Chapter Two
Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Thanks for all the lovely comments and follows. Ps. Spelling of "cauldron" has now been fixed. Thanks to beatlechicksteph for catching that one…Story and characters [other than the ones I've created] all belong to JK.
"Hermione!" Holly Landry's exclamation broke Hermione Granger's concentration. Hermione had been gazing at the team of Quidditch players who had entered the Leaky Cauldron. She reluctantly pulled her stare from the individual Quidditch player who had captured her interest and reengaged with her two companions. "Was it Oliver Wood? Did you see? Was it him? Do you think he's here?" Holly eagerly rattled off her series of questions, her pale gray eyes gleaming with excitement as she ran a hand through her short blonde hair.
"Er, I actually didn't see," Hermione faltered, realizing that she never completed her scan of all the team members.
"Really? You were looking over there long enough," Holly pointed out, casting Hermione a penetratingly furtive glance. "Perhaps, there was another Quidditch bloke who has captured the interest of our young, dear friend." Holly suggested to Klara who answered Holly's speculation with a smile.
"Perhaps" – Klara added – "Is that so, Mione?" When Hermione's normally pale cheeks broke into a telltale, deep blush, her two companions fell into a chorus of the type of giggles that was so easily induced by several glasses of alcohol and the prospect of attractive young men. Klara's soft tingling chimes ended before Holly's loud guffaws. She excitedly patted Hermione multiple times on the upper thigh: "Which one is it, Mione," Klara asked through her giggles. "I'm going mental not being able to see these guys."
"Oh shush. You have a boyfriend" – Holly interjected – "So, Mione. Which one of these guys are you checking out? I have to know!"
"Erm, it's not like that." Hermione said, knowing that her rational would disappoint her companions. "It's just an old friend. I basically grew up with one of those players." She, once again, turned around and peeked out of the booth, pointing her forefinger at the Quidditch player in question. "See that red head?" She asked Holly, who was eagerly eying the group of men. "That's George Weasley. We used to be friends."
"Oh damn" – Holly cursed under her breath while she and Hermione returned to normal sitting positions, no longer straining to focus on the team – "I can't believe I forgot you know the Weasley twins."
When Hermione had first joined the Ministry of Magic and, yet again, when she had initially transferred to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she had been something of a celebrity. Everyone had been keen to know her and to talk to her about her involvement in reestablishing order within the wizard community. Holly and Klara had both been excited by her status when they had initially met her. The first few times they had hung out as a trio, the other two women had pestered Hermione with questions relating to Horcruxes, Voldemort, and final battles. However, once the novelty of being friends with The Girl Who Assisted The Boy Who Lived had worn off, Holly and Klara had started to simply treat her as they would anyone else. Since Hermione wasn't particularly forthcoming with the topic of her role in the famed battle or her friendship with Harry Potter or the others involved, it didn't surprise Hermione that her friend wouldn't automatically link her to someone like George Weasley.
"Er, yah…well-well we knew each other at school...I-I even dated his younger brother for a bit," Hermione stammered by way of clarification, hoping to divert from the fact that she and George also largely knew each other through their involvement in the celebrated Order of the Phoenix and through fighting side by side in the final battle at Hogwarts. She was by no means ashamed of her past and her heroic status; she just didn't want to continually be defined by her teenaged adventures. Despite her discomfort, Hermione giggled slightly at her own explanation of how she knew George. She wasn't entirely sure why she had brought up her past relationship with his brother, Ron. It had been so long since the two had dated and they had been romantically involved for such a brief amount of time that Hermione hardly even remembered to consider Ron as a former boyfriend.
"Brilliant" – Holly exclaimed – "We have an in! Go invite them over to join us. Do, it Mione! It will be so fun." Holly rushed, excitedly drumming her hands on the tabletop in front of her.
"Er, I don't know…" Hermione contemplated with uncertainty. "I honestly haven't seen George in years." She mentally stained to recall the last time that she had seen Ginny and Ron's older brother. The last she time could distantly remember interacting with the Weasley twin had been at Fred and Angelina's wedding, and that had been three summers prior and she had only briefly spoken with George after the ceremony.
"Of course you haven't, Mione," Holly stated succinctly. "You do know that he's been in Egypt playing Quidditch right? It created quite the buzz amongst all us single gals…super good looking, rich, business owner leaving London to go play Qudditch. Sad day for all of us, indeed," Holly hung her head in mock regret as to what could have been.
"Oh of course," Hermione exclaimed, shocked that she had forgotten about George's recent whereabouts. She recalled when George had left for Cairo to join a professional Quidditch league. Ginny had invited her to his going away party, but she had just started at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and work had prevented her from attending.
