Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter!
Some of you were angry at Hermione, some at George, but either way I hope you like this next chapter.
"What did Hermione want?" Fred asked as George swept past him to the back rooms of their Diagon Alley store, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. George ignored him, slamming the door to his private office behind him. He once shared an office with Fred, back when they had opened their first WWW store. But now, over a decade later, they had warehouses for testing and storage, and the rooms that were once used for that purpose at the back of the shop had been converted into luxurious office space, one for each of them. The small flat upstairs that the twins had shared when they first moved out of home was now used to invent products. The wards were infamously fierce and it was more than one competitor who had found themselves naked in the Simpson Desert in the Australian outback, wandless, with nothing but a tent with a single bottle of water to provide shelter until Fred or George would come deal with them.
But George wasn't marvelling over how far he and his brother had come, he was still fuming at Hermione. Anticipating his brother's invasion, he waved his wand and muttered a locking charm. Fred knew how to break it, but he also knew George only used it when he did not want to be disturbed. George knew Fred would be bursting with curiosity on the other side of the door as the brothers kept very little from each other but he could not talk to Fred about this right now.
He took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. He didn't want to think about why he was so angry but the memories flooded him, unwanted and unbidden, but unstoppable.
It was nearly three years ago when he had broken up with Lavender Brown, a stupid spiteful affair he'd engaged in to rankle Ron. Ron had just started dating Katie Bell, who George had had a mild flirtation with in his early twenties. That Ron had just proposed to Katie last week made George's recollection of the memories all the more shameful.
After about six weeks, Ron and Katie were obviously well suited and he didn't care at all that his elder brother was dating his ex. In fact, Ron wouldn't have cared if George had hooked up with every one of his youthful indiscretions of the female persuasion; and after the Battle of Hogwarts, there were many. He was falling in love with Katie, and was blind to all else.
So George had broken up with the intense brunette, glad to see the back of her and her weird sexual habits. Lavender had thrown the expected tantrum, called him all the usual names and stormed out, threatening that he'd not seen the last her. George had rolled his eyes, thrown out the underwear she had left in his bathroom and continued on with his life.
He'd not given her a second thought until three weeks later when she'd tearfully shown up on his doorstep, claiming to be pregnant with his child. He'd freaked out, locking himself in his office for a week, debating between doing the honourable thing and marrying Lavender, though he shuddered at the thought, or moving to Alaska. He'd settled on an unhappy medium – having Lavender move in with him, into the spare room. He'd gone out with Fred for one last blowout before impending fatherhood and ran into Lavender. She'd been drunk, hanging off an uncomfortable looking young man and boasting about how she had landed a Weasley and that there wasn't even a baby.
George had stared at her coldly until one by one, the other patrons of the Hogs Head had fallen silent as they caught sight of George. Lavender had been the last to see him and had paled when she took in his thunderous expression. She'd attempted to backtrack, tripping over herself as she desperately tried to keep a hold of her ticket to the good life.
"Save it," he had said, cutting her off. "You and the other bitches like you will never again trap me with a child, fictitious or otherwise. Your pathetic Lavender, I'd be surprised if any wizard would have you now."
Geroge had turned and walked out, not looking back, and as far as the wizarding world knew, he'd never dated another witch again. He hadn't. He'd had a few very discreet affairs with muggle women, of course never revealing what he was and had never trusted the women he bedded again.
George groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face. He had never thought he would have to worry about that sort of thing from Hermione's direction. Not that it was really the same situation. It was a very very different situation but he still felt the same bands of duty and responsibility tighten around his chest. Why was she doing this to him? It's not like she wouldn't know the story, everyone knew the story. He was at a loss as to how she had even ended up with him as her choice for a sperm donor. Or father.
Goodness, he thought to himself, how could she possibly think that he would make a good father. When little kids would ask him for help when he worked at the store, he would always direct them to another employee. His nieces and nephews were cute but best left in the nursery. When he thought that Lavender was carrying his child he spent a terrified week imaging all the possibilities including him dropping the baby, leaving it where it could get into fireworks or some such thing. But never in all his imaginings did he see himself as a doting dad, lovingly bathing a ginger haired baby, teaching a son or daughter to fly or their first tentative spells. Happiness, excitement, joy were none of the experienced emotions. Even when he made his decision to ask Lavender to move in, he'd done it with reluctance and a heavy heart.
He was not father material.
Guilt washed over him as the memory of Hermione's crumpled face appeared in his mind. He'd acted like a real git and he knew it. He'd reacted instinctively and probably destroyed an important friendship in the process. But why, why, had she asked him to be the father of her baby?
He shot to his feet and moved to open the door. "Fred!" he bellowed before sitting behind his desk again. He needed a second opinion and who knew Hermione better then Fred? As Harry and Ron had drifted towards Ginny and Katie in a romantic way, Fred and Hermione had formed and unexpected friendship and spent all their free time together. Most people mistakenly thought they were dating.
"Did you know about this?" George demanded when Fred entered the room, closing the door behind him with a flick of his wand.
Fred winced, betraying himself.
"Why? Why would you not tell me? Why would you encourage her? Why the hell did you two cook up this little scheme where I am to provide my services like bull when you could just as easily have done it? I demand answers, Fred!" He banged his fist on the desk, emphasising his point.
"I didn't know she was going to chose you. In fact, when we were talking about it the other day, your name wasn't even mentioned as a possibility. But all that aside, did you ask Hermione why she chose you? No, I bet you ranted and raved and didn't even give her the chance."
George didn't say anything in response but his flushed cheeks were telling.
"Talk to her, George. I've never see Hermione want anything like she wants this baby. She's not Lavender. You know this. Take a couple of days to think about it before you dismiss the idea entirely. Someone's got to pass on our amazing genes, and it's not going to be me."
George smiled wryly. "Just as likely you then it is me, Fred."
"Don't be stupid, George. No woman wants a war hero when they realise his injuries mean he can't fuck." Without another word, Fred turned around and limped out, leaving his brother to his musings.
George dropped his head to his desk and banged it lightly a couple of times against the solid wooden surface. He wondered how many more friendships he could damage in one day.