rather sleep on the couch." Lee said firmly.
"You really want me to move in?" Hermione asked, smiling brightly at Fred.
"Of course I do." He said with a grin. "I love you."
"I love you too." She said, giving him a quick kiss before returning back to her drink.
The next morning, Hermione woke next to Fred in his bed. He had one arm slung over her waist, and she seemed to be wearing one of his old sweaters instead of the shirt she was sure that she had been wearing the night before. She gently lifted his arm, and placed it back on the bed before removing herself. She stretched and adjusted her jeans, which she had fallen asleep in and they had become uncomfortable. She looked back and smiled as Fred shifted in his sleep. She left the room and shut the door gently behind her before going to the kitchen and starting some coffee and breakfast since they needed to be down in the shop in just over an hour.
"Morning." She said softly as Lee sat up on the couch while she cooked, looking bleary-eyed.
"Morning." He groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. "What time is it?" He asked, sitting up from the couch and stumbling a little toward the counter that separated the sitting room from the kitchen.
"A little before seven." She said.
"What are you doing up?" He asked.
"Shop opens at eight." She said, grabbing two mugs and filling them, placing one in front of Lee.
"Oh." He said simply, picking up the mug and nodding before taking a small sip.
"Want some food?" She asked, turning to the stove where she had sausages and eggs cooking.
"Oh please." He said, perking up a little at the mention of food.
"Then go wake up the boys." She said with a smile.
"Why do I have to?" He groaned.
"I cooked." She said with a shrug.
"This better be worth it." He mumbled, leaving the counter and going to George's room. Hermione chuckled and dished up breakfast for everyone, placing the plates on the counter. She watched, amused, while Lee crossed the flat looking cross and entering Fred's room.
"OI!" He shouted. "Wake up!" He said, before closing the door again. He stomped over to the counter and pulled a plate over to him.
"How'd it go with George?" She asked pleasantly.
"He punched me." He said, glaring at her as she let out a laugh.
"He what?" She asked.
"In the leg. He punched me." He said, stabbing a sausage with his fork as the offending George strode out of his room.
"Maybe, you shouldn't wake someone up by hitting them with a pillow." George said brightly. "Good morning Hermione, you cooked?" He asked.
"Want coffee?" She asked, already grabbing a mug.
"Thanks." He said, taking the mug with a smile.
"I'll go make sure Fred is up." She said, setting her mug down and going to his room. She opened the door and peeked inside, smiling as she saw he was awake and just finishing up getting dressed.
"Oh, morning love." He said when he noticed her in the door. He finished pulling on his shirt and walked over to her, kissing her on the forehead before gently opening the door the rest of the way to leave the room.
"Morning." She said, smiling up at him. "I made breakfast." She said, leading the way back to the kitchen.
"So." Fred said after he started to eat. "When do you want to move your things in?" He asked.
"Pardon?" She asked, furrowing her brow at him.
"I seem to recall I asked both you and Lee to move in last night, did that not happen?" He asked, looking to George and Lee who both nodded.
"Yeah, but we were all drunk…" Hermione said. "It doesn't count."
"Oh. Well, in that case, Hermione would you like to move in?" He asked, drinking some coffee.
"I mean… Yes, but I don't want you to feel like you have to ask just because you did last night." She told him.
"I'm not. I want you to live here, with me. Well, with us I guess." He said, gesturing to the other two as well.
"Well… alright then." She agreed, nodding slowly. Fred grinned and kissed her cheek happily before continuing on with his breakfast.
"That's not all actually." George said. Hermione looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Fred and I have been talking a bit. You work at the shop so much, and given how much you helped with getting it started, we were wondering if you would like to have a part of the shop?" He asked. Shocked, Hermione slowly set her coffee down on the counter and looked to Fred, who was staring hopefully at her.
"You can't be serious?" She asked softly.
"You would own a quarter of the shop if you agree, and Lee would own a quarter too." George said, nodding.
"We would make it all legal at Gringotts, sign all the papers and everything." Fred added.
"Wait, me too?" Lee asked.
"Of course." George said. "We figured you would say yes, but we need Hermione too." He said.
"I only like working in the lab though." She said. "I don't want to work up front."
"That's more than fine." Fred insisted, taking her hand gently.
"Are you sure?" She asked, looking back and forth between Fred and George.
"We're sure." They said at the same time.
"Well… alright then." She said, smiling a little nervously.
"Yes!" The boys all cheered. Fred pulled her to him and kissed her, and Lee thumped George happily on the back.
They all finished their food, and took turns showering, before getting ready for work that day. Hermione dressed in her usual jeans and shirt as Fred pulled on the familiar magenta robes, until he turned to look at her.
"Hermione." He said, raising his eyebrows at her.
"What?" She asked, pausing in the middle of pulling her hair up.
"Robes." He said, tugging on his own.
"No…" She groaned. "Please… Don't make me wear those? It's hot in the lab." She said quickly. Fred thought for a moment before holding up a finger and leaving the room. Hermione sighed, and continued to tie her hair up. Maybe she could be downstairs before he came back. She fastened her wand holster to her leg and slid the thin wand into its slot just as Fred came back into the room.
