A/N: Hello hello hello and welcome to a new episode of "I'm sorry I am posting so late". Really though, this fifty year long break was totally uncalled for and I do have to apologise for not posting some kind of update. There are only a couple more chapters after this to go and maybe an epilogue, then I will be out of your hair forever (or until next time). In saying that, this chapter took a long time to write, though I do have to apologise for how rushed it feels, although I can also guarantee that this will literally be the last chapter focusing on the same day (I don't know how I've managed to write three chapters based on the same day but I mean...).
Thank you to all of the reviewers. I have enjoyed reading all of your comments and thoughts. I especially love reading the reviews from the lovely people who literally read it and review on every chapter as soon as it comes out. It warms my heart. I have also picked up a bunch of story followers over the last week for no reason and I'm hoping that this will satisfy until next time(TM). Keep on keeping on!
Disclaimer: JKR owns everything that you recognise. I make no money from this (because if I did, I would post more regularly... ;P)
Chapter Seven – A Dinner with No Secrets
After Ron had left her apartment, Hermione sunk back into the couch next to George. He put a comforting arm around her shoulder and flicked the TV on to distract her from the mess of events of the day. They had come mid-way into the movie Hercules and Hermione's eyes lit up in her exhausted body. Disney movies were a life-long favourite for her, bringing a myriad of nostalgia, fond memories of being curled up on the couch with her parents and a bowl of popcorn. Her favourite movie when she was a child was Fantasia, which made sense now, considering her magical aptitude. Hermione had been on the run during the cinema release of Hercules and Fred had promised to watch it with her as soon as the war was over.
Suddenly, all of the day's events just seemed to overwhelm Hermione. She turned into George's arms and began to cry. Her tears soaked his shirt as he held her tightly, rubbing soothing circles on her back and whispering quiet encouragement to her as she wept. Once all her tears had been shed, she remained in George's arms until the movie had finished, then she straightened herself and flicked her wand at the TV, turning it off.
The silence hung in the air for a moment, thick, cold.
"What happened today?" Hermione whispered, her eyes searching George's for answers.
George struggled to find the answers she wanted to hear, patiently waiting for her to find whatever she needed in order to begin processing the day.
As Hermione's expression began to soften, George cautiously rose and began preparing a new pot of tea for them, calling back to Hermione, "Go have a shower and we'll talk after that."
Hermione followed instructions and took off to the shower. The bathroom quickly turned into a pseudo-sauna with the heat of the shower water and Hermione moaned in pleasure as the hot water cascaded over her aching muscles. It had been tiring and tense the entire day, and she was grateful for the relaxing powers of a hot shower. After relaxing in the water, she began to scrub herself using a loofah and delicious, strawberry scented body wash, washing away the events of the day. Once she was clean, she dried herself with her towel and used charms on her hair to prevent frizzing, summoning a clean set of clothes from her untouched bedroom.
Hermione emerged from the bathroom about twenty minutes later looking refreshed but worn, dressed in a maroon blouse and pleated black skirt that fell just above her knees. She traipsed into the kitchen, still muttering charms for her hair as it twirled its way into a high ponytail, securing itself with multiple hair elastics and pins. George handed her a fresh cup of tea and they sat at her dining table where he had scrounged up some chocolate coated digestive biscuits.
"You look dressed up, I wasn't sure if you wanted to go to mum's after all that's happened today. I'm sure she would understand." George clasped Hermione's hand across the table and smiled gently.
"No, I'm going to go. Molly has been nothing but protective of me, and I know that I am well supported there. It won't just be Ron and all the awkwardness I'm sure will come with that." Hermione decided resolutely.
"Alright, I've got your back. Are we still telling Angelina after dinner?" George asked.
"Of course." Hermione smiled, relaxing as she sipped her tea, "Would you like to shower here? I'm sure we have some of your clothes lying around in the spare room."
"That'd be great, Mi." George stood and walked into the spare room, retrieving a pair of clean dark wash jeans and a black t-shirt with buttons at the V-neck collar, "Don't miss me too much." He winked as he slipped into the bathroom.
Hermione set about cleaning her tea service from Ron's visit and washing some dishes that she had left from the previous night. She began to hum Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John; a song that both her and Fred had loved to sing when they were doing mundane household chores together once they had seen The Lion King.
