Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own Harry Potter or anything that is involved in his world. But I do enjoy using Jo Rowlings characters.

I am swapping out all of my old chapters for beta'd chapters so there are some changes for anyone who wants to re-read them. Chapter five will be posted in a few weeks after it has been beta read sorry for the long break between chapters.

Chapter 3

Hermione quietly followed Fred out of the dingy bar down the street toward the tube station she just left twenty minutes ago. She wasn't sure about following someone she just met, but Fred seemed very nice, and a little cute if she really thought about it. They were a block away from the tube station when she opened her mouth to say something to him, but when her shyness kicked in and she quickly closed it. What if he was only being nice and showing her the way? What if he didn't really want to talk to her? she wondered as they approached the station.

'I'll just keep my mouth shut until he says something,' she thought determinedly.

When they arrived at the station she paid Fred's fare, made her way over to the waiting area, and took a seat on a bench waiting for the train to arrive.

Fred took a seat next to her and began twisting his hands nervously. He had taken the tube a few times in his life so that wasn't the problem; to be honest it was the silence that was driving him mad. He couldn't remember a time that he had been quiet for so long with the exception of sleep, and even that was a stretch if what George said was true about him talking in his sleep.

That was it, he'd had enough. Fred turned to the pretty girl sitting beside him with a grin, "So Miss Granger?"

She looked up at him from the pavement her eyes had previously glued to, "Yes Mr. Weasley," she said with amusement.

Fred grinned at the reaction he got from the young woman, "Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

Hermione just looked at him critically for a second before sticking out her hand out to Fred.

Fred chuckled at the sight before him and began searching his pockets for a penny, but could only feel a few sickles and knuts. "I'm fresh out of pennies but how about I give you an "I owe you" and you share your thoughts now."

Hermione brought her hand back down, shoving it in her pocket. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then quickly closed it as if she changed her mind about what she was going to say. She then quickly blurted out, "is your friend Harry always that big of a prat?" Her eyes bulged as she realized what she said, quickly throwing her hands over her mouth.

Fred just looked at her with awe before bursting out with laughter, "Harry a prat?" he chuckled. "Well I guess he kinda was to you," he said, calming his laughter down a little. "Harry has a lot on his plate right now. Usually he is a really nice guy and everyone loves him. He's just not that trusting of people he doesn't know. He's got a great personality though," Fred said as if trying to convince her to go on a date with him.

Hermione let a little giggle escape from behind her hands. "I am sorry, I didn't really mean to say that. I guess I was so focused on not saying something stupid that I said something stupid," she giggled again.

"It's okay," Fred laughed "you really should give him another try though. Harry can be a nice guy when he wants to be. You could come back to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink after your lunch with your mysterious friend. I'll introduce you to everyone properly and you can give Harry another chance not to be a prat." Fred smiled hoping she would take the bait he was laying, it was better that she come willingly than him having to stun her or something to get her there.

"Maybe. I do have to get home at a somewhat decent hour," Hermione replied meekly, her eyes shifting from the redhead to her hands, which were currently playing with the plastic bag that held the books she had purchased earlier.

"I will make sure you get home at a decent hour. I promise," Fred smirked.

"Well, then I guess one drink after lunch won't hurt, if Viktor doesn't mind," she reasoned, still playing with her bag.

"So Miss Granger, what do you have there?" Fred asked indicating the plastic bag she was playing with.

Hermione glanced up from her hands towards the tunnel and looked nervously for the train, "Just a few books," she replied shyly.

"On one subject in particular or are they the all-encompassing type of books?" Fred asked leaning closer to Hermione and trying to get her attention back on him.

"Teeth," she answered cryptically.

"Teeth?" Fred questioned.

"They're about teeth. I'm studying at Oxford to be a dentist," she replied as she turned to look at him, giving up on the train showing up anytime soon.

Fred noticed there was no spark in her eye or smile on her face when she talked about becoming a dentist. "Is that what you really want to do?"

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I would rather have a job where I can make a difference, but I don't have that choice. My parents are dentists so I have to be a dentis,t" she said sadly. "So what about you?" she asked with a small smile.

