Review offering insight to the story:
"Hello, first of I would like to say that your writing style is absolutely amazing, and this story is one of my absolute favorites, I cannot believe that the true part of the story is only just unravelling before our eyes. Each chapter had me thankful that there was a one after that, the interludes were beautiful in describing all that Harry and Ronald missed, I love how simply the twins had moulded Hermione into their twosome, it would never seem possible, but you pulled it off without a problem. I cannot wait to see what Hermione and Fred's reactions will be when they find out the traitors have returned, also I cannot wait to see their reactions after finding out that Fred and Hermione are married with three children. Please, please update soon. I will be waiting happily, I'll probably read the chapters over another few times too!" - Ali Kriss of FanFiction net.
Thank you to the following reviewers: avchocoholic, Jester08, Beneeta, xxBuffyfreakxx, misssweetsweet, mahlee, RoxasIsReal13, FredWeasleyLover1126, Hotkat144, Shdwcat27, shortee962, pstibbons, disneyrulz23, wonderlandgirl, PyroAngel8605, FmaFan10, MilkMustache, medfanofreading, thunder sister, Princess Asbach, Lara Zed, jessirose85, SexiAnglo, ghzowy, BeckiSoup, Lynne, amrawo, icantlivewithoutharrypotter, sakuralilystars, MegN, Secret Thought, nadia the demented one, Rob-girl, bethygirl94, Marionette, Dizi 85, Caramel Crazy, Cibbler, Dancing'NtheRain, Aria DeLoncray, wasu, VickieL, PapayaCrazy, Iwannaknow, SweetBlackAngel16, Jas120, finkpishnets, LemoN-X-DroP, FAFALOVES, Syrenn, Aswen, puella, ARtemIs07, milkchocolates, ThE-bOrEd-OnEs, Ronsmyfave1, sierrabobierra, mrs.draco.malfoy.2010, WoWoWoW123456789, ThE NiGhT's DaRk StAr, bianca-the-pirate, aniweasleyblack, Korugee, DeLiRiOuS aka CAPTAIN obvious, TiReD-of-BeInG-SoRrY, unwrittenkhk3, Zencry, Lunar Kasumi, lyn, SiriusDesires, katemary77, Miss Genevra Zabini, remuslives, meghan, Falling Right Side-Up, that belle, smiles420, Shiva'sGirl, Lizz, BornToLiveForever, Paprika, Annie, Cujo8705, seraphinn, foxtrot run, sufflelufflegus, kalina-blue, Consonance, gh, moscardini, XxBookScarxX, CrimChick227, Babo, bookworm-4-ever2012, gothic-hands, FSChaos!#$, Black Musasabi, equinox08, J, mrsfweasley, Anois, Miss Aconite, dee-dee142, jensworld, meghan, mer-person, canary17, shelubbsu, e.zap, Lindsey, sweetgirl23, lvswtht, Binx23, jamy21, Crazy Mishka, Samy, jracklesfan77 and especially Ali Kriss, Isabelle Black, Kneazle, sarahyyy, Tears of Ebon Grey, and SeamEmma4Evr.
While You Were Gone
Chapter Three
George appeared in front of a familiar bookstore, the swinging sign above the door had a bright gold scrawl that read "Brilliant Books." He knew it'd be smart and easy to just walk inside and tell Hermione everything; tell her what Ginny had said and how his reunion with Harry and Ron had been; how his mother had reacted and how his anger had been more than he expected. But while he stood outside of the door, seeing through the glass pane the short, smiling woman he'd grown to think of as one third of him, he knew he couldn't go in and break her heart just yet. He saw his nephew run past her, waving a book back at her and rushing towards the back area where a children's reading circle had been made. Tables, chairs, chalkboards and a trunk of toys were set up for the kids that dropped in. It kept them occupied while their parents browsed the shelves of Hermione's extensive bookstore. She was well known for having any book a witch or wizard could possibly want; nothing was out of reach for her.
While the niggling feeling that she deserved to know and he shouldn't avoid the issue ate away at his stomach, he turned away from the store and made his way down the cobblestone street, concentrating hard and apparating away to the kitchen of his house. He could hear Alicia chastising the twins in the den and smiled to himself over the familiarity.
