As always, thank you so SO much for your support!

Let's find out a little more how George and Hermione feel about each other, shall we?

Enjoy :)

-eedie


The next few weeks went by quickly, Hermione and George falling into an easy routine. Hermione went out every night. Sometimes George went with her, sometimes not. She never came back to the flat with him, but she always appeared early the next morning. Hermione would make breakfast and wake George up. They would eat together, and then George would go off to the store. Hermione would come down to the store and help out most days, but every once in a while she would exit the store and explore the wizarding world. Every day, Hermione would help George close up the shop. Draco would stop in when they had finished, and he would suggest a new restaurant for them to try. Hermione always enjoyed their dinners, although Draco's dinner dates were not fond of Hermione's crass attitude. They weren't so keen to go out with him again unless she wasn't present. After dinner, George and Hermione would part ways with Draco and his dates. They would return to the flat, and Hermione would get ready to go out. Then the routine would start all over the next day. George never discussed what Hermione had said that night. He was aching to ask her about it, but he was concerned about what her reaction would be.

It was a Friday night, and Draco had just stepped into the shop to ask about dinner. George shrugged, not caring where they went. Hermione turned on the two men and grinned evilly, a plan formulating in her head.

"I don't want to go out for dinner tonight. I have a better idea!"

Draco leaned against a post near the register and George looked up at her in curiosity. Hermione started waving her hands wildly, her mind working quicker than her mouth.

"What if we throw a party? We can invite a bunch of people! Obviously we can't do it in George's flat, but Draco, I'm assuming you've got a pretty large place…"

Draco quirked an eyebrow and grinned.

"What makes you say that? You've been gone for a long time you know… my family could be broke by now."

Hermione snorted and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck. George felt a pang of jealousy, but he looked away and shook the feeling.

"I know that's not true. I've been in Malfoy Manor before, remember? That house is ridiculously large."

George snorted and approached Hermione.

"The good news for us is that Draco now owns Malfoy Manor. His parents moved to a remote location in the country. He lives in that big house. So I think that's a perfect location for a huge party, don't you Drakey?"

Hermione squealed and hugged Draco tightly. She ran back to the flat, shouting about getting ready for a party. Draco and George laughed, and turned back to face each other. Draco raised an eyebrow in concern at his best friend.

"Think it's a good idea?"

George ran a hand through his copper hair and shrugged.

"I think it's the best idea for the current situation… It could be fun to let loose. And who knows? Maybe I'll have some sort of revelation with Hermione."

Draco rolled his eyes as a large grin spread across his face.

"So you've got yourself a crush now? I mean, I knew you were attracted to her initially, but I've been watching you, Weasley. You like her."

George's face reddened.

"It's not-"

"Yeah, it is, mate. But don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. Keep your eye on the prize, bro! Weasley's Wizard Wheezes France? C'mon. You know you don't want to have to pay for that."

George shrugged and grinned.

"As long as I don't have to move to France, we can do whatever we want. Make the calls, Draco! Invite everyone, except don't invite the high society people. Harry would kill me if those people saw Hermione before the Banquet. Just make sure there are tons of people, and that we can have some fun!"

Draco laughed and apparated back to his home. George took the back stairs two at a time and burst into the flat. He could hear loud music coming from Hermione's room. He approached the door and knocked, but the music was too loud for her to hear. George pushed the door open, and instantly wished he hadn't. Hermione was standing in front of the closet swaying back and forth to the music. She was only wearing a lacy black bra and a matching pair of skimpy underwear. George's pupils dilated and he momentarily forgot why he entered the room. Hermione turned and noticed him in the doorway, and she smiled brightly. Her smile widened when she noticed the slack-jawed look on George's face. She sauntered over to where he stood and placed her dainty hands on her hips.

"Can I help you, George? Or all you just here for a show?"

She giggled and turned back to the closet, swaying her hips in a sensual manner. George blinked a few times and cleared his throat before stepping into the room.

"I-uh-I was just going to tell you that Draco said we should come over as soon as we're ready. He's going to need some help getting his house ready. So if you want, we can go over there now and just get ready over there. But I'll, uh, leave it up to you."