"I own a very successful joke shop with my brother and Harry's Godfather. But Miss Granger, that is not how this game works. I am the one who asks the questions," he answered as the train pulled into the station.

Fred helped Hermione up from her seat and they boarded the train taking the first two available seats they found.

"So is there a love interest in Miss Granger's life" Fred asked with a smirk.

"It's not nice to pry into a stranger's life Mr. Weasley, and even if you weren't a stranger, I don't see how it is any of your business," Hermione scolded giving Fred a glare that sent a chill down his spine.

"I'm sorry I have offended the young lady?" he joked giving Hermione his best puppy dogs eyes, that always worked wonders at getting him out of trouble. "How will I ever get you to forgive me?" He threw in a sniffled for good measure.

"Oh please Fred. My flat mate is the self-proclaimed king of sympathy acts. I can only offer you my forgiveness if you beg," Hermione teased as she tried her hardest not to smile.

"I am so very sorry Miss Granger. Can you please forgive me? I will do anything, please!" Fred pleaded, getting down on his knees in front of her for extra effect, earning odd looks from the other passengers.

"I guess I can forgive you, but just this once," she conceded with a laugh, pulling him off the floor. "Besides the answer to the aforementioned question is a little complicated," she said with a little question in her voice.

"Oh, so no boyfriend right now?" he asked with a little interest.

"Not quite. I'm not sure, as I said it was a little complicated," she answered quietly.

"Will this old friend help make it any less complicated?" he offered.

"Can we not talk about this? Next topic please," Hermione groaned.

Fred laughed at her attempt to change the subject. "Okay tell me about your family?"

"Only child to perfectionist, overachieving dentists. Next?" she smiled.

"Favorite food?" he asked.

Hermione scrunched up her nose in thought, "My mum's Shepherd's Pie."

"And your favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Season?"

"Spring, though I rather like fall too."

"Animal?"

"Otters, they're just so cute. I would always drag my mum to see them at the zoo when I was a child," she answered with a smile.

"What do you like to do for fun?"

"Read mostly," she said lifting the bag to remind him about the books.

"Flavor of ice cream?"

"Pumpkin. I know it's weird, but so tasty," she laughed.

"Favorite flower?" Fred asked with a grin.

"It's a tie between roses and lilies," she smiled.

Fred took a mental note before he asked his next question. "Favorite sexual position?" he asked with a grin.

"Fred Weasley! I am not answering that!" she shrieked, turning bright red.

"Why Miss Granger, I do think red is a charming color on you," Fred snickered.

Hermione blushed even deeper at his compliment. "Why do you keep calling me Miss Granger? I do have a first name you know, or have you forgotten it already?" she muttered.

"I don't know. I guess it just amuses me to call you Miss Granger. And of course I remember your name. How one can forget a name as beautiful as Hermione is beyond me," Fred teased.

"Okay, now you're just laying it on thick," Hermione growled, giving her companion a light punch in the arm.

"Violent one, aren't you?" Fred groaned while rubbing his arm as Hermione rolled her eyes.

The train began to slowly come to a stop and Fred stood up from his seat, "This is our stop Miss Granger," he said as he jokingly cowered behind the metal bar in the middle of the train.

Hermione just laughed as she followed him out of the train. "If you promise to behave, I promise I won't hit you again."

"Ever?" Fred asked hopefully.

"I can't make that promise, how about I promise not to hit you for the rest of the day," Hermione smiled offering her hand as a sign of truce.

"Deal," Fred said, taking her hand and shaking it.

"Good." Hermione grinned as she made her way out of the station followed closely by Fred. "Now it's my turn to ask the questions. What is your favorite sexual position?" she asked with a laugh.

"Doggie Style. Now I that I have answered it, you have too," Fred stated.

"Ah ah," Hermione scolded, "That is not how this game works. I ask the questions now. Remember?" Hermione said smugly.

"Tell me about your family. Is it just you and the other three I saw at the table?" she asked.

"No, I am one of seven Weasley children, well eight if you count Fleur, and one nephew," Fred answered with a laugh as he noticed Hermione's jaw drop.