"Perfect…so you go talk to him, and invite him and the two fittest blokes back over here so I can take my pick," Holly laughed. "Or maybe I could just take both," She added cheekily. Hermione tried not to wince at her friend's sexual frankness. Hermione did not consider herself to be a prude – she had gone through her share of gentlemen friends – but Holly was significantly more outspoken regarding such matters than that to which Hermione was accustomed. At times, Ginny could be rather over-sharing as to such regards, but Hermione preferred to keep her own private matters private.
"Don't give Mione such a hard time," Klara idly commented, clearly amused by the struggle occurring between her two friends.
"Er, Hol….maybe…." Hermione muttered. She shifted her body and, once again peered out of the booth to study the Quidditch team. Taking a long look at them, only made Hermione feel more nervous about the prospect of approaching the group, even with already knowing George. The team was significantly more rambunctious than the rest of the tavern's patrons. While most in the Leaky Cauldron were sitting quietly, enjoying drinks or food with companions, the Quidditch team was clearly far more determined to make a party of their night. The seven men had claimed the largest table: one in the very middle of the establishment. They had ordered several large pitchers of Butterbeer, which they were drinking quickly, seemingly racing each other as to who could first finish their glass. While Hermione had always been brave regarding most adventures, even those of the life-threatening variety, introducing herself to a large group of loud, young men on her lonesome was more than a little intimidating.
"They look awful fun…" Holly said wistfully.
"What if you both go over there?" Klara suggested with an appeasing smile. "If I know anything about Quidditch players, it's that they enjoy being approached by pretty girls."
"Hear that, Mione. I think she makes a good point." Holly giggled.
"Well" – Hermione sighed, resigned to the fact that Klara and Holly would always find a way to coax her out of her comfort zone – "I suppose…"
"Brilliant! Let's go!" Holly exclaimed before Hermione had the opportunity to reverse her decision. Hermione slowly pushed herself out of the booth, intentionally moving deliberately so that her friend would have to wait just a smidge longer before meeting the Quidditch team.
"You coming with, Klara?" Hermione asked her other companion. Klara merely shook her head and then brushed a wayward strand of her dark hair off her delicate features.
"No, I'll stay here. Hold the booth 'til you're back. Good luck girls," She said with a smile over her wine glass that revealed her slightly crooked, two front teeth. Motioning with the back of her hand for the other two to make their way towards the young men's table, Klara coolly lounged back, finishing the remainder of her white wine. Hermione wasn't sure whether to take Klara's obvious interest and excitement at their prospects as a good omen or a bad. She decided to brush off such concerns, reminding herself that she had no reasons to be worried, and instead obediently followed Holly to the middle of the tavern where the Quidditch players were situated.
-o-O-o-
As she and Holly approached the middle table, Hermione chuckled at the observation that the Quidditch team was far and away the loudest group in the tavern. The Leaky Cauldron was small and normally cozy; Hermione imagined that all of the other patrons must have been annoyed by the disruptive antics of the team. The team clearly had intentions of consuming considerable quantities of Butterbear and they didn't seem to make any efforts to keep their conversations quiet or private. The seven men initially seemed more interested in their own rowdiness than in the approaching Hermione and Holly. It wasn't until the two young women were right beside their table that any of the Quidditch players paid them any heed.
"Oi, what have we here?" A sizable man with cropped, dark hair exclaimed, being the first of the team to finally notice Hermione and Holly. He stood up from the table and draped a heavy arm over both the girls, pulling the two of them tightly beside him. Hermione was used to Holly being the tallest person whenever they went somewhere together, but the athlete dwarfed her friend. Consequently, he towered over the decidedly average heighted Hermione. Hermione's breath was slightly laboured, as she felt rather uncomfortable to be trapped underneath the large man's armpit. Also, the man smelt strongly of both beer and body odor. His bright, red jersey was damp with sweat, indicating to Hermione that the team had come to the Leaky Cauldron directly from a game or practice.
"Er, hello…" Hermione mumbled with a voice muffled from being trapped next to the Quidditch player. Hermione peered past his giant torso at the table of Quidditch players, looking for George. She easily noticed the telltale red hair at one corner of the table. George was engaged in conversation with another player, and didn't seem to be aware that his large teammate had found interest in the two young women.
"Mates, didn't I tell you we'd have fun here tonight," the hulking young man proclaimed goodheartedly. His hand – roughly the size of a dinner plate – clapped Hermione on the shoulder. Even though Hermione was not enjoying being sandwiched next to his side, she could tell that the man only meant well. Straining her neck to glance at Holly across the Quidditch player's broad chest, she managed to make eye contact with her friend, who was tucked beneath his other arm. Hermione giggled at the realization that her friend possessed none of the reservations she did; a bright, winning smile played across Holly's face and Hermione easily spotted the familiar mischievous expression that Holly would wear whenever she liked the direction in which a night was headed.