Hermione shrugged and leaned into the open closet. She grabbed a cotton dress off a hanger and threw it over her head. She charmed a few outfits from her closet to shrink and she slipped them into a purse she had laying on the floor. Hermione turned back to George and smiled.

"Then let's go!"


Hours later, Draco and George were standing in the entry foyer of Malfoy Manor. Hermione had done an amazing job at getting the house ready for guests. She was still an exceptional witch, even if she hadn't been using her magic as much since she left. She had cleaned up the house and moved furniture around to make the house more prepared for a party. The house had quite an open floor plan. Most of the rooms downstairs had large, open archways that lead into the next room. Hermione chose to use the kitchen to house all the beverages. The main dining hall just off the kitchen was attached to the main living room as well. Hermione set up a DJ Booth in the entrance of the dining room and rearranged the furniture in the living room to create a dance floor. She didn't do much to the rest of the house, because there were so many rooms that she didn't think they would all be used. When she had finished, she disappeared into one of the spare bedrooms to get ready, leaving Draco and George to chat. The men took considerably less time getting ready, which left them standing in the entry way waiting for guests to start arriving. George summoned a few beers, and the two friends started drinking right away. Draco chuckled when he noticed how George's eyes kept landing on the top of the stairs.

"Georgie, you better start knockin' some back, because you know it's going to be a madhouse as soon as people get here. Your precious housemate is going to be the life of the party. Can you handle that?"

George grunted and downed his beer before summoning a new one. He drained that bottle as well and Draco snorted as he went to summon another one. Draco stopped him and handed him a bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Drink this instead. You know better than that!"

A knock at the door signaled the arrival of party guests. Harry and Ginny arrived first, followed instantly by Ron and Megan. Ginny disappeared upstairs to find Hermione and Megan huffed at the loss of her future sister in law. Lee Jordan showed up with some Muggle contraptions in a few bags. He made a beeline for the DJ booth and started setting up some equipment. It only took a few minutes before some tunes were bumping throughout magical speakers spread throughout the house. Within what seemed like minutes, the house was filled with people. Draco was glad he had charmed the fridge to stay filled with cold beers and the liquor bottles to never empty. This party was going to need it. Draco and George left their post at the door and wandered through the crowd to greet the people who showed up.

Upstairs, Ginny was standing in front of a long mirror holding up an outfit that Hermione had handed to her.

"I don't know if I can pull something like this off."

Hermione giggled and leaned into a different mirror to apply her fake eyelashes.

"Oh, Ginny, stop being such a pulsing pussy and just put it on! Grab that slip over there and put that on first. You'll feel better."

Ginny grabbed a pile of pink fabric off the bed and held it up. Hermione had called it a slip, but it was too short and tight to really count as one. Ginny slipped it on and stood in front of the mirror again. At least all her important body parts were basically covered, even if the slip barely fit over her ass. She pulled the real dress over the slip and smoothed the fabric down her legs. She was wearing a long sleeve black lace mini dress. The pink slip really enhanced the outfit, and Hermione squealed when she saw Ginny in it.

"You look fuckin' hot, Ginny! I'd get with you if you weren't married!"

Ginny turned to Hermione and gasped. Hermione waved her off and finished applying her makeup. Ginny bumped her out of the mirror to fix her makeup, so Hermione decided to slip into her outfit. She had chosen a pair of jeans so tight that it took her five minutes to put them on. Once in place, they looked like they were a second layer of skin. She pulled on a teal leather corset and turned her back to Ginny.

"Hey Gin? Will you tighten this for me?"

Ginny snorted and pulled tightly on the black satin ribbon that laced through the back of the corset. When Hermione decided it was tight enough, Ginny tied a bow at the base of the corset. She lifted Hermione's hair off her neck and examined the interesting tattoos that littered her shoulder blades. Ginny giggled as she noticed the Deathly Hallows sign on the back of Hermione's neck. Clearly she hadn't forgotten the life she'd left behind. Ginny slipped on a pair of black platform heels and turned to Hermione.

"Ready?"

Hermione took one last look in the mirror and slipped on her shoes.