"Seven kids, wow! I feel bad for your mum," Hermione muttered. "Ok next question. Favorite place to visit?"

"Um…" Fred stalled, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't get him a strange look when he noticed the sign for the restaurant hanging above them. "Oh it looks like we're here already," he sighed pointing to the sign hanging from the pub just in front of them.

"Oh," Hermione sighed sadly, a little disappointed that their game would come to an end. "Well it's still my turn after lunch. You have to join us. I'm going to need someone to show me back to the Leaky Kettle so I don't get lost," she insisted.

"Leaky Cauldron and are you sure?" he asked with a little excitement in his voice, "Your friend won't mind?"

"I don't see why he would, it's not like this is a date or something like that. It is just two friends catching up," she said with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Sure, then I would love to join you," Fred said with a grin from ear to ear. He opened the door to the pub and allowed Hermione to enter first.

Viktor spotted Hermione the second she walked in and it instantly brought a smile to his face. He forgot how much he missed the young woman while he was away from her.

"Hermione, over here," he called in his thick Bulgarian accent from the small table near the door where he was sitting.

"Viktor, I am so sorry I am late," Hermione said, happily rushing over to the tall Bulgarian and enveloping him in a hug.

"It is fine Hermione," Viktor smiled hugging her tightly. "I missed you so very much," he whispered into her hair.

"I missed you too," Hermione blushed pulling away from him. "I hope you don't mind but I invited someone to join us. I got terribly lost trying to find this place and Fred kindly helped, so I offered to buy him lunch. It was the least I could do."

Fred stood by the door as the old friends got reacquainted. He felt bad enough interfering with their lunch plans. He sulked quietly as he watched the pair embrace again. They seemed so happy together, and he might have to admit he was a little jealous that he hadn't met her first. The jealousy soon turned into panic when Hermione stepped away from the man and he quickly recognized him as the famous Quidditch player Viktor Krum. The same Viktor Krum that had spent a year at Hogwarts competing with his sisters-in-law in the Tri Wizard tournament, and attended his brother's wedding a few summers ago. He wracked his brain for things he could say to keep the older man from mentioning anything to Hermione that he might not want her to know just yet.

"Fred, come over here and meet Viktor," Hermione called from her spot next to Viktor.

"Viktor, was it? I'm Fred Weasley; so very nice to meet you," Fred said with a little more enthusiasm than normal while shaking the confused man's hand. "Hermione here got lost trying to find this place and wandered into the bar I was in, and I thought I would show her the way. I hope you don't mind me joining you two for lunch." Fred took a seat across from the duo and picked up the large menu covering his panic stricken face.

"Fred, is something wrong? You are acting a little odd," Hermione whispered.

"Oh, nothing's wrong. I just realized how hungry I am," he lied as he brought his menu down from his face. "Tell me, how did you two meet?" Fred asked with a suspicious smile.

"Well, what was it? Six years ago, almost to the day?" Hermione grinned while looking at Viktor for conformation. When he gave her a small nod, she smiled and continued her story. "My friend Everett dragged Emma, his sister, and me to see "Cats" at the New London. He still denies begging us to go, Viktor," Hermione said with a chuckle. "After the show we all went to a nearby pub for dinner, and Viktor was there with a few of his team mates. They were all pretty drunk and talking in some weird language that wasn't Bulgarian, and wearing these weird robe things. Viktor was the only one not drinking, since he was still seventeen at the time. I guess they just lost some huge football match because the whole team seemed really upset. Viktor got so sick of their complaining and asked if he could join us for dinner. We almost closed the pub when we spent the whole night talking. I think that's the reason my parents still hate Viktor. We have been very close ever since, sending letters and visiting when we can. He actually trained an owl to deliver his letters to him, kind of like a carrier pigeon."

It was Viktor's turn to give Fred a look of warning before he said anything. "My owl knows where to find me always, no matter where I am. I travel a lot with my football team and the post isn't always the best for me. They lose letters."

"Well I am famished. What do you recommend here Viktor?" Hermione asked while lifting the thick plastic menu from the table in front of her and glancing it over.

"Anytime I come to London, I must have fish and chips," Viktor responded while smiling brightly at his companion.