Flashback
Hermione was arms deep in dirty dishwater, only halfway finished cleaning the dishes from the previous night's festivities. She and Fred had decided that they were finally in need of a housewarming party, despite having lived there for three months already, and had invited Harry, George, Angelina, and Hermione's parents over for dinner. It was a motley group, but they all enjoyed themselves, with Fred and George getting new ideas for a bunch of 'adult only' alcohol based products, Hermione's parents enjoyed the youthful dinner party, and Harry and Angelina talked quidditch team strategy every chance they could.
Now the aftereffects of a celebratory night in were shown in the mess of the tiny flat.
"Who knew this place could get so messy!" Fred called from the living room, where wrapping paper was strewn all over the place from presents they had received the previous night.
"I expected more, to be honest," Hermione's swotty voice drifted playfully through the house, "what with you and George in the same room together. I've seen your workshop." She laughed.
Fred scowled at her through a wall, but smiled despite himself, "You make a good point, love."
Once Fred had satisfactorily cleaned the living room, he moved to the dining table, pointing his wand at a CD player and smiling as the opening notes of their song sang throughout the flat.
"There's a calm surrender to the rush of day…" Fred sang along, waving his wand at the chairs to right themselves.
Hermione's tinkling laugh echoed against the splashback through the kitchen. She loved it when Fred sang. Neither of them were amazing, but they both felt completely comfortable around each other to be able to sing freely, knowing there was no judgement on the receiving end.
"I need a damp cloth." Fred called to Hermione through the wall.
Before he could blink, a cloth that was completely soaked soared through the air and landed with a squelch on the back of his head. Lukewarm water flowed down his neck and back, soaking a line down his t-shirt.
"Hermione Granger!" Fred roared without malice.
Hermione's slender form appeared at the doorway and she began to laugh hard, doubling over and sinking to the floor.
"Oh," she managed between laughing fits and breathing, "I thought… you would catch it…" more breaths, "so… funny…" she continued her laughter.
Fred's eyes lit up just watching her and any irritation he possibly had before flew out the window with his girlfriend's laughter, "We will not speak of this to George."
Hermione placed a hand on her heart, suddenly looking very solemn, "Cross my heart."
She turned around and went back to her dishes with Fred's laughter following her.
The song continued, and as the chorus came up, Fred was suddenly behind her, his arms wrapping around hers and his hands plunged into the water to thread their fingers together.
"Can you feel the love tonight!" They both chorused, throwing their heads back and singing it to the ceiling as they always did. Hermione burst into a fit of giggles as Fred chuckled, pulling her further into his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head as they continued to sing together, swaying to the music.
As the song made its way to the climax, Fred suddenly wrenched Hermione from his arms, flinging her wide across the kitchen with one arm and twirling her as she let out a breathless squeal.
"Fred!" she admonished, although there was mirth in her voice.
He spun her into him and out again twice more, making her feel a little dizzy. Unsteady on her feet, Hermione braced herself against Fred's firm body, feeling his muscular shoulders beneath her fingertips as her palms slid down to rest on his chest. Fred tilted her chin up and they both smiled as their eyes met. Their lips parted and they shared a magical kiss, melting into each other. His hand snaked around to her back, supporting her and pressing her further into him, his other hand moving to her hair, cupping her neck as his fingers tangled in her tresses. Hermione pulled her short frame up on her tiptoes, sliding her arms around Fred's neck to support herself and edge impossibly closer to her soulmate. They remained locked in this embrace, kissing like their lives depended on it, neither deepening it to go further, both fully content with this particular kiss, trying to convey just how much they loved each other within it.
As they broke away, they were both slightly dazed and light-headed from their kiss.
"I love you, Fred." Hermione breathed, lowering herself and wrapping her arms around his waist to embrace him.
"I love you too, Mia." Fred whispered into her hair as he placed a final kiss on her crown, his arms relaxing around her shoulders.
"Hermione?" George asked for what felt like the twentieth time, "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Hermione blinked for a moment, "Y-yes. I'm fine, just lost in thought, I guess."
She looked down at her hands, which had been steeping in the dishwater long enough for them to wrinkle. None of the dishes had been washed and the water had gone cold.
"Are you ready to go, then?" Hermione asked as she wiped her hands on a nearby tea-towel and smoothed down her already crease-free blouse.
"I am. Do you need a minute?" George asked, cocking his head to one side. This made Hermione smile, as she had noticed that both twins would do this, but lean their heads to a different side. George favoured his right, as Fred had favoured his left.
"No, George. I'll be fine." Hermione reassured him with a wider smile. He offered his arm to her and she took it as they both stepped through the fireplace.