"Connor! Eli! I can't believe you did that to old Missus James' garden. She's been ranting all morning and I can't reverse it. You wait until your father gets home," she told them. Their giggles proved that they were sure their dad would simply find amusement in their prank and she obviously felt the same as she quickly added, "I'll have him apparate you over to see your grandmum and you can explain it to her."
"But mum!" the twins whined simultaneously.
"We didn't mean teh," Connor denied, his voice ringing with innocence.
"It was a' accident, really," Eli added emphatically.
"Judging by how dirty you both are, I highly doubt it was that accidental," George called out to them as he entered the living room.
"Dad!" they chorused, grins forming as they got ready to tell him all about their incredible prank.
"Later," he told them, motioning to the stairs. "Go get cleaned up, I have to talk to your mum."
Exchanging curious glances, the twins red heads hurried over to the stairs, looking back at their parents suspiciously.
Alicia crossed the room, her brow furrowed and her mouth pinched with concern. "What's wrong?" she wondered, worriedly. "I haven't seen you this serious in ages."
Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to her, his arms moving to wrap around her waist and his head falling to sit comfortably on her shoulder. He breathed in the soft scent of apples from her dark hair and let his body relax as much as it could. He could still remember seeing the much older face of his youngest brother and feeling the embrace of his arms. The anger welled up in him again and he had to force it away as it threatened to ruin the comfort his wife or six years filled him with.
"George?" Alicia asked, her voice soft and hesitant. "Did something happen to Hermione or Fred?" The words were strained, as if the simple idea that either of them could have come by some harm was quite possibly the worst thing to ever happen.
While he and his wife were as close as two lovers could be, his connection with his brother and Hermione ran deeper than any other relationship he had. Fred was his twin and that was simply irreplaceable, while Hermione had quite quickly and easily filled a space they hadn't realized was open. The three of them were inseparable and he didn't even want to fathom what a life might be like without them there. His body tensed when he realized how much hurt the return of Harry and Ron would truly cause. Things had reached a normality for the Weasley family; they were no longer pining away for the lost family members. They missed them, of course. Hoped they were safe and happy out in the world. But they no longer spent their time waiting for a reply or a glimpse of them somewhere. They'd moved on as best they could, welcomed life as it came at them.
"You're starting to scare me," Alicia whispered, her voice shaking.
"They're back," he said, his voice muffled in her shoulder.
"Who's-- Oh," she cut herself off, her voice full of shock. "Ron and Harry," she confirmed, her voice low. "Do... Do they know? About any of it?"
"I didn't talk to them really," he admitted, his arms tightening around her.
"And do Fred and Hermione know they're here?" she wondered, her hands running up and down his back soothingly.
George shook his head against her shoulder. "Didn't quite have the courage to tell them yet."
"I don't blame you."
"Things are going to get bad," he said with a sigh.
She nodded but didn't say anything for a long moment. "How d'you feel about it?"
"I'm not really sure." Taking a deep breath, he let it out in a heavy sigh. "I'm happy they're okay, but... I'm more angry than anything. He hugged me. As if it hadn't been so long, he just hugged me. I..." Closing his eyes tightly, he frowned darkly. "I wanted to hit him... I almost did."
"Oh George," she breathed, not as chastising as it could be.
"I don't know whether I want them to leave or stay," he admitted softly, an unexpected tightening of his chest left him feeling the old hurt that he thought he'd gotten over so long ago. "Sometimes I really hate them for what they did to us."
"I... I'm not sure what to say," she told him apologetically.
He nodded understandingly, rubbing his hand over the small of her back. "S'okay. I'm not even sure what to feel." He chuckled humorlessly, wishing he'd had the courage to go and see Hermione or at least his brother. Alicia held him a little tighter and he found her embrace grounded him some, batting away the overpowering confusion of all the emotion that was clouding his mind. They were in for a whirlwind of drama and he only hoped the family was strong enough to get through whatever came. He knew though, that whatever Fred and Hermione decided on the matter, he would support them. That was just the way of things now.
