Thank you to SJMuggle, for being review #50 :)

Hermione sat in the sitting room, a bit on edge, as she always was the nights the twins left to do Potterwatch. She constantly worried that they'd be caught, or that something bad would happen to them on their way back.

The radio was on, and though she had turned it to the right frequency and said the correct password, there was no sound coming from it. It was twenty minutes past when the show was supposed to start, and she was beginning to get really worried.

All of a sudden, there was a loud bang as the door to the flat was thrown open and slammed against the wall. Standing in the doorway was a heavily breathing George, standing with his feet apart, wand in hand hanging down by his side, and his other hand raised in the air from where he had just pushed the door. His robes were torn, and he was bleeding significantly from several different wounds.

"GEORGE!" she cried, jumping up from the couch and running over to him. She grabbed him in a firm embrace, holding him longer than she usually would, and then did something neither of them expected. She pulled back, grabbed his cheeks with both hands, and kissed him forcefully on the mouth. Before he could even react, she had released his lips and hugged him again, fiercely, before bursting into tears. "George Fabian Weasley, don't you ever scare me like that again!" she demanded, banging her fists angrily – but gently – on his chest. "What happened out there?"

George was still a bit stunned by the fact that his flatmate – the very same flatmate he'd been harboring secret feelings for – had kissed him, but managed to shake off the daze and respond. "It was an ambush. Somehow, they knew where we'd be broadcasting from tonight, and there were about ten Death Eaters waiting for us on location. Fred and I arrived at the same time as Kingsley, only to find Lee and Remus already locked in battle. We all managed to get away safely, and took down a few Death Eaters in the process. Only Lee sustained any significant injury – though he'll be fine."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright! Wait, where's Fred? I thought you said he got away!"

"He went to Angie's before coming home, to make sure she knew he was alright since she was expecting him to be on the air tonight," he replied. "He'll be home in a bit, I think. Now, let's go get me cleaned up, shall we? Then we can talk about what you meant by that kiss," he said with a wink.

Hermione blushed a deep scarlet and looked down for a moment, before raising her eyes to meet George's again. "Alright, let's head into the bathroom and see what I can do to heal those wounds."

She led him into the bathroom and sat him down on the counter before opening the potion cabinet and grabbing some dittany. She made her way over to him and stood between his legs, then began tending to his wounds.

An uncomfortable silence passed over the next few minutes, before George took it upon himself to initiate the potentially awkward conversation. "So...Hermione..." he started, "why'd you kiss me?"

She sighed without looking up from the wound she was healing. "Why do you think I did?"

He shook his head. "I'm really not sure. I definitely wasn't expecting it."

She remained silent for a few minutes before finding the courage to speak her mind; though not enough to look him in the eyes. "To be honest, I wasn't sure I would ever see you again. I was expecting to hear your voices on the radio, and when I didn't, my mind started reeling with all the possibilities of things that could have happened to you. I didn't know whether you'd been attacked, captured, killed, imperiused..."

"But that doesn't answer my question. Sure, in that situation, anyone would hug, cry, and possibly kiss someone on the cheek or forehead. But it's not everyday that a friend greets someone with a kiss like that."

Hermione paused in her healing. Chancing a quick glance at George's face, she turned her eyes back down to where her hands sat on his knees and answered him so quietly that he almost didn't hear her. "I was just so relieved that nothing had happened to you before I could tell you how I felt..."

George froze. "H-how you felt? About what?"

About you," she whispered meekly.

He placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him as he responded. "How do you feel about me, Hermione?" His heart was pounding inside his chest, and his stomach felt like a cage full of Cornish Pixies.

She took the chance to finally meet his eyes and studied them for a moment, trying to ascertain how he felt about the situation. Disappearing as quickly as it appeared, a hint of hope and longing flashed in his eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, then placed a hand gently on his cheek. He closed his eyes and seemed to almost nuzzle his face further into her palm. And then she kissed him.

George was stunned. His stomach was doing somersaults, his head was whirling, and his heart was leaping for joy. He didn't know his body was even capable of that many emotions at once. Snapping out of his daze, he slipped his hand onto the back of her neck and slightly into her hair, and began to respond to the kiss.

Hermione, for her part, was soaring. She couldn't believe George was kissing her back! Never, in a million years, would she have expected handsome, funny, kind, caring, affectionate George Weasley to want to kiss her. All she wanted to do was clear her mind and focus solely on the feeling of his lips on hers, but her mind was racing a mile a minute. What if he just wanted a good snog? Or he just needed a physical release after his brush with death? What if he suddenly realized who he was snogging, and pulled away with a look of disgust? The need to know was overpowering her ability to enjoy the moment, so she reluctantly pulled away and dropped her hand from his cheek to his chest.

"George, I..." she started, not sure how to say what she needed to. "Not that I don't enjoy kissing you – because I very much do – but I need to know that you're not just doing this because the opportunity presented itself. How do you actually feel about me?"

"Granger...Hermione...to be honest, I'm crazy about you. Have been for awhile. I just never said anything because I was afraid of what you would say, and whether it would affect our living situation. I mean, honestly – what could a beautiful, brilliant, big-hearted woman like you possibly want with a joker like me? I'm a Hogwarts dropout who can't get anyone to take him seriously 90% of the time. It was like wishing for the impossible."

