Enjoy :)
"What happened to you?" Quizzed Ginny.
"Fred-" Hermione began.
"Oh, what an idiot. He can be so clueless sometimes, I'll talk to him." She stomped off, back towards the direction Hermione had come from.
More than a little dazed, she continued up the winding garden path, letting her clothes dry in the sun. What had just happened?
Hermione realised she simultaneously regretted letting that happen and not letting it happen more. She could easily have dried herself with her wand but somehow the moment had ended and she was suddenly very unsure about how she felt about it.
Drying herself quickly, she joined Mrs Weasley in the kitchen for breakfast.
"Are you alright dear? You look a little flushed." Asked Mr's Weasley kindly. "I have just the thing." She said confidently, handing her a bowl of yoghurt, fruit and granola. She smiled at Hermione warmly and disappeared upstairs to give Mr Weasley his early morning coffee.
"Mum's right 'Mione, you do look a little off." Said Ron, his own mouth full of bacon.
Turning around to face him, she almost had a heart attack when she saw George sitting on the other side from him at the kitchen table. For a fraction of a second, she had mistaken him for Fred. It must have shown on her face because Ron's frown deepened.
"What's up?" George asked her. He didn't look quite so concerned as Ron, perhaps a little more... amused. Hermione thought she saw him wink but couldn't be sure.
"Nothing." She sat down at the table with them and slowly ate her breakfast, finding it to be (unsurprisingly) quite delicious.
Ron shrugged and proceeded to tell Fred about a recent Cudley Cannons match. Fred seemed less interested in their conversation and would shoot her the occasional glance, one eyebrow raised. She met none of these looks but was instead intently engrossed in her granola.
Once she had finished her food, Hermione took her damp towel and pyjamas back upstairs and lay on her bed, reading. She stopped after she realised she had read the same page four times and had no idea what it was about. Giving it up as a lost cause, she turned over, face down in her pillows. She closed her eyes and wondered...
What would have happened if she had stayed with Fred? Her imagination begun to create images of herself and Fred intertwined and with significantly less clothing so she pushed that particular question to the back of her mind and decided on another.
Would Ginny, who had seemed to be heading in that direction, have discovered them? Perhaps it was just as well she had left, it gave them both time to think about it without the pressure of anyone else knowing... She thought back to Georges face at breakfast and grimaced into her pillows.
Fuck.
There was the lightest knock on the door.
Hermione jumped, she had fallen into a doze. There was another polite knock.
"Come in." She said, her voice clouded a little by sleep.
Ginny stepped into her room briskly, shutting the door behind her and collapsing on Hermione's bed. She nestled her head onto Hermione's shoulder.
"He said he was sorry." She said, sounding sleepy herself.
"It's fine Ginny, it didn't really matter anyway." She said, severely bending the truth. Ginny looked at her in much the same way as George.
"Besides." Said Ginny slyly, "He only got you slightly wet." Hermione sighed disapprovingly but dared not say anything.
"C'mon." Ginny said suddenly wide awake. "Come and play some quiddich."
"Nnn." Groaned Hermione unwillingly. "I don't feel like it."
"Then bring a book, but you can't stay in here all day, it's far too sunny for that." Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed 'Hogwarts, a History'.
From the shade of a nearby tree, Hermione watched the others play. She read little of her book but used it to cover her face should Fred glance at her.
Ginny, George and Percy made up one team while Harry, Fred and Ron made up another. Harry and Ginny kept interrupting the game however. At one point they seemed to have crashed, only to find that they were in fact sharing a lingering kiss in mid-air. George and Ron yelled at them to "Cut it out!" while Percy hovered at the side, tutting disapprovingly. As Hermione glanced over to see them, she instead caught Fred's eye as he floated a bit behind them, staring at her. She knew exactly what he was thinking: that was us just a few short hours ago.
Hermione looked away and the game resumed.
They played three games and in the end Ginny's team won as both Harry and Fred seemed to be easily distracted.
As they walked back to the house, Hermione chatted with Harry about his auror internship due to start at the end of the summer. Being Harry had its perks and the Ministry had organised for him to start later than Ron's in order to give him as much time with Ginny as possible.
"You don't fancy coming back to school with me and Ginny then?" Hermione joked, elbowing him gently in the ribs. "Not missing potions?"
"Nah," said Harry, "it would be like going back in time!" They both smiled, thinking of the many happy times they had all shared at Hogwarts. Hermione silently wondered if that chapter of her life was over or if there was more to come. She hated the uncertainty.
Mr's Weasley made another generous meal consisting of a hot chicken stew and crusty bread. Fred sat opposite her at the table and kept asking her to pass him things. After the fourth time she was asked to pass the butter she made eye contact with him and frowned. He stopped after that. She wished she was able to talk to him but right now she felt she needed space.
After the meal, Hermione announced she was feeling tired and was going to get an early night. Fred stood up, saw her face and sat down again.
She walked upstairs alone.
In the early hours of the morning, she decided she needed to talk to Fred... even if she had no idea what to say, her silence was also saying too much.