A few weeks had passed since Hermione and George's meeting at Fred's headstone. George had become even more withdrawn since he and Hermione spoke, however, whenever the two came face to face Hermione would still receive a death glare from him. Hermione was too busy to even notice the open hostility from the living Weasley twin, although everyone else in the household had noticed.
"My god, Hermione," Ginny murmured to her friend one evening. "If looks could kill, George would have killed you a thousand times already!" Hermione hadn't told Ginny about the conversation she and George had had at Fred's cemetery.
"I suppose I haven't even noticed." Hermione replied, not really wanting to discuss it. "I'm so nervous about this trip and I don't know what to pack! I've rewritten my packing list at least seven times." The cruise was scheduled to leave port in two days and it was clear how anxious she was.
"Well, tomorrow when we have breakfast you have to look at George. It's kind of scary to watch." At that, Ginny gave a nervous giggle. A few minutes later, Ginny's soft snores could be heard on the other side of the room. With a quick glance at her watch, Hermione saw that it was only eleven thirty and she was suddenly very thirsty. As quietly as she could, she got out of bed and tried to maneuver around each squeaky floorboard in Ginny's room so she wouldn't wake the red head.
When Hermione finally got out of the room, she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. She went and poured herself a glass of milk and cut a little piece of the leftover apple pie Molly had made for dinner. Just when she had settled down in a chair and started to eat, George walked into the kitchen. He didn't appear to notice her as he went about his agenda, however he noticed when he went to sit down.
"You're sitting in my seat, Granger." He muttered, still standing as though he was expecting her to move.
"Last time I checked, you sat at the other head of the table, reserved for the oldest Weasley after your father." Hermione replied politely, pointing towards the seat that George always sat in.
"Last time I checked, you sat in the seat across from my mother and next to my father at the other end of the table." Was the answer and Hermione looked down at her pie, not saying another word. She was well aware she was sitting in what used to be Fred's usual seat.
"You know, George, just because you and I don't get along doesn't mean I didn't get along with Fred!" Hermione finally told him and George's eyes turned stone cold as he looked at her.
"You think I don't know anything don't you, Granger!" George sounded venomous and Hermione felt herself start to shiver with apprehension. "I knew everything! I knew you and Fred had this… this… thing! I also knew that no matter how many times Fred asked you didn't want him to tell me! Well, answer me this, why couldn't I, Fred's best friend and twin, know about you and him but you allowed Ginny to find out?! The world doesn't and didn't revolve around you!" Hermione glanced at him, very surprised. Just when she thought she had done everything she could to hide their relationship she had been very wrong. Then, she saw how much of an idiot she had been, of course George would have known, the twins had been connected in a way.
"So, you're angry with me because I wanted to wait for the end of the battle to announce our relationship?" Hermione asked him, perplexed.
"You are responsible for Fred wanting to be in the final battle. He wanted to be there to protect you and he died. Now, I have no one." Suddenly, Hermione wasn't hungry anymore. She pushed past George who had started to cry again and back to Ginny's room and sat on the edge of her bed. As Hermione put her head in her hands, she could already feel her own tears begin to fall.
Now she knew why George hated her so much. But was she really the reason why Fred had died? Her eyes began to droop and she laid back in her bed. Little did she know the dreams that she would be facing.
All she could see was darkness as she ran, until she saw a pinprick of light in the distance. She continued to run until she reached it.
"Don't be afraid, Hermione." A voice came from the heavens. Hermione turned around and looked everywhere, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Fred?" She murmured uncertainty.
"Don't be afraid." The voice repeated. From behind her she could hear heavy footsteps and instead of figuring out where the voice was coming from she turned to run.
"Don't be afraid." But she was afraid, she didn't know what was chasing her. Suddenly, she could feel her feet weren't on solid ground anymore and could feel herself falling. The light finally came on in her dream and she was able to take in her surroundings. She had just fallen off a cliff, and when she looked up she could see a lion looking down at her.
"Don't be afraid." It said as she fell in Fred's voice.
"Hermione! Hermione!" Someone was shaking Hermione and she quickly opened her eyes.
"What is it? What happened!?" Hermione was looking at Molly Weasley and she could see Ginny looking at her. She looked terrified. Molly gave her some chocolate and took her in her arms.
