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Chapter 8

They stepped out of the dental office into the muggle street dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Granger, which was far more uncomfortable than Hermione could have ever even imagined. The whole experience was more than a little creepy for her and she couldn't wait for it to be over.

"That guy that couldn't stop staring at you at the pub," Fred said, "I think he is our key."

"I don't know…maybe. It happens a lot since the war."

"No, it wasn't that. There was more."

"Well, I doubt it was my pesky feminine wiles, Fred," Hermione said while rolling her eyes, then nearly tripping, unused to walking in her mother's strange pumps. "It was probably because he could tell we weren't muggles either."

"Feminine wiles? Really, Granger?" Fred asked laughing.

"Yes, it means when-"

"I know what feminine wiles are, I am just curious why you are using such a term and why you think you don't have them?"

"Never really have had any reason to think otherwise, have I? Didn't ever really work on Ron or any of the other boys at Hogwarts." She tried her best not to blush or look embarrassed in any way, her face looking straight ahead, refusing to look at him.

"Oh, it worked, alright."

That didn't help. The blush began to deepen. "Then why didn't I date the entire time I was there?"

"Well, first of all, I remember the Viktor Krum fiasco of what was it, my sixth year, quite well. And then there was Ron, of course-"

"Oh, whatever, Ron didn't even notice I was a girl until years after we met. In fact, he seemed to find it something of a shock."

"What about Victor, then, the greatest seeker in the WORLD!" he said with extreme flair and exaggeration.

"Viktor liked me because I didn't chase him around like a groupie like most of the other girls at Hogwarts, or Beauxbatons, for that matter."

"Oh, I suspect there was a little more to it than that, Granger," but he didn't elaborate for they had reached the pub. The rickety sign and dusty exterior looked even more intimidating somehow. They stood outside for a moment, neither quite willing to take the first step.

"You know they will know we aren't really muggles?" Hermione asked.

"Well, probably, but there is a chance that they just recognized you as part of the Golden Trio before, but either way, definitely be on guard."

She wasn't sure why she did it, but for some reason, at that moment, Hermione took Fred's hand into hers and squeezed it, smiling up at him confidently. It was such a simple gesture, one that she had seen occur hundreds of times between her parents. Perhaps, that was the reason, she tried to convince herself. She was pretending to be her parents so it wasn't surprising that she would begin to act like them. Somehow, deep down, however, she knew that wasn't true.

"Well, shall we?" she asked before she had a chance to dwell on those thoughts any further.

Fred just nodded in agreement and they walked together hand in hand, each hoping that they looked like a real couple, neither wanting to acknowledge the real reason for that hope.

At first glance it looked the same as it had before, empty except for a few tables, same smiling group of hostesses, but the friendly vibe they had experienced previously was definitely missing. Even as they were showed to their table, there seemed to be an almost buzzing in the atmosphere that Hermione could tell had Fred extremely on edge.

"What?" she whispered to him as they were seated and, for the moment, alone.

"Can you feel that?" he asked, looking around in alarm.

"Yes," she replied. "It feels like the room is humming with electricity."

"With what?"

"Electricity," she hissed. "Surely you know what electricity is…you know what, never mind. What do you think it is?"

"I've only experienced it one other time," he said, kind of in a daze. "George and I were experimenting with that spell I showed you the other day, actually."

"And?"

"And it's not a good sign, Granger."

"Why not?"

"Because it means someone is trying to drain this room of magic."

"What?" she cried, a little too loudly as Fred tried to shush her, even kicking her gently under the table to try to help her regain her senses. "We have to leave," she said, attempting to stand.

"We can't leave," Fred said firmly. "We know now that something definitely happened to George and Angelina here. We can't just leave."

"Yes, but we could be better prepared than pretending to be my parents. We can research what it means-"

"Hermione, with all due respect, I appreciate research as much as the next guy. Yeah, don't act surprised, how do you think George and I come up with all our products? But in this case, I'm not really sure what book you think you are going to find out why that guy is staring at you again with the same creepy expression."

"Oh, Merlin's beard," Hermione said, whipping her head around quickly to see the man from the previous day staring at her as if he could see right through the polyjuice. "Well, what do you suggest then? We just march up and ask him what his problem is?"

"No, I think we order and let things play out unlike yesterday. Just be prepared and don't lose focus for even a moment."

Hermione nodded, discreetly clutching her wand inside her bag under the table, hoping with everything she had that Fred somehow had easy access to his own. She sat pretending to stare at the menu while trying with great difficulty to remain in control of all her mental faculties.

Not a moment later the same man with the piercing green eyes and prematurely graying beard was standing over her.

"We need to talk," he said, dropping a card on the table and walking away in such an eerie manner that Hermione half expected him to have a limp or some other strange gait, but he didn't, he just walked away as easily as he had arrived.

"It's just an address," Fred said. "I guess we are supposed to just show up with no clue as to what is going on?"

"That seems to be the expectation, yes," Hermione agreed.

"Well?"

"Well, let's find out what is happening at 107 Wingfield Avenue," Hermione said with far more confidence than she felt. Every part of her screamed it was a trap, but she knew it was the only way to find out what happened to George.

"It'll be fine," she said with a convincing smile. "I've been in far worse situations than this and if I can get Harry and Ron out of these messes I'm sure I can help someone with half a brain."

"Good point," Fred grinned, taking her arm in his and for what seemed like the millionth time since their ordeal had started he said, "Let's do this, Granger."