On the Differences Between Soulmates and Lifemates
disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters therein belong to J.K. Rowling and are borrowed by the author. Any other, original characters belong to the author. Don't take them they'll run away and come back home to me.
Chapter 4: The Burrow and the Words That Spilled Out There
With all the portkeys and the long walks between them, Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny didn't reach the Burrow until early Friday evening. As they entered the front gate, several garden gnomes ran and hid, and those that didn't wear picked up by their ears, swung around no less than three times, and unceremoniously tossed far from the Weasley home.
"Mum, we're back! Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny we're all here and accounted for! We lost a few limbs along the way by illegally Apparating!" Ron called out, as his mother was nowhere to be seen.
"Ron's preggers and Viktor Krum won't submit to a paternity charm!" Ginny chimed in.
"Harry's scar fell off and he's run off to get it back!" Hermione laughed.
"Ron proposed and I said no!" Harry got into it, and they were all laughing by the time Mrs. Weasley showed up.
"Ronald proposed to Hermione?" she squealed.
"No, to Lord Voldemort. We think he's going to say no, though," Ginny giggled. Hermione laughed with her, and soon the quad was on the floor, laughing at their own bad jokes.
"Alright, you lot, off the floor and into the kitchen. I've got stew ready for you, to ward off the chill. Hermione, you look quite comfy. Are those muggle things?" Mrs. Weasley didn't even pause when she switched subjects, and the quad followed her into the kitchen and ate well of her work.
"Yes, they are. Would you like me to get you some, or come shopping with me some weekend? I'm sure we could find you some things that are just as comfy, without being quite so magical," Hermione offered, taking in Mrs. Weasley's outfit, a loud confection from Madam Baliwart's Boutique, outside of Diagon Alley. Ginny nodded.
"I'll go, too. It can be a girls' day, just the three of us!" Ginny chimed in, giving her mum the glassiest, most charming eyes possible.
"Your birthdays are coming up the day could be my gifts to you!" Hermione rushed on, catching a look from Ginny. Both girls knew that money was still tight for the Weasleys and that Molly Weasley would surely put off her own needs and wants for those of her family's.
"Alright, girl. Just me and my two daughters. Tomorrow, girls?" Mrs. Weasley laughed, sure they would turn her down.
Hermione felt a little guilty and turned to Ron, asking him silently to help her.
"Just make sure you lot are back in time so Ginny can play quidditch with Fred, George and us. Hermione, you'll have to play, too," Ron said in mock solemnity.
"Yeah, too bad about that. She'll have to be on your team, mate. You're dating her," Harry agreed, poking fun at Hermione and her lack of flying and quidditch skills.
Mrs. Weasley told them it was time to eat, and that they could plan their day after a good meal when the twins Apparated into the kitchen with a double-loud POP!
"Hello, Mum, Boy-Who-Lived, and the rest of you," Fred said blandly, scraping a bow to the group at the table.
"You're Hermione, right? Gorgeous, you are. You aren't taken, by any chance?" George bent low over Hermione's hand, placing a smacking kiss into her palm. Ron laughed along with everyone while Hermione blushed.
"Interesting. Our baby brother isn't threatening to gouge your eyes out, brother dear. Perhaps he's become a monk?" Fred eyed Ron with interest, curious about the change that had come over him.
"Hermione's practically a grown witch. I think she can handle herself around my nutter brothers. Besides, even back when we were second years she could have taken both of you at once," Ron said proudly. "But if she calls for help, you're both as good as dead."
"Hermione, Ginny and I are going for a girls' day tomorrow," Mrs. Weasley said proudly.
Fred and George's jaws dropped. George turned his attention back to Hermione. "How'd you manage that? You truly are amazing. Be mine?"
Ron stood up. Hermione tensed as she thought Ron would go back to his jealous, uptight self. George stood stock-still as his younger brother reared up to his full height, a few inches taller than the twins. Fred came to stand next to his twin, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Ron cut him off.
"Hermione and I are separated for the time being. So, no, she is not taken at this point," Ron said stiffly, emotion in his voice. He left the kitchen without another word, leaving a half-full plate and a room of open jaws in his wake.
Hermione leaped up from her chair and ran after him, out into the yard and the waiting woods.
The twins looked at each other, and then at their mother, whose eyes were brimming over. Sensing the thrashing their would be getting, Fred and George ushered Harry and Ginny out, not wanting to be humiliated in front of too many people.
The tongue-lashing never came. Instead, Mrs. Weasley cried.
"Hermione's always been like a daughter to me, and a sister to Ginny. What happened? Do you know what has happened? Have you spoken to Ron did you put him up to this?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.
"Fred, we know as much as you do nothing," Fred said earnestly, for once serious.
"We'll talk to him and Hermione and figure everything out. We all know they're meant to be. They just need to be reminded," George said soothingly. The twins knew how much Hermione meant to their mother; after Percy left, Hermione filled the requirements for a brainy, stiff-laced child, yet she had more compassion than Percy would ever be capable of. On top of that, she was the most normal girl Ron had ever been interested in.
"But more than anything, we can't do anything until they've talked and come back to the house," Fred said finally.