"It was a bad dream." Molly told her. "Are you sure you'll be okay to go on this cruise?" Hermione nodded as she ate some of the chocolate and could feel warmth spreading through her body from it.
"I'll be okay, Molly. Everything's going to be okay." Molly and Ginny went downstairs to get breakfast started while Hermione finished her chocolate. She felt herself give an involuntary shiver when she thought back to her dream. It had all seem so vivid. She could feel the lion's breath on the backs of her legs from when it was chasing her and the panic that was going through her body while everything was happening. Part of her wished that she had kept with Divination so she would be able to interpret it. As she got up to get dressed for the day, she felt her anxieties slip away from the dream. Instead, the usual ones about the trip were taking it's place.
I really have to start getting packed, she thought to herself. Her trunk was open and empty at the foot of her bed and she put two weeks worth of muggle and wizard clothes inside of it along with sunscreen and toiletries. That way, the hard part was done and she could add more things in if she needed to as the day went on. When Hermione went downstairs to have breakfast with the rest of the Weasleys and Harry she was quick to notice George's empty chair.
"Where did George go?" Hermione asked Molly and she shrugged her shoulders.
"He said he was going to be out for the day. We're not really sure where he went," was Molly's reply. Instead of questioning any further, Hermione loaded her plate with some eggs, bacon, and toast and began to eat. The table was very quiet until Ron decided to open his mouth.
"So, Hermione, have you started packing yet?" He asked her and Hermione nodded.
"I packed all of my clothes, now I need to figure out what other things I'd like to bring." She answered. It was clear to her that the two hadn't begun to pack but they could do it last minute because they would most likely be packing only their clothes.
"We're going to go for a walk when we're done with breakfast." Harry told her thoughtfully, "Would you like to come with us." Hermione nodded with enthusiasm as Ginny looked sadly at her plate. She hadn't even begun to pack so she would not be able to go with her friends. Hermione finished eating and walked out of the kitchen with Harry and Ron until they were outside. They remained silent until they were off Weasley property and that's when Ron began to speak.
"I am so excited for this trip!" He definitely sounded excited. "I've never been on a cruise before."
"Neither have I." Hermione and Harry said at the same time. While Harry and Ron began to talk about the cruise, Hermione allowed her mind to wander. Where would was George? What was he doing? She knew that it must have had something to do with the argument they had had the night before. Her gut gave a guilty twinge when she remembered that George blamed her for Fred's death. Since she was so caught up in her thoughts, Hermione tripped over a tree root and didn't even notice until her arms went out to catch her fall.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked, helping her up. She nodded as she brushed the dirt off of her t shirt. The trail that they were taking eventually led them back to the Burrow and once they got there Harry and Ron ran up the stairs to start their own packing for the cruise.
Hermione sat in the living room quietly while Harry, Ron, and Ginny packed. Occasionally she could hear chuckles from Ron's room at the very top and even some thumps from Ginny's room as she, no doubt, carelessly threw her things in her trunk. When Hermione heard the front door clunk shut she quickly picked up a magazine and began to read it. George walked past her without even a glance and most likely didn't even realize she was there.
"Mum?" He called out.
"I'm in here, dear." Molly called back from the kitchen. After George went into the kitchen, Hermione put her ear against the door to listen to their conversation. "Where have you been all day? It's already almost three o'clock. I was hoping you could talk to Harry, Ginny, and Ron before they go. I'm afraid something's going to happen to them on this trip. They do have a tendency to be careless."
"I still have plenty of time to talk to them," was George's reply. He seemed relieved when he started to speak again. "You don't want me to talk to Hermione?"
"Hermione has a good head on her shoulders, not to mention she's anxious about the trip and had a horrible nightmare last night. She'll probably be in her room for most of the ship." Hermione listened to what sounded like pacing footsteps. Those were most likely coming from George. George cleared his throat.
"What kind of nightmares has she been having?" He asked. Before Hermione could hear Molly's reply, Ron and Harry came down the stairs.
"All finished packing?" Hermione asked them before they could ask why she was eavesdropping on the kitchen and they nodded.
