George got out of bed at twelve, feeling much better. He decided to go to the shop for a few hours, to restock the shelves, and to clear his mind. He remembered his dreams of Hermione, and their red-haired children. He sighed and changed his clothing. He then apparated down to the shop, ready to start working.

He startled Verity, who jumped and knocked over her display of Skiving Snackboxes. She halfheartedly glared at him, smiling. She waved her wand, and the boxes went back to their previous state. He looked at her for a moment, and said, "Hey Verity. It's Sunday, you're not supposed to be here, are you?"

She nodded, and replied, "Yes, but I thought I'd just get it done now. I was bored, so I came here. I can leave, if you want me to. And you're here, too, if I may say."

George shook his head. "Nah, you can stay. And I'm here, mainly to clear my head. I…I got my letter today. I'm probably going to be marrying Hermione Granger."

Verity smiled at him. "She'll be good for you, I think. You've been so lonely. I'd have snatched you up myself, but I've got my boyfriend. Well…husband to be, actually."

George nodded, congratulated her, then went into the back room. He began taking inventory, and organizing the back shelves. He decided to bring some new products into the store, to see if they sold. Verity helped him, and left shortly after four o'clock.

George's stomach was rumbling, so he went back up to his flat to grab a snack. He still had two hours until his meeting with Hermione. He was looking forward to it, to be honest. He hadn't been with anyone in over a year, and he missed having a woman around. Sure, he had his sister and sisters-in-law, but that was different than a girlfriend or wife.

He ate his snack quickly, then decided to go shower. He took a long one, reveling in the hot water. He got dressed, wearing a pair of black trousers and a dark blue, dressy shirt. He combed his hair back and brushed his teeth. He decided he looked okay, as he smoothed his hair over his ear. The ear he'd lost was now just a hole in his head. He'd become self-conscious about it recently. He decided he'd have to look into getting a "fake" ear.

At five-forty, George left his flat and headed down Diagon Alley to meet Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron. He walked quickly, wanting to be there when she got there. He went in, and got a table in the corner. He ordered two butterbeers, knowing Hermione liked butterbeer. He settled in, waiting for her.

Hermione finally settled on a halter-style red dress. She hung it on the door to her closet, and set out a pair of silver Gladiator sandals. She surveyed her outfit, and deemed it presentable. It was a little dressy, but she did want to impress George.

For the next few hours, Hermione settled down with a book. Sometimes, when she was upset, a good book could calm her down. She wasn't that upset, but she couldn't stop thinking about George, and the dinner. She concentrated on her book, losing herself in the world created by it.

At three o'clock, Hermione decided to take a bath. She put some bath salts in. One would allow her skin to not get pruny. She got in, and laid in it for about an hour. Then she got out, and shaved. She vanished the shave cream from her legs, and dried herself off. She slipped on her undergarments, which weren't anything special, and then her dress. She stood in front of her mirror, and twirled. She looked quite pretty.

She glanced up at the clock. It was nearing four-thirty, so she needed to hurry. Her hair and make-up would take an hour, at the least. She wrestled with her hair for nearly an hour, then put on her make-up. She went back into the bedroom, and looked at herself. Her hair fell in soft waves, and half of it was up. Her make-up was light, since she didn't like it when women put on globs of make-up.

She grabbed her purse and put on her shoes. She grabbed a light jacket, too, and left her apartment. She apparated to Diagon Alley, then walked to the Leaky Cauldron quickly. She was about five minutes late, and she hoped George wouldn't mind.

George looked up as a woman in a red dress approached him. He looked at her face and realized it was Hermione. He smiled brightly, and stood. She nodded to him, and they sat down. She thanked him for the butterbeer.

They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments, before George spoke. "Well, Hermione…I just want to thank you for agreeing. And, you look beautiful."

"It was no problem, George. I was in the same situation. And thanks for the compliment," she replied, blushing slightly. "But we've got to talk. I'm sure money's not a problem. I've heard about the shop's success."