"Oh George," she sighed, placing her palm on his cheek once again and rubbing her thumb along his skin. "Do you really think of yourself like that? Because when I look at you, I see a handsome man with a brilliant mind, that loves and cares for the ones close to him, and will do whatever it takes to protect them. I see someone who is loyal, dependable, intelligent, and will go out of his way to make sure a perfect stranger has a smile on their face. You're one of the best people I know; how could I not have fallen for you?"

George looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity in their depths. "Thank Merlin," he sighed, and kissed her once again with more determination and confidence.

"Georgie, you home?" Fred called out, looking through the flat for his brother. "George? Oh! I'll just leave you to it, then," he said with a chuckle, upon discovering his twin in a fierce lip-lock with their flatmate. They didn't even acknowledge him as he grinned and walked away towards his bedroom, mumbling to himself, "it's about time."

-oOo-

"HERMIONE!" Fred shouted, barging into the flat. "HERMIONE! Where are you?"

"Fred?" she cried, dashing out of the bathroom, wrapped in only a towel after having jumped out of the shower in alarm.

"Hermione! Thank Merlin. Throw all your things in your trunk, quickly, and shrink it. Don't bother getting dressed – no time – just put on a dressing gown over your towel. Hurry!"

She bolted into George's room, a look of terror on her face, and hastily grabbed everything in sight once she reached the safe room, stuffing it all in her trunk. Realizing she'd already packed her dressing gown, she grabbed George's, and threw it over herself before shrinking her trunk and placing it in the pocket. Just as she was tying the robe closed, Fred entered the room.

"Got everything?" Seeing her nod, he grabbed her arm. "Right. I'm about to apparate you, don't be alarmed. We're going to a safe house." He twisted into the air, and when they opened their eyes, they were in the living room at Great-Aunt Muriel's house.

"Fred! Hermione!" Molly cried, rushing forward to hug them. Grabbing the girl up in her arms, she sniffled to hold back her tears. "I'm so glad you're alright." Moving to hug Fred, he kissed her cheek and stepped away.

"Sorry, Mum, can't stick around. Gotta get back to George to secure the shop, we'll be back as soon as we can. Get Granger settled in for me, alright?"

She reached forward to grab his hand, and gave it a quick squeeze. "Do be safe, Freddy. And make sure your brother makes it back with you."

"Will do, Mum. We'll be back before you know it." He turned to Hermione and kissed her on the cheek, then patted her shoulder. "We'll be fine, Mione. Just stick with Mum." And with that, he apparated back to the shop to finish resetting the wards with his brother.

Once he was gone, Molly turned to Hermione to get a proper look at her. "Oh! Hermione! Why aren't you dressed?"

Hermione blushed brightly, and moved to tighten the ties on the dressing gown. "Fred interrupted my shower to tell me we were leaving. I barely had enough time to throw everything into my trunk, so I had to just throw on a dressing gown. I didn't even have time to get to my own – it was already packed – so I had to just grab George's. I apologize for my state of undress."

"Oh, it's no worry, dear," Molly replied. "I'm just glad he got you out of there without being seen."

"Why did I need to leave in the first place? Did something happen?" Hermione asked, finally having the time to collect her thoughts and become nervous.

"Oh dear, he didn't even tell you why you were rushing? Diagon Alley is under attack; Bill managed to make it out of Gringotts and collect us from the Burrow before heading home to Fleur. Apparently, the Death Eaters managed to get a hold of a list of the members of the Order, and decided to just get as many as possible in one fell swoop. We've decided that the Burrow is unsafe at the moment, so we've moved to Aunt Muriel's until it's safe to go back home again. It's under the Fidelius."

"Oh," Hermione whispered, paling. "So, then...the twins are in the middle of the fight? And what of Ginny? She's at Hogwarts, they'll know how to get her! She may not be a member of the Order, but her entire family are members; they'll want to get her to get to you!"

Molly nodded solemnly. "The boys will be fine; Merlin knows they've gotten into worse trouble than this in the past. And Ginny's supposed to come home this weekend for Easter anyway, so Arthur will meet her at King's Cross and she won't return to Hogwarts after the holiday. We'll all be fine. Now, why don't we go get you settled and dressed, dear. You can't be comfortable standing around with everyone in your dressing gown." Hermione smiled sheepishly and nodded her assent, following Molly up the stairs to an unused bedroom. "You'll be bunking with Ginny once she gets here, but until then, you've got the room to yourself. Arthur and I are just down the hall if you need us, and the twins will be in the room across from you. Everyone else is scattered along this hallway, except Muriel, who's behind the kitchen. You'll be alright to get yourself settled in, then?"

"Yes, Molly, thank you, I should be just fine," Hermione replied. "I'll be back downstairs in a moment; I won't be able to sit up here by myself while I worry about the boys being stuck in Diagon Alley."

Molly nodded, and closed the door as she left the room. Hermione sat down on one of the beds with a sigh, and put her head in her hands. Giving herself a moment to collect herself, she focused on her breathing. Once she felt a bit calmer, she got up and got dressed, brushed her hair into some semblance of a ponytail, and left the room. She crossed the hall to what would be the twins' room and hung George's dressing gown in the closet, and then headed downstairs to wait with the rest of the family.

Posted: 11 February 2012
Word Count: 2,330