"Oi, is that Granger?" George exclaimed from the end of the table. His head perked up and he sat up taller, removing his attention from his conversation with the other Quidditch player, who, Hermione noted upon a second glance, was, indeed, Oliver Wood. "What are you doing here, Granger?" George yelled boisterously from across the table. He stood up and strode around the table towards Hermione.
"Hey George," Hermione commented softly, unsure how to greet the young man whom she had not seen in so long. George, however, did not display similar hesitations.
"Let me have a turn, Matty," George said with a wide grin to his teammate whose arm was still around Hermione's shoulder. Grabbing her free arm George pulled her away from his larger teammate. Once again, Hermione was constricted and she strained to breathe as George scooped her into a powerful bear hug, one that lifted her feet off the wooden slats of the tavern's floor. She could tell from his overabundant exuberance and the smell on his breath that George had been drinking, but he was obviously not overly intoxicated. His embrace was warm and secure and Hermione had no fears that George would lose his balance while she was in his arms. Unlike his teammate, whose sweaty odor had been overwhelming and unpleasant, when Hermione's face softly came into contact with George's neck she thought that his scent was merely musky, outdoorsy, and rather comforting. After holding her for a moment, George gently placed Hermione back on the ground, not letting go until she was firmly steadied on her feet.
"Hey George," Hermione reiterated awkwardly; his enthusiastic hug had both literally and figuratively taken her off her feet. She idly straightened the wrinkles out of her dress that had been caused by George's embrace and smiled at him. He was grinning widely and proudly wearing his bright scarlet jersey, even though it clashed appallingly with his hair. For the most part, her old friend looked the same as when she had seen him last; the bright red hair and intensely blue eyes hadn't changed. He had, however, filled out considerable. George had always been quite stocky, but he was now visibly broader through the shoulders and chest. Something, Hermione assumed, that must be accredited to his increased Quidditch training.
"It's great to see you Hermione," George replied good-naturedly. "It's been way too long since I've seen you last. You look fantastic. Look how much you've grown…I don't think I've seen you since you were yea high," He laughed and help up his palm horizontally below his shoulder, Hermione's exact current height.
"Very funny Weasley" – Hermione muttered ironically – "What brings you back into town?" She asked. Glancing around the table of Quidditch players she saw that none were paying attention to her and George; all had returned to previous conversations. In the corner of her vision, Hermione saw Holly playfully chatting with the large team member whom George had referred to as Matty. "Last I remembered you were in Egypt…" Hermione continued, aware that could monopolize George's time for awhile without frustrating his team.
"Oh yah, I was" – George responded – "I was playing for a Quidditch team there. But I just signed with Puddlemere United, so I'm back in London. Playing here now," He paused and ran a hand through his bright hair. Hermione noted that it was shaggier than it had been at Fred's wedding, when he had worn it cropped closer to his head. His hair fell over his forehead, almost into his bright, blue eyes. It curled slightly around his intact ear, but entirely hid the jagged scar that he had gotten when a Death Eater attack had claimed the other. The longer hair gave George a look of disheveled confidence that was particularly appealing. He stood casually, looking roguishly laidback. Hermione couldn't help but speculate as to whether George had grown significantly more attractive since she had seen him last, or if she was just remembering him poorly.
"Er, what happened with your shop," Hermione asked in order to quickly change the topic to Weasley Wizard Wheezes, hoping that George hadn't observed the way she was staring at his hair and admiring how he was currently wearing it.
"Oh, Fred's taken charge of that mostly. We've got a good team…they can get by without me," George chucked. "So, what have you been up to, Granger?" he questioned.
"Hmm…not much," Hermione knew that her life wasn't quite as glamorous as living on another continent and playing Quidditch professionally. "I'm just working at the Ministry still. It's pretty good…" Her sentence trailed off at the end as she couldn't think of anything interesting to say about her job.
"Yah?" George asked with a certain kind inflection in his tone that caused Hermione wonder if he saw past her positive comment, sensing the dissatisfaction that lay beneath it. "Well, I don't want to hear about work, Granger," He added with a smile, "What else is new with you?"
"Erm, not a lot," Hermione muttered, wishing she had more exciting information to share, "Work does take up a lot of my time. I try to see your family whenever I can." She knew her final comment wasn't entirely true. Often weeks would elapse between the times she saw the Weasleys, but thought it best to bring the conversation to her and George's most obvious common ground. Besides, it was not as if she never saw the Weasleys; they were still an important family, arguably the most important family, in Hermione's life. After she and Ron had broken up, Hermione had gone for some time where she wasn't sure how welcomed she was at the Burrow. She knew that there were no hard feelings between her and Ron, but she worried that Mrs. Weasley perceived her as a bit of a heartbreaker, as though she was living up to the scarlet woman reputation with which reporter Rita Skeeter had branded her in her forth-year. Mrs. Weasley's cool treatment had left Hermione disheartened. The break up between her and Ron had been mutual and it had hardly left Ron floundering, something to which the string of Ministry secretaries he had dated afterwards would obviously attest. Still, it had taken awhile before Hermione had felt comfortable in the Burrow; by then she had fallen out of her weekly habit of having dinner with the large, wizard family.