"Can you make sure we have everything?" Ron asked her and she nodded. The friends walked upstairs and into Ron's room. She quickly went through the contents of their trunks and gave them a satisfied nod.
"The only thing I would add are some things to entertain you if you get bored or if you can't sleep." She told them. "Like books or something." Hermione left the boys to finish their packing to go into Ginny's room and add some last minute things she had thought of. When she walked into the room, she found a very satisfied looking Ginny closing her trunk.
"I'm going downstairs to get some lemonade." She told her friend which left Hermione alone. She threw a first aid kit and a couple books in her trunk then closed it. No matter what she was ready to go. Hermione laid down on her bed to rest her eyes for a few moments before she was awoken by Ron coming in to tell her dinner was ready.
Dinner was an ordinary affair. There was a lot of clinging of plates and laughs from around the table. The only one who remained quiet throughout the meal was George. He seemed to be very interested in his green beans whenever Hermione tried to sneak a glance at him. Molly looked as though she was hiding something and had the trademark Weasley twinkle in her eye but no one seemed to notice besides Hermione. If only Harry and Ron hadn't come down when they did, then I would know what was happening. After dinner, Arthur set off some fireworks and then encouraged everyone to get some sleep because they would be awake early the next morning.
Hermione woke up at three in the morning because she wanted to take a shower before everyone else. The whole time she had been at the Burrow she had not been able to get a hot shower and it was finally going to happen. While she was inside, she embraced the heat of the water as it hit against her bare skin. After she got out, she dried off quickly and put a towel around her chest and hair. Then, she brushed her teeth. While she was leaving to go back to Ginny's room and get dressed, a sudden mass ran into her.
"Hmph." She said as she stumbled, the towel slipping a little while she did.
"I'm sorry I wasn't realizing where I was…" Came George's voice. He was holding all of his shower stuff and had had the same idea that Hermione had had about waking up early. Even though he wasn't going on the cruise, he was probably going to go to say goodbye to Ginny and Ron or something. When he noticed that it was Hermione he ran into he quickly stopped apologizing and got the infamous stone look on his face. His ears then got red and Hermione glanced down to see her towel needed to be readjusted. George had gotten a free showing of her breasts. Without another word he went into the shower and Hermione went back to Ginny's room.
It didn't take long for Hermione to get changed into her dress robes and to dry and straighten her hair with magic. A few minutes after she was done getting ready, Ginny woke up and from the creaks around the house, Hermione was sure that the others were also awake. By five o'clock everyone was ready to go.
"Okay everyone." Molly said. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were in the living room around the fireplace. They were going to floo to the port because Ginny couldn't apparate yet. "Hold onto your trunk and say 'mystic port,' I'm going to apparate ahead of you and meet all of you there. Good luck." At that, Molly apparated and Ginny walked towards the fireplace. One by one each of them went until Hermione was the last person in the living room. George was nowhere to be seen but Hermione pushed those thoughts away as she went through the process to floo to the port.
"Mystic Port." She bellowed and that's where it took her.
The process to get them checked in was very smooth and easy. Hermione was staying with all the girls in her year and Ginny was staying with all the girls in hers. Same with Ron and Harry. They went into their rooms, which were actually very large suites. Each of the girls had their own bedrooms with bathrooms and there was even a sitting area for them all. Once Hermione got settled, she went back to the main common area which was where they were supposed to meet. There were four long tables, exactly like at Hogwarts, and Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table. Soon, everyone was there and sitting, looking at the staff table. Eventually, the entire staff was there, or at least the staff that was returning. Professor McGonagall would be the Headmistress and Hagrid was there along with a couple others. The seats where the History of Magic, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration were open. McGonagall stood up and addressed them all.
"I would like to welcome you to the first Hogwarts Cruise. We are celebrating the defeat of the Dark Lord and also getting to know our classmates a little better. For our seventh year students, we are celebrating your graduation from Hogwarts. Now I just have some rules I would like to go over." She spent about fifteen minutes going over things such as getting out of bed late at night and always having a buddy. "I would also like to introduce one of our new professors. George Weasley will be returning to Hogwarts in the Fall as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Hermione gasped as George came out of a curtain and sat next to Professor McGonagall with a smug look on his face.