George nodded. "Yeah, we're set for the rest of our lives. We won't have to worry about money, since I try my best to take care of it so well. I don't spend much. If I do, it's mainly because of the store. Even then, I question it for a while. Guess it has to do with how I was raised. Now, what about where we're going to live?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Well, my flat's not nearly big enough to hold both of us, much less future children. I guess we'll have to move into yours…How big is yours?"

"Oh, it's got three bedrooms, a bath, a kitchen and a living room. Fred used to stay in the second bedroom, and we used the third one for storage," George said, his voice quiet. He felt a pang of sadness when he mentioned Fred.

Hermione patted his hand. "I know you miss him. And your flat sounds lovely. I'll move in when we're married, and in the mean time, I'll be packing up my flat."

"Speaking of married, when do you want it to be? We've got until June 9th," George reminded her. "I was thinking perhaps the 23rd of May? I know it's only two weeks, but I think we can get it done."

She looked at him for a moment, thinking. "Oh yes, that'll work. I just want a small affair. Perhaps we could just get married at the Marriage Office, and then throw a party at the Burrow, or something? I was never one for a big fairytale wedding. "

"Sounds good," he agreed. It was set. He'd be married in two weeks, and strangely, he didn't feel nervous. "And…. about the children…"

"What about them?" she asked simply. She started looking over her menu, waiting for his reply.

He sat there for a moment, staring at his own menu, but not reading it. "Uhm, we'll have to be…intimate. We're supposed to either be pregnant or have a child by the time our first anniversary rolls around."

She looked up at him. "I know. But I think we can wait until later, after we get to know each other more. Of course, if we're not at that level, we could always take a lust potion, or get drunk. If it came to that, I'd do it. But I don't think we'll have any problems with it, to be honest."

He nodded. "Yes…that could work. I hope we don't have to resort to that…Now, we should order something to eat. I'm quite hungry."

They studied their menus for a few minutes. George decided to order some fish and chips, and Hermione ordered a sandwich. The food came quickly, and they began eating quietly. After they finished, George asked, "Hermione, want to come back to my flat for a glass of wine? I don't think we have anything else to talk about the marriage, but we could get to know each other better, perhaps."

Hermione agreed. She protested when he paid the bill, but he told her that he didn't mind. After all, they were to be married, and have access to each other's funds. He trusted her, knowing she wouldn't go off with his money.

George walked with her to his flat, her arm in his. They arrived, and he directed her to the living room as he poured two glasses of wine. He heard the fireplace roar as he walked into the room. Hermione had started a fire. She glanced at him and blushed, saying, "I hope you don't mind."

He grinned at her. "I don't mind at all. It's fine."

They sat on the couch together, talking about politics, their impending marriage, and some other trivial things. He still didn't know the little things about her, but he vowed to himself to ask her when he saw her next. They had set another date to see each other for Wednesday night, since Hermione got off work early. George saw her to the door, thanking her again. They said their goodbyes, and he pecked her on the cheek. She blushed, and apparated away.

He closed the door and smiled. He didn't exactly mind a marriage to Hermione any more. She was an amazing woman, he figured out. He stripped out of his clothes, and fell into his bed, exhausted again. He dreamed about their date, and future dates, also.

Hermione apparated back to her flat, and when she did, she pressed her hand to her cheek where George had kissed her. She blushed again. She was beginning to like him, and their "date" had gone quite well. She couldn't wait to see him again on Wednesday. She wondered if Mrs Weasley knew…Probably not, since Hermione probably would have gotten a letter from her if she had.

Hermione shimmied out of her dress, and into her pajamas. She fell into bed, tired out from talking, the wine, and getting up early. She had a pleasant dream about George, which involved them walking together on a beach.

AN: Wow...I'm shocked by how many review/favorites I got within a few hours. Thanks everyone! Can we shoot for maybe 3 review this time? Thanks!