"So you're going to be there for Christmas dinner?" George asked in a friendly manner.
"I don't know. I haven't been invited yet," Hermione said in a speculative tone.
"Yes you have," George smiled. After Hermione furled her eyebrows in uncertainty, George continued: "I've just invited you right now." He laughed and lightheartedly rubbed Hermione on the shoulder.
"Oh" – Hermione chuckled, her skin mysteriously tingling on the spot where George had touched her – "I didn't know you had that privilege," She teased, hoping to detract from the blush that had arisen on her cheeks when George's hand had come into contact with her shoulder.
"Of course I do, Mione…I'm home for the holidays for the first time in years. Don't you think I'm going to be treated as a star? I could invite Malfoy and get away with it," George said with a smirk of mock self-importance that Hermione could readily tell was in good-natured jest.
"Well, I'll pencil you in…maybe show up if I can get away from my busy lineup for that day," Hermione smiled. She inwardly groaned at her lame attempt at humor; she had no previous plans scheduled for Christmas, a fact she didn't feel like disclosing.
"I'm not going to take no for an answer, Granger…As far as I'm concerned, mum's already set a spot for you,"
"Well…ok. You've managed to convince me," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes. The Burrow was where she figured she would end up celebrating Christmas, regardless of George's invite.
"Hey! Weasley!" Matty's booming voice broke up Hermione and George's interaction. Hermione turned and saw the large Quidditch player eagerly waving in their direction. "We're all going to hit up a club or something. You're coming too!" Matty had a wide smile on his red face and he looked very excited about the prospect of their intended destination.
"Er, I should really go with them," George muttered quietly to Hermione. "Tonight was kind of intended as a welcoming me to the team sort of thing," He looked embarrassed to be cutting their conversation short, so Hermione hastily tried to reassure him:
"Oh of course. Yah, you have to go with your team," She smiled.
"Hey, are you girls going to come along?" – Matty yelled even though both Hermione and Holly were easily earshot – "Nothing fun about a group of blokes going dancing together…We could always use a couple of pretty girls," Hermione wasn't sure how exactly to perceive his Neanderthalic statement, but one glance at Holly and her large smile and enthusiastic eyes told her that her friend wasn't put off by it in the least. With only her eyebrows and her expression, in the way so many women know how to silently communicate with their girlfriends, Hermione tried to convey to Holly her trepidations about accompanying the Quidditch team to their next locale.
"Er…I don't think we'll be able to make it," Holly volunteered, obviously having picked up on Hermione's insecurity. "Our friend is over there" – she gestured towards the back of the tavern were Klara was still sitting on her lonesome – "And we came out tonight to enjoy some girl time together…but you guys have fun and we'll see you around." As always, the men responded favourably to the blonde's winning smile and didn't complain too much that she and Hermione weren't going to accept their invitation.
"Well, it was really nice seeing you," George placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder and spoke quietly just to her, "I'll look forward to seeing you for Christmas," He smiled and gently embraced Hermione before she turned around to leave.
"Yah, you too," Hermione responded brightly. She wasn't entirely sure why, but as she walked back to the corner of the tavern to rejoin Klara, shuffling her feet quickly to keep up with Holly's much longer strides, she found that she was actually quite excited for when she would see him next.
"So, how were the boys," Klara asked when Holly and Hermione sat down at their booth. "Were they all you wanted and more, Hol?" She teased.
"There were amazing," Holly sighed. Hermione had to chuckle, as always, at her friend's undeniable zeal towards the opposite gender. Even though she was in her mid-twenties, Holly reminded Hermione of how the sixth-year girls used to act at Hogwarts.
"You and Matty seemed to hit it off," Hermione smiled while Holly nodded vigorously. "What happened to Oliver Wood? He was sitting at the table the whole time and you didn't even say hello to him,"
"I can like both, can't I?" Holly sighed wistfully, inducing laugher from both Hermione and Klara. The three young women fell back into easy conversation, until Klara finally looked at her delicate, silver watch, gasping when she realized how long they had been chatting.
"Yikes, you guys. I told Keith I'd be back almost an hour ago," She groaned, referring to her live-in boyfriend. "I have to get going,"
"Yah, I should go too," Hermione contributed. "I'm exhausted…but it was awesome hanging with you girls," The other two nodded their concurrences and the three coworkers hugged goodbyes before bundling up in their jackets, mittens, and scarves to brave the cold of the late evening on their respective trips back to their homes.