As always, the Weasley household felt like semi-organised chaos. As the pair stepped into the warm living room, shouting and hugs greeted them, making them feel much more at ease, despite the ruckus. Harry pulled Hermione aside as soon as they arrived to apologise about telling Ron everything, as Hermione assured him that it wasn't his fault.
"I will have his bollocks as soon as he walks through that door." Harry fumed. His hand clenched tightly around his wand and small red sparks fizzled into scorch marks on the rug below.
"Harry, as much as I completely understand that and support all decisions you have, we shouldn't cause a scene in the house. We need to keep you in Molly and Arthur's good books if you want any chance at marrying their daughter." Hermione placed her gentle hands on Harry's wrists and looked at him resolutely, "We can hex his genitals off together. Tomorrow."
Harry grinned at her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug, "I've really missed you, Hermione. What with the shop reopening and my renovations, along with some other extracurricular activities," Harry paused to look knowingly at her, "we haven't had any time to see each other. Why don't we start having a weekly catch up?"
Hermione sensed something was off. Harry never asked to see her, always just dropping in. Although since Fred's death, he had been more cautious around her, "Of course, Harry. To be honest, I've missed you too. George is fantastic company, but you and I have grown up together. I miss the bond that we have."
"Yeah, not seeing you 24/7 has put me in a bit of a tailspin." Harry admitted quietly, "Without you, Ron's making me go mental. I feel like we had this normalcy and understanding. I don't really know what it is, but being away from you for so long… it's just been really hard on me."
"Oh Harry." Hermione sighed and hugged him, "You're one of my best friends and we spent months together in that tent with just the company of each other. I understand exactly how you feel. To be honest, my house is really lonely at night time when I'm by myself. Keeping occupied in the day is easy, but the nights are always so quiet. Since coming to the wizarding world, I haven't felt like an only child. You've been my brother, and it's always been you with me, and Ron, or Ginny when I stayed here. Otherwise, I had Fred and I don't really have that now either."
The two just looked at each other and smiled in understanding, "You're welcome at Grimmauld Place once it's all fixed up, any time you need, Hermione."
"Same to you with my apartment, Harry. I do have a spare bedroom you can use." Hermione placed an arm around him as they were called to dinner.
The seating plan hadn't changed since the last time that the group had congregated for dinner, however Angelina had joined them next to George, and currently, the youngest male Weasley was missing.
"Anyone seen Ron today?" Molly asked as she levitated dishes of mashed potato, cauliflower cheese, beans, steak, and fish towards the table.
"We saw him earlier, mum." George began.
"He came by the shop to check in on how we were going. I think he said he was going to go out for a walk or something, but that was probably mid-afternoon." Hermione finished.
Molly frowned. It was uncharacteristic of her youngest son to not attend dinner. Not only did he live in this house; dinner was his most looked forward to meal of the day. However, all suspicions were quelled as the boy in question stumbled through the kitchen door.
"Sorry 'mmm late." Ron slurred. His eyes were glassy and almost bloodshot. He had obviously been drinking throughout the afternoon.
"Ronald Weasley!" Molly began, but Arthur placed a hand on his wife's arm, stopping her tirade.
"Ron, go have a shower and take some pepper up potion. We'll keep you a plate." Arthur intoned.
"But I'm huuuuungry now!" Ron hiccupped, then promptly fell to the floor.
The entire family had the same expression fixed to their faces: disgust tainted with worry and understanding. Since the war, everyone had been there at one point or another. Bill and Charlie both stood from their places and lugged Ron upstairs with promises to get him clean and sober before they came back down.
After a moment of unusual awkward silence, Molly spoke, "Well, we might as well eat while the food's still hot."
The whole family launched themselves at the hot plates of food, piling their own plates full of the delicious feast. Hermione waited for George to take some cauliflower, chatting idly to Angelina and Ginny about a shopping trip they needed to plan. As she reached for her own serving of cauliflower, a glint flashed across the table and she instinctively froze in place. Silence shrouded the room again and Hermione turned to see Molly's eyes fixed on her finger, an unreadable expression on her face.
"I…" Hermione began, pulling her hand back into her lap, "I can explain this." She mentally cursed herself for not replacing the glamour.
"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged, dear?" Molly asked quietly. There was hurt evident in her voice.
Instantly, Hermione felt guilty for keeping her engagement a secret from her adopted magical mother, "It's complicated, you see…" Hermione trailed off. She had never felt so utterly lost for words as she had in this moment. She turned to George for help, hoping that he would be able to help her explain this to his mother. George only looked concerned and baffled, which was no use to her at all.