Some distant part of him was worried though; despite Hermione's reigning anger toward Ron and Harry, they had been her best friends first. She had battled next to them for seven long years and held them up through good and bad. That had to say something about their bond. With their arrival back, would she regain her place in the Golden Trio, or stay with the pranksters she'd come to love? It wasn't as if she could leave her husband and she wouldn't, no matter what happened in their lives. But the friendship formed between her, Fred, and George, may not rival that of hers with Ron and Harry. Ten years of fun and an easy journey in life didn't quite compare to battling hardships and winning against adversity, did it? The unease settled in his stomach and he hoped, though he knew it was selfish, that Hermione wouldn't falter or question her place with him and Fred. It was where she was supposed to be, no matter who came back into their lives. It was Fred, George, and Hermione; a new breed of trio; one that wouldn't leave each other behind for anything. Right?
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Er... That wasn't how I was expecting him to act," Ron said, breaking the silence. "Fact, I thought the twins would be the least angry with us."
Ginny stared at him a moment, her eyes moving to their mother's anguished face. "Well, I'd say they were the most angry with you, actually."
Ron looked shocked, Harry looked confused, Molly looked as though she were sadly agreeing.
"B-But why?" Ron wondered, shaking his head. "Ginny, you I can understand. Mum and dad, I definitely get. Hell, even Bill, I know, would be right pissed. But Fred and George, they're... Well they take everything in stride, really. Figured they'd throw us a welcome back party or something, not... well, what he did."
"George is nothing compared to how Fred's going to react," Molly muttered, suddenly looking quite stricken. Her eyes widened. "D'you think he's gone to tell them. Oh... Oh my..."
"He'd never keep something this big to himself. Not from them," Ginny replied, frowning.
"Er, would you care to enlighten us?" Ron asked, annoyed.
Molly and Ginny exchanged glances.
"Maybe we should all sit down and talk," Harry suggested, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's a lot of catching up needing to be done. Questions needing answers..." he trailed off nervously.
Molly nodded jerkily. "Yes, yes. Come on in, boys," she said, ushering them through the door and toward the living room. "Excuse the mess, Ginny and I were going through the wedding albums."
"Albums? I thought Ginny's was the first since Bill's," Ron mentioned, slumping down into an armchair.
"Oh heavens no," Molly replied, shaking her head. "No, all of your brothers are married. Well, except Charlie, but he and Mariella are engaged for next year." She looked positively delighted.
"All of them?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.
"It has been ten years," Ginny reminded, her tone soft, but her expression sad.
Molly nodded, her expression fond. "Yes, Fred was the first after Bill, then Percy and Penelope, then George and Alicia, finally Charlie asked Mariella and Neville proposed to Ginny at Christmas," she told them, nodding happily. "Beautiful weddings, all of them."
"Alicia Spinnet?" Harry asked, his brows raised high.
"Yes, well Weasley for the last six years," she told him, grinning. "They have twin boys, as well. Connor and Eli. Five years old."
"Kids too," Ron said, his eyes wide and a dazed expression crossing his face.
"Of course! I have seven wonderful grandchildren to dote on!" his mum exclaimed delightedly. "Bill and Fleur have two girls. Aubrey is eight and Talia is nearly six. They should be coming by tonight actually, so you'll get to see them."
"What about the other three?" Harry wondered, lifting a brow. "Percy's or Fred's?"
"Oh Percy and Penelope don't have any children," Molly said tutting. "They've decided they want to wait a little while longer for their careers to settle down some. I told them they better hurry up or they won't have any time, but they're dawdling anyway." She rolled her eyes, huffing. Thinning her eyes suddenly, she frowned at them. "Neither of you have any children I don't know about, do you? Don't tell me you've been hiding my grandbabies away from me."
Reddening, Harry and Ron looked at each other before shaking their heads quickly. "No, no mum, no kids," Ron assured, waving his hands in the air.
"Our girlfriends came with us though," Harry added, squirming in his seat.
"Girlfriends," Molly reiterated, eyes widening. "You didn't bring them here then?"
"We thought we'd take the brunt of it first and then bring 'em along," Ron said honestly, shrugging.
Ginny snorted. "Didn't want them to see your two get your arses handed to you, yeah?"
Snickering, they shrugged their shoulders rather agreeably.
"So," Harry said, clearing his throat. "Er, the other three are Fred's then?"