"Then fish and chips is what I will have," she said determinedly while placing her menu back on the table. "So, how long do you plan on staying in London?" she asked.

"I will be traveling through England for the next two weeks. I have meetings with many teams here and then my contract is over with Bulgaria at the end of the summer," Viktor explained.

A smile spread across Hermione's face as she heard this news. "Does this mean you will be moving to England? I would love it if I got to see you more."

"I would love to see more of you as well. I am hoping to get signed for the United but that is a very good team," Viktor explained.

The talk continued until the barmaid made her way over to the table and took their orders. During lunch, they continued to catch up. Fred sat quietly as he ate his second lunch of the day, only adding a few things here and there. He was determined not to blow Viktor's Muggle cover by saying the wrong thing.

"If you boys will excuse me, I have to go to the toilet," Hermione said politely as she stood up from the table and made her way to the back of the pub.

"Okay Fred, explain what you are doing here now," Viktor said angrily.

Fred checked to make sure that Hermione was in the bathroom before he cast a silencing charm around the table, just in case. "Your lovely Hermione found her way into the Leaky Cauldron, which means she has some magic in her blood. I promised Harry I would keep an eye on her until I can get her back to the Leaky Cauldron to meet with Dumbledore."

"Hermione is a witch?" Viktor asked excitedly. HIs eyes lit up as if Fred had just told him Christmas came early.

"I don't know for sure, she could be just a squib. Dumbledore will be able to cast a spell to find out," Fred reasoned.

"I could go with you. I am sure Hermione will be more at ease with me there," Viktor suggested.

Fred thought over what Viktor offered. He knew that he would need help calming her down, if her temper from earlier in the day were any indication. "Fine, you can come, but you don't know any of us but Harry. You two met when you went abroad his 7th year. Before we leave, I'll go to the toilet and send Harry a patronus to let him know what is going on," Fred stated sternly.

Fred noticed Hermione heading back to the table from the toilet and quickly lifted the silencing charm. "Hermione, you will never guess who Viktor is friends with," Fred said eagerly.

"Harry, what's wrong? You said to get here as soon as possible," Sirius said rushing into the Leaky Cauldron still wearing his Auror robes. He made his way over to the table that Harry was sitting George and Ron had gone back to work at WWW, much to Ron's chagrin. He had really wanted to be in on the Order meeting. Angelina had left with George, saying something about waiting in the backroom and a few other things Harry wished he hadn't heard. Dumbledore, Lily, and Remus were currently sitting at the table with an excited looking Ginny.

"Sirius thanks for coming so quickly. I was just telling Dumbledore we had a little incident involving Tom and a woman getting into a row. What I gathered from Tom about the situation was that this young woman came off the streets looking for directions. As you know, Tom has a great memory for faces and knows every witch and wizard in London and he didn't recognize her. He confronted her about how she got in here and asked if she was a witch. Apparently witch is Muggle slang for bitch and that started a pretty wicked row between the two of them. Luckily Fred stepped in when he did, you know how Tom gets when he is angry," Harry explained.

"He didn't," Sirius started.

"No, she still has all of her limbs attached, although I think she could have taken him," Ginny added with a chuckle.

"Was this girl a witch?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not sure. That's why I asked you here. Fred is with her now and they should be back within the hour. I wanted to see if you could test her for any traces of magic. There was just something about her that was very familia,r but I can't seem to place her."

"Do you think she may be the girl from the prophecy?" Remus asked.

Harry just shrugged and turned to Dumbledore for his answer.

"It is possible, but we cannot be sure until I can check to see if she has a magic core. Where exactly is the girl now Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Fred took her to meet a friend. We tried, but we couldn't keep her here. I thought that her first encounter with magic shouldn't be her being stupefied," Harry replied.

Dumbledore nodded in agreement then pulled a small piece of parchment out of his robes and began looking it over.

"So what is the plan? I don't think she is going to take being told she is a witch very lightly if the way she acted with Tom is any reference," Lily asked in a worried mothering tone.

Dumbledore nodded again, his eyes still on the piece of parchment studying each word.