"I spoke to George." He declared. Hermione raised her eyebrows hopefully. "You have to have a magenta shirt, and you have to have a robe at least on hand in case you have to go to the floor."
"Fred, I'll be in the back… nobody will even see me." She argued.
"Hermione, I love you, but it's the uniform. Please?" He asked.
"Just the shirt?" She asked.
"That's all. He tried to say pants too, but I managed to convince him." He said with a smile.
"Fine." She said, shaking her head as she pulled her wand out and changed the color of her shirt to match his robes.
"Thank you, love." He said. She smiled and sighed dramatically at him.
"We should head downstairs." She told him.
The day went by without incident until George remembered that they were supposed to go to The Burrow that night for dinner. This led to them closing the shop in a hurry and rushing back to the flat to change for dinner. Hermione was pulling on clean jeans when she stumbled and fell against the foot board of Fred's bed. He stared at her, his eyes wide with shock, as she let out a loud curse and slammed her hand to her forehead, which already felt wet with blood.
"A little help?" She asked through gritted teeth.
"Right… erm… I don't…" He helped her to her feet again.
"How about your mum?" She suggested tightly, now holding both hands firmly to the cut on her head.
"Right." He agreed, pulling out his wand.
"Fred!" She said loudly.
"What?" He asked, worried.
"Could you fix my pants first maybe?" She asked.
"Yeah." He said hurriedly, awkwardly pulling them the rest of the way on and buttoning them. "Ready?" He asked.
"Erm, yes." She said, closing her eyes as he wrapped an arm around her in preparation to apparate.
They landed in the kitchen, and Hermione's hands slipped as they landed, allowing the blood to run down her face. The people in the kitchen sprung to action, drawing wands and asking who had attacked Hermione. Fred, flustered, just looked around in panic.
"Molly!" Hermione yelled over everyone else. Molly rushed into the kitchen, and paused when she saw her.
"Oh thank god." Fred sighed, relieved.
"What happened?" Molly asked, pulling out her wand.
"I fell." Hermione said, embarrassed.
"Fell?" Ron asked in disbelief.
"Against the bed." Hermione said, half nodding as Molly held her chin still so she could heal the cut.
"Alright dear, hold still." Molly said sternly. Hermione did as she was told, and held her eyes closed as Molly fixed her up.
"Wait… Nobody attacked you?" Harry asked sheepishly.
"No, Harry." Hermione sighed.
"Oh… well alright then."
"Fred, you didn't happen to tell George and Lee we were leaving, did you?" She asked. She heard him hit his forehead against his hand.
"Could you please?" She asked.
"I'll be right back." He said gently to her.
"Okay, love." She said, hissing slightly as the cut started to sting. She heard the pop as he left the house, and let out a soft sigh.
"You lot, clear out so I can finish up." Molly ordered. Hermione listened at the shuffling of feet as everyone besides herself and Molly exited the room.
"Okay dear, you are all set." Molly said just a moment later, and Hermione opened her eyes. She lifted her hand to feel where the cut had been and was relieved that not only was it healed, but Molly had vanished the blood from her face.
"Thank you Molly." She said gratefully.
"Of course dear. But… did you really fall?" Molly asked, sounding concerned.
"What do you mean? Of course I fell." Hermione answered.
"Just… Fred didn't do this?" She asked.
"What?" Hermione felt anger bubble in her chest at the implication. "No Molly. I fell. Fred has never hurt me." She said firmly.
"I just wanted to make sure." Molly assured her.
"Molly, you raised good sons. None of them would ever hurt someone." Hermione told her.
"Well thank you dear, but you never can be sure." Molly said. "I'm sorry I had to ask, I'm glad you are okay now. You might go grab a new shirt, I couldn't get the blood off of that one." She said, gently touching Hermione's cheek as she stood.
"Thank you Molly." Hermione said softly. Hermione stood just as Fred appeared back in the kitchen with George and Lee right behind him, all of them looking extremely worried.
"She looks fine, Fred." Lee said after only a moment.
"Except the blood." George pointed out.
"She was just bleeding everywhere!" Fred exclaimed, looking relieved that she was fine and pulling her into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay." He whispered.
"I'm fine Fred." She assured him. "Your mum fixed me up very fast."
"Speaking of." Molly said, holding up a finger and walking over to the small shelf against the wall in the kitchen. "Where is it… I know it's here…" She muttered. Fred and George glanced at each other, puzzled.
"Mum, what-" George started to speak.
"Ha! Here it is!" She pulled what looked to be a very worn book from the shelves and held it out to Fred.
"Mum, books is more Hermione's thing…" He started to say.
"It's a book of healing spells. So you don't have to come find me every time one of you hurts themselves in that bloody shop of yours." She said, still holding it out. When it seemed neither Fred nor George were going to take the book, Lee let out a loud sight.
"Oh you two, honestly." He muttered, taking the book from her outstretched hand. "Thank you , I'm sure we'll make good use of it." He assured her. She gave him a halfhearted smile at his promise of forthcoming injury, and turned to the stove.
"Oh dear, you lot go tell everyone that dinner is ready. Hermione, why don't you go change and then we can all eat?" Molly suggested.