"I'm feeling more Penelope tonight. Let me tell you, Ginny, I'm going to rock your world with this party."


Harry was standing in the back of the DJ booth talking with Lee as he worked the crowd. They were catching up on their lives, as mundane as it seemed at a party like this. Harry sipped slowly on a beer and surveyed the crowd for his wife. She hadn't emerged downstairs yet, and he was getting antsy. He nodded to Lee and left the booth, determined to find his wife. When he made it onto the dance floor, his eyes honed in on a bobbing blonde head making its way through the crowd. As he made is way in that direction, pushing past hordes of people, he saw the fiery red hair that could only belong to his wife. When he finally made it to where they were dancing in the middle of the crowd, Harry stopped short. His eyes bulged out of his head, and his pants were considerably tighter. Ginny turned and saw him, a seductive smile breaking out across her face. She wrapped herself up in his arms and whispered into his ear.

"Someone looks happy to see me…"

Harry grinned and kissed her soundly before sweeping her away to dance. Hermione waved after them and glanced around. Draco appeared on her left and handed her a glass filled with some sort of delicious looking liquid. She took a sip and reveled in the slight burn of alcohol as it slid down her throat. She quickly knocked back the rest and gigged with glee when the glass refilled. She turned to Draco, who was smirking at the cup.

"You are good, Malfoy, I'll give you that."

He bowed in her direction and laughed.

"And you look good. Let's dance."

Hermione let Draco pull her close and the couple danced a few songs together. Hermione greeted some old friends that she recognized and made some new ones. She didn't realize how much she was drinking because he glass was never empty. Draco left her side and found his way over to the side of the room. He perched on the edge of a sofa where George was sitting, his eyes following Hermione's movements. Draco shook his head and grabbed his friend's shoulder.

"George, I'm disappointed. You're better than this! What happened to that guy who used to prowl the clubs with me and go home with a different woman every time? You can't even get up the nerve to go talk to Hermione. You're a pussy."

George stood up and glared at Draco.

"It's different this time! I can't hit it and quit it with her. And with my previous track record and her current track record, that would ruin everything. I understand I'm being a buzzkill but just sitting here. But I don't have to have sex with her. At least not right now. But I will go dance with her."

Draco laughed as George got up and made his way over to where Hermione was dancing with a colleague of Harry and Ron's. She smiled brightly at him and excused herself from the other guy, who George didn't even take the time to learn his name. Hermione wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. They parted but stayed close dancing to the loud music in the room. Hermione looked up at him with curiosity.

"I haven't seen much of you tonight. Where have you been?"

George shrugged and swigged his drink.

"Oh, I've been around. I haven't seen many of these people in a while, I've been chatting. Are you having fun?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she grabbed George's hand and pulled him off the dance floor toward the couch Draco was sitting on. They stopped in front of him and Draco looked surprised. Hermione looked up at George.

"I want to play a game! Let's gather some people. Where's a good room to play it in?"

Draco nodded to a door off the foyer.

"That's my mother's old sitting room. I don't use it much, but it's pretty spacious. How about you gather the people and I'll grab the booze?"

Hermione clapped and giggled before grabbing George's hand again. She looked up into his eyes and noticed his smile.

"This'll be fun!"


The group of people gathered in the room was pretty small based on the amount of people at the party. Hermione motioned for everyone to sit in a circle, and Draco set several bottles in the middle of the circle. Hermione looked around and smiled. Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Megan were sitting with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan. Blaise, Pansy, and Astoria sat with Katie Bell and Angelina. George sat next to Hermione and Draco. Hermione stood up and stood in the middle next to the booze.

"Okay everyone. We're playing Truth or Dare. Game goes like this. Whoever starts picks a person. That person picks Truth or Dare. The first person either gives them a question to answer or a dare to act out. You can call chicken on a question or a dare and take a shot instead. Understood? Draco! You're starting."

Hermione sat back down and put her hand on George's leg. He grinned at her and set a shot glass down in front of her, and then one down in front of himself.

"I have a feeling we're going to need these."

Draco stood up and surveyed the group, and his eyes landed on Ginny. He smiled widely and began the game.