"Mm," Molly said, her eyes turned away for a moment. "Yes. Two boys and a girl," he told them, smiling fondly. "Austin's the oldest, he's seven, he's just like his dad but he'll pick his mum over everyone. Then again, Fred would pick her over just about anyone too." A shadow crossed her face for a moment and she appeared almost sad as she looked over to Ron and Harry. She brightened a moment later however, taking up her cheerful tone once more, "Then there's Brody, he's five, shy little one that one. Looks just like his mum but he's a daddy's boy entirely. Last there's Aiden, she's just three. Itty bitty thing, but she loves to be cuddled and doted on."
"Loves her sweets too," Ginny added, nodding. "I swear, if you have a lolly or anything on you, she knows and she'll find it. Then she'll pull her innocent adorable act on you so you won't be mad when you see she's eating it," she warned happily.
"I imagine you'll be meeting them soon too," Molly told them, her eyes evading theirs once more. "They love their aunty Ginny," she said brightly.
"Besides George, I'm their favorite," she boasted proudly. "I always have sweets for Aiden, a book for Brody, and a new prank to play with Austin. He's a mischievous one, so I'd watch out. His mum usually catches him before he does anything too upsetting. She does sometimes let him go through with it though." She shook her head, chuckling to herself. "She's pulled some big pranks in the past."
"Yes, you remember that time when her, George, and Fred... with the toilet seat..." Molly tisked. "Poor Bill."
Ginny laughed uproariously, shaking her head. "Oh that one was priceless."
"That was before she and Fred got together though," Molly reminded, smiling lightly. "Quite the trio they were."
"Still are," Ginny said, nodding. They both seemed to be deep in thought while Ron and Harry watched on in confusion.
"Er, who're we talking about exactly? Fred and George let a girl into their inner twindom? Thought that was impossible," Ron said, snorting incredulously.
"More than just let her in. They were inseparable. She moved in with them, became a part of them really. Where they were, she was, and vice versa. Finished each others sentences, pulled pranks with each other, anticipated one another's every move, completely fit together. It was no surprise really when she and Fred fell in love." Ginny shook her head, her fiery red hair falling around her shoulders. "I was a little skeptical at first, but really... There's no one else for Fred."
"Who is this bird?" Ron asked, lifting a brow. "I've never known anyone who could turn Fred's head for long. Him and George were the ultimate bachelors. He would'a only been twenty, twenty-one when he got hitched!" he said incredulously.
"About that, yeah," Molly agreed, smiling. "They were young, yes, but they were happy together. There was no talking him out of it, not that anyone was trying. They dated about a year and a half before they married. Were best mates before they finally got their acts together." She sighed contently. "Never seen two people more made for each other than them." She tutted, shaking her head.
"Hey! I think Neville and I are very made for each other!" Ginny told her, frowning.
"Oh of course dear," her mother soothed. "You know what I mean."
Rolling her eyes, Ginny turned her attention back to Ron and Harry. "I'm sure George will tell them and they'll pop in sometime soon. They'll want to know for sure you're back." She winced. "I wouldn't expect the warmest greeting."
"If this is how they're reacting, I don't even want to think about how Hermione's going to," Harry said sighing.
Molly and Ginny exchanged a look before their eyes turned off.
"What?" Ron asked, frowning. "What was that? What'd that look mean? There something we should know about Hermione?"
Clearing her throat, Ginny stood up slowly. "Well, you know, it's getting late, so I think I'll just pop on home, show Nev those pictures of those flowers then, eh mum?"
"Oh yes, it's important he agrees. Beautiful, aren't they? I'm sure he'll appreciate them," she replied, moving to grab the photo album and handing it to her. "Let me know what he thinks, dear? Are you two coming by for dinner tonight?"
"Yes, I was hoping to talk to Bill about one of his girls being the flower girl," she told her, nodding. "They're still staying with you, aren't they?"
"Of course. I won't have them staying at a Hotel," she said, looking quite insulted at the mere suggestion. She turned toward Harry and Ron suddenly. "That reminds me. You better go get your girlfriends, you lot are not staying at some Hotel when you could be at home with your family!" She shook her head, looking scandalized. "Bring 'em on over. You two can take Ron's old room and they can sleep in the twins."
"Mum," Ron said with a suffering sigh. "Separate rooms, really?"
"Until you're married, Ronald Weasley, you will not be having girls in your bed in my house!" she told him, glaring.
