Thank you for all of you who are reading this and special thanks to .96780 for the help.
Reviews are welcome, sorry if this is cheesy to you but I like a little bit of cheesy in my romance :) Enjoy.
The rest of the week flew by and before Hermione knew it, it was Friday as she finishes up at work; she decides to go by the shop and surprise George. As she walks through the main hallway in the Ministry she bumps into Arthur, literally as they both have a tendency to not watch where they are going. "Oh, sorry, I should watch where…" they both are saying and then "Oh Arthur," and "Oh Hermione" again at the same time. They both start laughing, neither saying anything for the fear to cut the other off, "So…." Slowly Arthur starts "Where are you off to this fine Friday evening?"
"I am on my way to see George at the shop; I was hoping to surprise him. He came by and surprised me on Tuesday and then I have been so busy I haven't time but to owl him." She says smiling "He took me to lunch at the Three Broomsticks." Realizing he really didn't need to know everything she quickly apologizes, "Sorry, you really didn't ask all that."
"No worries my girl, glad to hear he has been treating you well. I you feel up to it, stop by the Burrow, Molly has been asking about you." He says patting her on the arm, "I will be off, now remember don't let Ginny get into trouble tomorrow night, she can be a handful."
"Don't worry, Harry, George and maybe Fred will all be coming out too. Going to try and get an owl to a couple of Hogwarts friends to get them to come out too. I figure if we are all going to be paired off and married within the rest of the year, we could all use a night out." She blushed "I am sorry, again I said too much."
"I will worry less knowing the boys will be with you but I won't tell Molly, she will worry more." Winking he was off towards the Floo he took home.
Walking further down the hall to one of the further Floo stations, she enters "Diagon Alley" and there she is, she can see and hear the shop from the Floo portal walking up the cobblestone street, listening to the conversations going on around her smiling as she is enjoying herself. Still in her work clothes, her skirt and maroon jumper and stark contrast to the casual wear of families and children running around, she pushes on the door to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes "Wotcher!" she ducks as something flies past her head and into the wall. "Sorry about that." Lee Jordan runs past her, "Can I help you with something? Oh hi Hermione, I haven't seen you in ages." He looks at her again, with a weird look on his face , "You look different, beautiful actually."
"Thank you Lee" her face flushing "I work at the Ministry now so I have to dress differently for work, is George around?" looking around for a flash of red.
"I thought he was pulling my leg about you and him. I guess not." Nodding towards the office on the side of the main room, "He should be in there." Starting to walk away he turns again "It was good to see you."
"Lee, if you are not doing anything, a group of us are going out tomorrow night, Nirvana, it is a dance club, come around any time after 8. Ginny and I will be there by then, not sure when the rest will show up."
Hermione's POV
Waving at Lee and walking towards the office, knocking on the door waiting for anyone to say something, I barely hear something "Mrummph." Opening the door, I see his red head against his desk, at first I think about leaving but I know that he needs me, "Everything ok?"
Lifting his head George, smiles "This is a surprise, what brings you around today."
I walk around the desk and lean against his desk next to him, "I thought it would be nice for me to drop in on you, since you surprised me but if it is a bad time, I can leave." I say standing up and taking a step away from a desk, before I can get too far he grabs me.
"No, no, no you don't, come here" he takes my hand and pulls me in front of him, "I could use a pretty face to look at." As I slide across the edge of his desk, I am standing directly between him and the desk, in very close proximity to both. My heart starts beating quickly and I can feel my face flush. He still has a hold of both of my hands.
"R-r-r-rough day?" I can't control the stutter; I don't normally feel like this. Suddenly, I have an urge to put my hands in his hair and mess his hair. Looking into his bright blue eyes, "An-n-nything I can help with?"
"I think I should ask you the same thing, why are you stuttering? I have never heard you sound like that." He says grinning at me, which is not helping the warm feeling I have all over right now.
"I think I will be ok, just a little warm all of a sudden." I look around the office, just so I don't have to look into those gorgeous eyes of his. Sensing my awkwardness, he makes it worse by pulling me into a great big hug. "This is not helping me with feeling warm." I laugh, pushing him away "Are you almost done for the day? Would you want to have dinner with me tonight, since we will not be able to talk too much tomorrow night? It's going to be loud and Ginny doesn't like sharing me when we go out." I say smiling and poking him in the stomach.