"Alright, Lady Potter. Truth or Dare?"

Ginny grinned at Draco.

"Truth."

"Did you sleep with anyone before Harry?"

Hermione snorted and all eyes shifted to her. She took a shot for good measure, and all eyes shot back to Ginny.

"Uh, yeah? It's not a secret that Dean and I were getting it on during school."

Seamus high fived Dean and waggled his eyebrows at Ginny. She rolled her eyes and turned to Katie.

"Katie, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare!"

Ginny grinned.

"Make out with Angelina."

Katie stared wide-eyed at her best friend and decided to take the shot. The game went on with people answering questions, taking shots, and doing the occasional dare. The questions and dares got more personal and edgy. Blaise turned to Hermione and crossed his arms, surveying her for a minute.

"Hermione. Truth….or Dare?"

Hermione smiled and shrugged back at Blaise.

"Either one. You pick."

Blaise smiled evilly back at her.

"Truth then. How many guys have you slept with?"

Hermione burst out laughing. She looked at Blaise and rolled her eyes.

"I can't answer that one. Give me a Dare."

"Can't, or won't? Just this once, I'll give you a Dare. But I'm not going easy on you for skipping that question! So here's your Dare- Take your clothes off."

A collective gasp sounded in the room, and Hermione giggled. George's hand clenched into a fist as Harry narrowed his eyes in his direction. George grabbed for Hermione's hand as she stood up, but he couldn't get a handle on it. She squared off in front of Blaise and quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to go down this road, Zabini?"

He laughed and looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be really interested to see if Hermione would follow through. She turned back to the middle of the room and searched for a bottle. She grabbed some blueberry vodka and took a long swig. She giggled and took another long drink before handing the bottle off to someone else. She was feeling the buzz and turned back to Blaise. Hermione unbuttoned her pants and wiggled out of them. She looked around the circle and noticed all eyes in rapt attention on what she was currently doing. She met George's eyes and winked as she undid the ribbon holding her corset together. George cleared his throat as his face started to redden. Hermione was facing fully in his direction as she slid the corset off her body. She was standing there in front of him in nothing but a skimpy, lacy thong. Hoots and hollers filled the room as Hermione giggled and spun in a slow circle. Hermione hooked her fingers into the sides of her underwear and pulled them off. As she stood back up, George swept her into his arms and pulled her from the room.

"Hey!"

George sprinted up the stairs and burst into one of the spare bedrooms. Hermione was shrieking and flailing, trying to get out of his grasp. Once in the room, George closed the door and magically locked it before letting Hermione go. She spun on him, rage in her eyes. She swung out her hand and slapped George squarely across the face. She was breathing heavily with anger, but George couldn't keep his eyes from her swelling breasts. His cheek stung from her slap. Hermione swung again, but George blocked it this time. She yelled in fury.

"What the fuck, George?! Why the hell did you do that?! It's just a mother fucking game! What's the big deal?!"

Hermione tried to push past George, but he shoved her back toward the middle of the room. She pushed again, and he shoved her harder. George was frantic, trying to find something to calm her down, but she wasn't relenting.

"Just tell me, George! Why did you do that?!"

He sighed and collapsed onto the bed. Hermione tried to get out of the room, but the door was still locked. George looked up at her and spoke in a quiet voice.

"I didn't want people to look at you."

Hermione whirled around and stared down at him, anger pulsing through her veins.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? People look at me all the time, George! It's my fucking job!"

She stood in front of him, hands on her hips. George kept his eyes staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't risk looking at her prefect body while having this conversation.

"I know, Hermione. I mean these people. I don't want you to share your body with everyone."

He could hear the anger seething in her voice still.

"I don't share my body with everyone, George. But I don't see how you have any right to determine what I do with my body. Why do you even care?"

George sighed deeply. He couldn't answer that question. He didn't know how.

"Look at me, George."

He could feel Hermione's body close to his knees. He couldn't look at her.

"Look at me!"

His eyes flicked to the edge of the bed. He met her eyes briefly and noticed her anger had dissipated slightly. He sat up slowly, and his face became level with her breasts. He gulped slightly, unable to tear his eyes away.