Snickering, Ginny shook her head in amusement. Leaning over, she hugged Harry tightly and then embraced Ron. "I'll see you both tonight. Try not to wander off, yeah?" she teased, though her eyes were rather worried.
"We'll be here," Harry promised.
Nodding, Ginny left toward the fireplace and with bright green flames and smoke, she was gone.
"So tell me, what are their names? How old are they? Where'd you meet them? Are they witches?" Molly rambled excitedly.
"Er, name's Julie, couple years younger than me, and yeah she's a witch. She was visiting to take care of her grandmum and we ran into each other. She decided to stay after her grandmum got better, been together since," Ron replied, scratching his chin.
"And you, Harry?" she asked eagerly.
"Oh, uh, her name's Lacey. Met her when she dropped by the shop looking for a broom. She's the same age as me, Canadian witch... She's really looking forward to meeting you," he offered, half-smiling. "Been together a few years now."
"The shop?" Molly queried, her brows knitting.
"Oh, uh, we own a Quidditch shop," Ron told her, nodding. "Yeah, Quality Quidditch. Real big hit; gets a lot of customers. We also teach the little'uns to fly."
"Oh, how wonderful! Your own a shop," she exclaimed proudly.
The boys nodded, grinning to themselves.
"Well, I think you two should go pick up these nice lady friends of yours and bring them by. Have you eaten lunch yet? You must be starving. Why, you're nothing but skin and bones the both of you," she said, tutting.
Looking down at themselves, Ron and Harry frowned. They were most definitely not skin and bones. In fact, Ron had probably never been skin and bones in his life. If it wasn't his own appetite keeping him fit, it was his mum's cooking and then Julie's. They had no reason to ever fear him dying of starvation, that was a fact. And Julie kept Harry well stocked on food too, even when he didn't need it. Still, it was Molly's way, and they happily followed her to the kitchen. After agreeing to go pick up their girlfriends, they watched her move toward the stove.
"Familiar, yeah?" Ron asked as they moved to leave.
Sighing happily, Harry nodded. "Nice to be home."
"Too bad it won't last," he replied, frowning.
"Yeah, seems the twins aren't too pleased." Harry frowned. "Think they'll prank us bad?"
"Real bad," Ron admitted, nodding as he winced sourly. He sighed. "Guess we deserve it."
Harry sighed. "No doubt we do... I hope it doesn't involve the toilet seat though," he said shuddering.
Grimacing, Ron nodded agreeably. "I'm not sure I even want to know what happened there."
"Me either."
"It might not all be as bad as we think," Ron said hopefully. "Maybe Fred and George will pop in for dinner and forgive us, so happy to have us back that they just welcome us with open arms."
"Yeah, that's what they'll do. And then they'll jump out of the way because they've strapped their exploding prank to our backs," Harry said morosely.
"Way to think positive, Potter," Ron muttered, chuckling.
"Only being realistic," he replied sourly.
"I highly doubt it'll explode. There will be children there. They wouldn't risk their own kin," he assured, shrugging.
"They're brilliant enough to have put some kind of shield on their kids and the people they like, leaving us to deal with the explosion," he counteracted, shaking his head.
"When did you get so paranoid?" Ron wondered.
Harry sighed. "I dunno. I think it has something to do with Britain. I come back and suddenly it's like everyone's out for my blood."
"Not everyone. Just the twins," he told him, grinning.
"Right, because those aren't two of the worst people to have after me?" he mumbled incredulously.
"Mum wouldn't let them kill us, she just got us back!"
"See that's the thing. Your mum would just think we'd left again..." Harry's eyes thinned and he looked around suspiciously.
"Seriously, Harry, I'm not sure you got enough sleep last night," Ron said, taking out his wand to apparate away.
The pop made Harry jump nervously, before he flushed in embarrassment and followed after his best mate to pick up his girlfriend. He dearly hoped whatever payback the twins had in store, it wouldn't be anything too horrendous. He was fairly sure his prayer fell on deaf ears.
A/N Finally, I get to update! My sister was able to send me this and a few of my other chapters to this story. I hope you enjoyed this! I was quite surprised to see just how many people enjoyed this story. And I know that many of you were very worried that I'd never update and it had been abandoned. But I can assure you that isn't true.
Much Love,
-Amanda