"Actually, it might be a goodtime for me to leave; it has been a long day." Taking his work robe off and hanging it on the peg next to the door. "Lee can close up shop and Fred has had the day off. So that made the day long. Where do you want to go for dinner?" holding out his hand. As I take it, he pulls me through the door and turns the light off behind and him and pulls the door closed. "Lee, are you ok with closing up, I am thinking about leaving for the day?"
"Sure thing George, see you tomorrow, I may see you tomorrow night Hermione," as he disappears around a corner, putting more Skiving Snackboxes on the shelf.
George looks at me with a question in his eye, "I told him that we were going out tomorrow night and told him to come along." Shrugging "I saw your dad before leaving work today, told him that I thought we all could use a night out since most of us will be married by the end of the year. I was going to send an owl to Neville, Seamus and a few others too tomorrow, if that is ok?" Suddenly I feel uneasy, like I did something I shouldn't have. "I don't know why I did it, sorry, I hope you aren't upset." Before I can say anything else, he holds his hands up.
"I surrender… Don't worry Hermione, you can invite anyone you want." Laughing at me, he leans in close to me ear "I don't care who is there, as long as I get to spend time with you." His lips grazed my ear just enough to make me shiver. "I didn't tell you yet; you look amazing today, absolutely gorgeous." Kissing my jaw, just below my ear, sending a shiver down my spine, he laces his fingers through mine. "Now where are we going for dinner?"
"I was thinking we could grab a pizza, there is a nice place not too far from my flat, but first I would like to go there so I can change into some different clothes. Something a little more relaxed." Squeezing his hand "Now do you trust me?" I ask him as I pull him close and wrap my arms around him.
"Of course," he says looking down at me and squeezing me closer to him "with everything."
Whoosh, I apparited us to my apartment, landing in the middle of my living room.
"Wow, now I know how you feel when I do that to you, it is a little awkward when you aren't prepared for it." He say leaning against the arm of the couch with an uneasy smile. He is running his hands through his hair.
"Go ahead and get comfortable, I will only be a minute while I change." I giggle as I walk away and heading down the hallway to my room; glancing back to see him, looking at me in shock. Normally I don't just make decisions, I think and over think things, it felt good, knowing that I can surprise him. Walking into my bedroom, closing the door and pulling clothes out of the closet and changing quickly and walking back to see him, looking at the pictures in my living room. He is fixed on one in particular, it is a Muggle picture, one of me and my parents, so happy, "They took me to see Les Miserables for my 16th birthday at a theater in London, we stopped a passerby to take that picture. We had a great day." Seeing that he opened his mouth to ask a question, I smile, "We can talk more about that some other time. Now for pizza." I take him by the hand and lead him out of my apartment.
End of Hermione POV
Walking down the street they look like any other couple, they were holding hands and as they approached the pizza shop, pulling the door open and he held it so she could enter under his arm. It looked as though they had been doing this for years, so relaxed with each other. "What would you like on your pizza? I like pepperoni and sausage?" She was asking him as she continued looking over the menu. "Oh they have chocolate cake too."
"Anything you want, remember I am a Weasley, I will eat anything." Laughing, turning around, pulling a Coke out of the cooler behind him tipping one at her "How about you?" nodding her head yes.
Walking up to the counter and ordering, "We will have a large pizza, pepperoni and sausage, two Cokes and a piece of chocolate cake." Smiling at George "Anything else?"
"Nope that all sounds good." Taking their plates, drinks and dinner number to a booth in the corner, he slides into one side and sets a setting across from her, when she slides in, "Thanks for dinner. I don't come into Muggle London very often. Never really had a reason too."
"Now you have a reason, I still come often, at least once a week. I mean, it was my life until I got the letter from Hogwarts and it all changed. It's different for those of you born to wizarding families, you all know what should happen and there is no question as to what is going on." Smiling and looking down at her hands "Sorry, I am rambling. So what was going on at the shop today? Why did you have your head on your desk?"
"It was a long day, we were busy and I couldn't concentrate. So when you came in I was just trying to get my bearings, thinking about things." His face was flushing, she knew he must have been thinking about her.
