Chapter Nine

Hermione moved back into her dorm at Hogwarts and tried to throw herself into her work but it was a struggle to maintain her focus. Whenever she attempted to study it would not be long before a random thought would cause his face to appear in her mind. She missed his smile, his laugh, his reassuring presence.

She wondered if she had just imagined the bond that she had felt forming between them - a bond that had reached deeper into her heart than she realized until she observed him with Angelina through the window that morning.

She didn't blame Angelina. She could see how Fred found her attractive. She had beauty, athletic prowess, courage and a shared romantic history.

And, she thought, if not Angelina then it would have been someone else. Fred's world was colorful, full of hijinks and fireworks. To Hermione's way of thinking, she and her books must appear quite drab by comparison.

Hermione was sitting alone in the Gryffindor common room, struggling to concentrate when she heard a group of students enter. Not wanting to expend the energy in being social she curled up in the large wing backed chair and tried to go unnoticed.

One of the girls seemed quite upset. "I have to write Mum about this. I can't believe my little sister brought her bibbity to school!"

A second girl laughed. "What's a 'bibbity' ?"

"Her security blanket!"

"Aww. Poor kid. It's scary being away from home for the first time. It's not such a big deal. Loads of kids use them to cope."

A third voice chimed in. "Yeah. My little brother was like that. Couldn't sleep a wink without one. Wore three of them out before outgrowing the habit. Mum had to sneak the old ones into the bin and have a replacement on hand for a while." There was a giggle. "Was she ever glad when that phase was over."

"Well I hope Chloe outgrows hers soon. The last thing I need is the whole school finding out about this. I have a reputation to maintain."

"I'm sure it will be fine. These stages never last long." The conversation continued as the girls went up the stairs to the dorms.

Hermione's heart felt heavy and tears welled in her eyes. A security blanket. Of course. That's all she had been. Fred had needed something to comfort him for a while but now she had been outgrown and replaced.

She sat thinking that she understood how the scrap of fabric consigned to the rubbish bin must have felt.

For the next few days both Fred and Hermione were miserable and everyone around them noticed.

Ginny was terribly worried about both of them. Unable to contain herself any longer, she sent Fred an owl and asked him to meet her for lunch at the Three Broomsticks. He agreed and joined his sister in a booth in the back corner of the pub. They placed their orders and made small talk until the food arrived.

Fred looked concerned. "So - what's up, Gin? Your note made it sound urgent. You okay?"

Ginny cut straight to the point. "What did you do to Hermione?"

Fred's expression was a mixture of confusion and apprehension. "What do you mean? What's happened to her?"

"That's what I'd like to know. A couple of weeks ago we left your store to go dress shopping and she was fine. Better than fine, really. She was happier than I'd seen her in ages. She was fairly glowing and couldn't stop talking – mainly about you."

Ginny began impersonating Hermione's voice. "Fred did this….Fred said that….Let me tell you about this brilliant potion Fred created…." She shook her head and went back to her normal voice. "Bit annoying, really."

She glared at her brother. "We move into back into Hogwarts less than two days later and she looks like she's been run over by the Knight Bus. It's a miracle if I can get more than three words out of her. She's having trouble concentrating. I've had to cast a spell on the room so the other girls won't hear her if she wakes up crying from some horrible dream she's had."

Fred winced at this. He stared at the table.

"She hasn't gone near the shop and neither of you has shown up for dinner at the Burrow since then. Now I see you here and the dark circles under your eyes make it look like you've been punched by one of your own telescopes. Do you seriously expect me to believe there isn't a connection?"

Fred focused on moving a piece of food around his plate. "I'm sure it's just the stress of the N.E.W.T.s"

Ginny crumbled her napkin and threw it at him. "Are you really that thick? I've seen how you two look at each other. You're both mad for each other. What happened?"

"Don't know what you mean. We had an agreement. She helped get the shop back open and then went back to school. All there was to it."

Ginny fixed him with a hard stare. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that."

She got no answer. She tried again. "I used to tell people that one of the side effects of growing up with you and George as brothers was that I was led to believe that anything was possible if you had enough nerve." She leaned in and whispered fiercely. "You of all people ought know that there are things that are worth fighting for."

Fred continued inspecting his plate.

Ginny shook her head. "You know, Fred, George may not have been my twin but he was my older brother and I miss him desperately every minute of every day. But I am not using his death as an excuse to avoid living."

Without speaking, Fred put down his knife and fork and placed his napkin on the table. He stood, dropped some money to cover the meal and walked out the door.

Ginny called after him. "Fred! Wait!"

Fred didn't look back. Ginny threw herself back into her seat and kicked his empty chair in frustration.

Harry arrived a little while later. "So – how did it go?"

Ginny glared across the table.

"That well, huh?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Why can't they just admit they're crazy about each other? Everyone else can see it!"

Harry patted her hand. "Ginny, you have actually met these people, haven't you?"

She shook her head. "I know. I have been racking my brain trying to come up with a plan. It's my brother and my best friend. I want them to be happy."

She thoughtfully sipped her butterbeer. "I toyed with the idea of Veritaserum but that takes almost a month to brew and it could be dangerous if I got it wrong. And besides, it's like being drunk. If you have to be chemically compelled to say 'I Love You" then it doesn't really count."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Received lots of drunken professions of love, have you?"

She raised her mug in a mock threat. Harry raised his hands, "Just asking!"

They sat pondering their options. "The problem is," said Harry finally "Is that they both have the tendency of just storming out of the room if they don't like what they are hearing."

Ginny's eyes grew wide. "Harry! That's it! You're a genius!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I am? Good to know." He paused. "Mind telling me what it was that I said?"

Ginny eagerly began to describe the outline of her plan. When she finished, Harry shook his head in admiration. "That's brilliant. Remind me to never make you angry."

Ginny kissed him again. "Done."

They went their separate ways - Ginny to the gather the items they would need and Harry to send off an owl and find Ron to enlist his assistance.