"Why do you care, George?"

He met her eyes and sighed in resignation. He spoke in such a quiet voice that Hermione had a difficult time hearing him.

"Because it makes me jealous, Hermione."

She looked shocked for a second. Then a small smile played out across her face.

"George Weasley, do you have a thing for me?"

Hermione stepped even closer. She was now standing between George's legs. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently tugged the fabric of his shirt. He looked up and met her eyes.

"Yes."

Hermione bit her bottom lip and looked away.

"You know I don't do 'things' right, George?"

She dropped her hands and turned away, but George caught her hand before she could completely move away.

"Yes I know that. I guess there's just a part of me hoping you'll change your mind."

Hermione gave him a sideways glance. Within seconds, she was straddling George's lap. He couldn't help the tightening in his pants as he realized she was completely nude and sitting on his lap. Hermione ran her fingers through his soft hair and looked into his eyes.

"I haven't changed my mind in three years, George."

He nodded and hesitantly ran his fingers lightly over the skin on her back. He could feel the raised markings of her tattoos and began tracing them. Hermione shivered involuntarily. Her nipples hardened, and George tried not to notice. He smiled slightly.

"Tell me one thing, Hermione. Does the idea of being with me sound so terrible?"

She smiled down on him.

"It doesn't sound terrible, George. It's not a secret that I like you. It just sounds...terrifying. I guess."

He stopped his sensory exploration of her back.

"Terrifying?"

She nodded.

"Because I haven't been in a relationship with anyone since... Thomas."

George lifted Hermione off his lap and handed her a blanket. She wrapped herself up and sat cross-legged on the bed. It took her a minute, but she finally met his eyes.

"I know you want more information, George. I just wasn't ready to talk about it. But I want to tell you now. I was young and naive when I met Thomas. I thought he and I would be together forever. I didn't think it would be such a big deal for him to find out who I was. But clearly I was wrong. I mean, my parents didn't react that way when they found out I was a witch, and I was their only fucking child. I was heartbroken when Thomas treated me like a monster. I had put everything into our relationship. I didn't know what to do when I didn't have him anymore. I promised that I'd never feel that way again. So the idea of being with you scares me. I don't want to ruin whatever it is we have now. I don't want your family to hate me. But I also don't want to have to change my life around. If I'm with you, would you let me keep working as a stripper? I know you wouldn't. Would you let me keep dressing the way I want to? Talk the way I do? Drink and smoke? I know men, George. My lifestyle does not fit into the realm of 'girlfriend' or 'wife.' I'm more the 'hit it and quit it' girl. And usually that suits me just fine."

George lay back on the bed and Hermione's hands found his hair again. He glanced over at her.

"You're right, you know. I wouldn't want you to continue those things. But I also know that it's hard to stop doing something you're comfortable with. So I'm not asking you to be with me right now. But I am telling you that I want to be with you, Hermione. And that's not going to go away. So I'll leave you to decide what you want. That's a good compromise, right?"

Hermione leaned over George and smiled down on him. She ran her fingers down his chest, idly playing with the buttons on his shirt.

"That doesn't sound much like a compromise for you. Sounds like you're asking me to make all the decisions."

George laughed and gazed at Hermione.

"I am. But only because you're the type of woman that won't be satisfied with a compromise. At least not yet. Maybe I'm hoping to change you, Hermione Granger."

Suddenly, Hermione was straddling George again, her hands pressing down on his chest. The blanket slid from her shoulders as she smiled down on him.

"I'm not sure you can do that, George. But I'm willing to let you try. As long as you'll let me try something."

As the words left her beautifully plump lips, she leaned down and kissed George. He kissed her back immediately and entangled his hands in her hair. The kiss was sensual and soft. Hermione broke the kiss but lingered, her lips still touching George's. She smiled and whispered against his lips.

"Well, now I'm really going to have to think this through."

She hopped off the bed and went over to the door. She magically unlocked it and opened it before looking back.

"I'm going to put my clothes back on now."

George sat up as Hermione's naked body disappeared out the door. Now things are going to get interesting. He laughed and followed her out the door.


:)

Hmm... what an interesting turn of events!