Hermione sighed and tried again, "We've been seeing each other for about four years. He proposed to me about two weeks before Bill and Fleur's wedding. It didn't really seem like the right time to announce that I was engaged, and then the war happened and all of this…" She waved her hands around in a nonsensical gesture, "I've just been used to hiding it, I guess."
They were all quiet for a time, no one moving or saying anything, then Ginny asked a question that was on everyone's minds, "Did… Did he survive?"
Hermione closed her eyes, willing the tears to stay. George took her hand and with the smallest voice, replied with a simple, "No."
No one knew what to say then, and just as Molly began to ask another question, the three brothers returned from upstairs, Ron looking significantly better than he had when he stumbled into the house.
"What's going on?" Bill hesitated at the bottom of the stairs as Ron obliviously piled a share of food onto his plate.
"Hermione's engaged." Percy explained as she pulled her hands from her lap again, flashing her ring finger. Ron paused, looking directly at Hermione with eyes that flashed betrayal.
"Who?" Charlie asked brashly, ignoring the warning glares he was receiving from the rest of his family.
Hermione took an audible gulp, nervously looking from George to Angelina, then to Harry, who nodded at her encouragingly, "It was Fred." She whispered, almost inaudibly.
Hermione sat in her seat, looking at her hands which were folded in her lap and fiddling nervously with the ring on her finger. The next thing she knew, Molly had risen and loped over to her, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. Tears were streaming down Molly's face, and Hermione couldn't keep hers at bay any longer. The two women were locked in a mournful embrace until Hermione could no longer breathe.
"I always thought of you as my daughter, Hermione. You have always been a part of this family." Molly took Hermione's hand in hers, holding the ring up between their faces, "But this makes it real. I'm so sorry that we didn't support you after the war. We didn't know… If I had realised how much a part of Fred's life you were, we would have been there for you." Molly pulled her in for another hug.
Hermione's eyes stung with more tears at Molly's heartful acceptance of their relationship, "I'll tell you all about it over some hot chocolate, after dinner?"
"Whenever you feel ready, dear." Molly responded, returning to her seat. She pulled out her wand and waved it over the table, casting a warming charm over the food, "Now, everybody dig in, please."
A moment passed before everyone started to eat, a sense of normalcy settling back over the group.
"George," Hermione whispered, leaning close, "I don't know how much I'm going to tell them."
"Tell them as much as you're comfortable with. I have your back one hundred percent." George took Hermione's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before returning to his dinner.
Hermione looked up as she ate, catching Percy's eye and smiling. He smiled and gave her a nod, one of reassurance and solidarity. Penny, next to him, mouthed a small 'thank you' with a knowing glance at her own disillusioned ring. Hermione didn't realise how warm and accepting this family was going to be towards her and this secret; it made her feel stronger, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders – or at least part of it.
Throughout this ordeal, Ron stewed silently, not wanting to risk an argument with Hermione in front of his own family, 'They've obviously chosen her side,' he thought, seething as he stabbed at his steak. A plan was forming in his mind, and no one would see it coming.
After dinner, the entire family piled into the living room, squeezing onto couches and sitting cross-legged on the floor. Molly levitated trays of hot chocolate and warm cookies for everyone as everyone settled in, eyes naturally training on Hermione. George and Molly both sat beside her, with the matriarch placing a comforting arm around her and George gently taking her hand. Hermione took a long draw from her warm beverage and launched into the entire tale.
"So after he... passed," Hermione hesitated at this point, unsure of how much she was willing to reveal. She looked to George for reassurance and he squeezed her hand, "I was absolutely devastated. Harry came to me, knowing what I'd do to myself. I'd been feeling so guilty, taking so much time to mourn Fred, and not even searching for my own parents – I still am. George came over to start with too, but his visits only made losing him harder, and I felt like I was hindering his own grieving."
"That's not true, Mi. I needed you like you needed me then, it felt like our other half had been ripped from us." George dropped a kiss on the top of her head and Hermione nervously smiled.
"There's more, but I need everyone to understand what is happening to me and not to judge me." She sighed.
Hermione pulled her wand out from her holster in her sleeve and aimed it over her engagement ring. She uttered a quiet incantation and translucent white strands of light began to wind their way around her finger, coursing their way up her left arm and ending at an invisible point on her chest above her heart. George stifled a gasp and Hermione whispered an apology to him as the room erupted in questions.