"I have been thinking about you as well," quietly, smiling. "Ah here comes the pizza." Turning his attention away from her, as the worker set the pizza down on the table "Dig in, this is my favorite place for pizza." They sat in silence eating.
"This is pretty good, I haven't had pizza in long time. You know, you don't have to be nervous around me, right? I am still the same person."
"The same person, yes, but I never thought of marrying you until recently and it has me nervous. What if I am not the one you want after a month, 6 months or a year? I would lose my best friend." Talking almost so quietly he had a hard time hearing her.
"Meenie, I couldn't be happier, you will always be first and foremost in my life. I don't want you to worry about it. I want to spend my time making you happy and making sure you feel special. It will all come together, how could I not want you in my life? Come on girl, finish your pizza and I will go get your piece of cake." Standing up, grabbing her hand as he walks away, "Want anything else?" Shaking her head no, as he is walking away, she returns her attention to the pizza in front of her. Finishing just as he is walking back with the biggest piece of chocolate cake, she has ever seen. "Move in, so I can sit next to you and share this." Sliding in next to her, handing her a fork and he waits for her to take the first bite.
Closing her eyes and smiling "That's good. Have some." Offering him a bite off her fork, smiling he accepts it.
George's POV
She loves her chocolate, that has never changed but now she is offering me a bite, even feeding me. "How could I say no." taking the bite of cake in my mouth, smiling at her, loving every minute that I am able to spend with her. Enjoying her cake, she takes another bite and offers another to me. For every bite she takes, she offers me a bite. She is relaxing again as time passes; we aren't talking about anything in particular, just small stuff. Finishing up "I think it is time, I get you home, you have had a busy week." Sliding out of the booth, she follows me, she has a sleepy look on her face, I put my arm around her, to keep her warm and also to keep her going. Otherwise she looks like she could fall asleep standing up. We are nearing her flat, she keeps bumping into she can hardly walk straight she is so tired "I think we are getting close to your place, you doing ok?"
"Fantastic," she snuggles in closer to my chest.
I know we are within a block or so of her flat, so I pull her close and pick her up, one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, she is so light, she hardly protests. "Wait, don't hurt yourself I can walk."
"What's the fun in that, plus you are light and easy to carry. Don't worry about me, remember us Beaters are a tough sort of person." Her eyes close as I am carrying her, her breathing slows and evens out. She has dozed off, if I only knew the charm to get in her house, I wouldn't have to wake her but I don't, "Meenie, I don't know the charm on your flat, you are going to have to wake up." I try setting her feet on the ground and she slowly opens her eyes.
"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to fall asleep. I had a good time tonight, George, do you want to come in to use my Floo to get home?"
"How about I come in and make sure you get in ok and then I will head home? Sound good?"
"Sounds good to me." Once inside she turns to me, "I had a great time tonight. What are you staring at?"
"You are beautiful; I just like to look at you. Now get on down the hallway and go to bed. I will see you tomorrow."
"Ok, tomorrow, be ready to dance, I expect you to dance with me." She turns to walk away, after a few steps she turns back. "George?"
"Yes Hermione?" she is walking towards me, closer and closer, she is biting her bottom lip. Oh god that is going to be my undoing…. Closer and closer she takes me by the front of the shirt and stands up on her tip toes and pulls me down a little and kisses me, right square on the mouth, Oh God, she is kissing me and all I want to do tangle my fingers in her hair and kiss her senseless. As she pulls away, she takes my bottom lip between her lips and pulls on it just a little. We are both a little breathless from this. Lowing back off her tip toes, she leans her forehead against my chest, I can feel her laughing a little, "That bad, huh?"
"That was good. Real good. I wanted to do that since you pulled me in front of you in your office. Now that I have, I think it is best I say good night. We can't rush into anything, I am sorry."
"You never have to say you're sorry for anything, this is all at your pace. What you want, when you want. Night Hermione. Go on, go to bed, I am going to take a minute before leaving, I want to make sure I am concentrating, don't need to end up somewhere I don't want to be." I laugh as I push her down the hall, I know if I don't get her away from me, I won't be able to control myself and will want to do more than kiss her. As she walks away, she turns to look at me one more time, "I mean it, go to bed." Waving her away and smiling, sitting down on her couch, Merlin's beard, I can't believe she kissed me like that, I don't know what to think. Laying my head back and closing my eyes for just a minute.