"We don't even know if she is a witch yet. Should we really worry about that now? We can worry about it when we have to tell her," Sirius complained.

"I agree with Lily. I really don't think getting on her bad side is a good idea. Besides, what if she has a bout of accidental magic when she's told?" Ginny added gently.

"I think Fred should tell her," Sirius declared.

"I rather like that brother, thank you very much," Ginny snapped throwing a cold chip at him.

"Hey no throwing food!" Sirius growled. "I only said Fred because he is the only one of us she actually knows and she might take it a little better if it comes from him," he said while sticking his tongue out at the youngest red head.

"Sirius!" Lily scolded.

"Sorry Lils, but she did start it," he whinged while crossing his arms over his chest like a child.

"Sirius, you are 42 and she is 20. Please start acting your age. I'd swear I had two sons," Lily groaned.

"I am not 42 yet old lady," he snickered.

Lily glared at him before giving Ginny a silent nod. Before he could say anything else, bogies the sizes of bats were making their way out of his nose and starting to attack him.

"Ginny, make them stop," Sirius cried as he tried to fight off the bat bogies.

"Finite," Dumbledore commanded pointing his wand at Sirius.

Ginny, Lily, Remus, and Harry immediately stopped their laughing and the bogies dropped to the floor. All eyes were glued on Dumbledore and waiting for him to say something.

"Sirius is right. If the girl is a witch, Fred should be the one to tell her. We will all be there for support if it is needed. Lily, Remus and I will sit at another table and Sirius you can join them at their table if it turns out she is in fact a witch. This will not be brought up to anyone outside of the Order, and even then tell no one that does not need to know," Dumbledore started his lecture. "If she really is the girl from the prophecy, we will need to train her as soon as possible. We still don't know Voldemort's whereabouts, but we can guarantee that as soon as he finds out that we have found her, he will stop at nothing to come back and get her. Harry, you are sure that Peter did not hear the whole prophecy?"

"I'm sure. He took off down the stairs as soon as I saw him," Harry answered.

"Good," Dumbledore said cryptically. "It would be best not to mention the prophecy to her right away we should give her a little while to absorb that she is a witch."

"We still don't know that she is a witch, let alone the witch in the prophecy. Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves," Sirius asked.

"No. We cannot be certain, but it is better to have a plan." Dumbledore looked as if he were about to say more when a small silver fox came through the door and stopped right in front of Harry before it began to speak.

"Harry, Hermione and I are on our way back with Viktor Krum I'll explain later, but he promised to keep his mouth shut about the witch thing for now," the fox said before fading into the air.

"She's friends with Viktor Krum and she doesn't know about magic," Sirius stated while rolling his eyes.

"Well he is very quiet," Ginny giggled as a blush crept onto her cheeks.

"And how would you know? You were only a third year when he was at Hogwarts," Harry inquired.

"At Bill and Fleur's wedding he just sat there in the corner of the room. You were the only person he would talk to. He has only said a few words to me and we are in the same league," Ginny said defensively.

"Let's get back to what is important," Lily said bring everybody's attention to back to Dumbledore.

"I will cast the spell to test her magical core when she enters with Mr. Weasley. If she is indeed a witch, then I will meet you at the bar and we will discuss where to go from there. Sirius, since you had your doubts about the girl, I think you should join Harry when he goes back to his own table. We will be standing by while you tell her the news. We don't want to overwhelm her with too many people all at once. When she is settled or if things appear to be getting out of control, we will approach the table. I assume you can handle this yourself, Mr. Potter. You are one of the highest ranked Aurors in your division," Dumbledore stated as he stood up from the table and escorted Lily and the other two gentlemen to a table near the entrance.

"Are you ready if she is the girl from the prophecy?" Ginny asked calmly as soon as the table cleared.

"I have been training my whole life for this Gin, I just want it to be over," Harry sighed, his exhaustion showing in his young face. "To be honest, I am more afraid of how she is going to react. She seems a little scary," he gave a small laugh.

"We're still not sure she is the girl," she started.

"She's the girl. I know she is," he said, enjoying his last few minutes of peace since he knew as soon as that door opened, his life would change forever.