"I explained that Fred and I were bonded." Hermione surveyed the room as they quietened, "The thing about that is, I can't live without him."
She pulled her wand out again and began waving it over the strands of light in a different configuration.
"These strings of light used to stretch between Fred and myself. They stemmed from our hearts and wound down our arms, extending out from our ring fingers and connecting to each other – no matter the distance between us." Hermione paused for a moment, "The day that Fred died, the string of light that joined us was severed. This generally happens when bonds are broken and is perfectly normal and not harmful. However, due to the nature of the spell that Fred had cast upon us to begin with, along with the fact that we are soulmates, the thread that connected us frayed and I will not be able to bond again."
Hermione finally tapped her wand to her engagement ring and watched the mortified faces around the room. The strings of white light began to tinge black, the darkness winding its way to about halfway up her forearm.
"From my research, I will get more paranoid and insane as the darkness spreads and when it reaches my heart, it will break and I will die." Hermione settled her hands in her lap and took a resolute breath. The entire room was deathly silent.
A chair scraped and Hermione looked up to see Ron standing from his position. He looked at her with disgust and began speaking, "I don't-"
"Now is not the right time, Ron." Arthur intoned, having been told about his outburst at the previous family dinner.
Ron glared around the room, noting varying degrees of irritation etched upon most of his family's faces. Hermione only showed hurt and anguish, silently willing Ron to drop it before his anger got the best of him. He took one last glance at his mother and whatever he saw there made his mind up. Ron resolutely stormed out of the room, his stomping footsteps carrying throughout the house until he reached his bedroom, slamming the door.
"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered, "Maybe Ron is right, maybe I am tearing your family apart."
"Don't be daft." Molly pulled her into a crushing hug, "This is your family too, and you're doing no such thing. Ron is the only one having issues here and his anger is getting the better of him. Let him cool down and we'll tackle this together."
Hermione decided at that moment to tell everyone what she was doing with the time turner. Once she had extricated herself from Molly's embrace and hidden her bond again, she began, "There's just one more thing and you're not going to like it."
She began to tell of her experimentation with the time turner, with some input from Harry and George. Sparing no detail, she also explained all her research into time travel and her own experiences, including what had happened earlier in the day with Ron (at which Molly turned bright red and apologised angrily for her son, especially to Harry).
"It's up to you how much you want to be involved from here on out, but no matter what you say, I am going to continue this sordid quest because if I don't succeed, well…" Hermione trailed off. They all knew that she would die if she failed.
"It seems like you're being extremely cautious and have researched extensively into the field." Percy commented. Hermione merely nodded. "Logically, I don't see the harm in you trying. If you succeed, we all get Fred back. If you fail, we lose another family member."
Hermione let a breath out that she hadn't realised that she was holding.
"Although don't let me hear you mention illegal time travel again. As the senior undersecretary to the Minister himself, I think I'm meant to turn you into the authorities." Percy winked at her and the tension seemed to ease out of the room.
"I'm sorry I kept this from all of you." Hermione gazed at every face in the room. Angie and Ginny showed small amounts of hurt but overall understanding, Bill and Charlie had wise, yet hardened eyes, whilst Fleur and Penny looked worried for her. She chanced a glance at Arthur and Molly, watching their faces betray their pain. "I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up or cause any more torment, and I was worried you would all try to stop me."
"I have to admit that under normal circumstances I would be asking Molly to berate you for this kind of foolish behaviour, definitely unbefitting the Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age." Arthur began, "However, I would do anything in my power to get my Mollywobbles back, not even taking into account the kind of repercussions that you will suffer if this doesn't go to plan." He gave her a nod to signify his acceptance of her cause.
"I can't exactly give you my blessing, dear, but I'm certainly not going to stop you either. I honestly hope you can bring back our Freddie, but I won't get my hopes up, for your sake." Molly stated with a sad smile.
Hermione had never felt more loved and accepted in her entire life. It didn't matter that Ron was being stubborn, because she couldn't control that he saw the situation differently, nor could she control how he felt about her. She could only accept that Ron would either come around, or he would be cut out of her life. For the first time since Fred had passed, she felt the hope that she had denied herself for so long.
Hermione Granger was going to get her fiancée back and she had the love support of everyone who mattered to her. They were on her side.
A/N: I hope this satisfies. As always, leave a review and let me know what you think :) I really have tried to make it as interesting as we can get with twists that make it (hopefully) a little less predictable.
See you in the next chapter... soon(tm) xxx