A/N – well hello! So I would have updated this earlier today but I was Fangirling . This chapter answers some of the questions that were left at the end of the last chapter, thanks for reading -
Harry woke up early the next morning, to find Ron sat on his bed looking happy and yet slightly worried. Harry rolled over to look the other way, not wanting to hear any more of his little debit.
"So they've really broken up?" Harry rolled his eyes; to be honest Harry didn't know himself what had happened between the pair.
"It sounded like it, Ron" Ron smiled happily. Harry rolled back over to face Ron then sat up. He moved his long messy hair out of his eyes and sighed. This was the fourteenth time Ron had asked after he had told him yesterday.
"Ron don't go rub it in her face, she really liked him" Harry said
"Really? And she told you this because?" Ron snapped back
"Because I'm her friend, just don't, for a bit anyway"
"Okay so maybe she liked him, but he just wanted what I wanted" Ron moved off the bed and then moved towards the mirror and messed with his hair until he was happy with it, then put on his Quidditch uniform. "Anyway I should win this game first! That's one thing he can't do" Ron went down the stairs and spotted Ginny waiting across the other side.
"Hey! Little sis"
"Look, not trying to be rude but I'm waiting for Hermione"
"I'll just wait with you" Ginny rolled her eyes. "What! She's single I can do what I want"
"Not really, she just broke up with our brother!" Ginny folded her arms over her chest and tried to ignore Ron.
"I need to talk to Hermione so can you just walk" Ginny shooed him with her hands, then shoved him towards the door.
"Fine I'll just leave then!" Ron walked towards the door making Ginny turn and watch him. She heard the door click behind her and sprinted up the stairs towards the 5th year girl's dormitory. She pushed the door open quietly and peered in. Most girls were in the attached bathroom applying their makeup and looking in the mirror, Ginny looked in there finding only 4 girls and not Hermione. She walked back in now noticing that one bed had the curtains drawn all the way around it, she pulled at the curtains making them move out of the way to reveal Hermione. Her hair was surrounding her face; she was in long sleeved and bottomed pyjamas that had rolled up in her sleep. The duvet was curled up in a ball surrounding her and she looked like she'd had no sleep what so ever. Hermione's eyes moved from the other side to Ginny then back again.
"Come on Hermione! You can't just stay in bed all day" Ginny complained.
"Yes I can, I don't want to see him!"
"Well you have to!"
"No I don't" Hermione rolled over pulling the blanket with her.
"Hermione..." Ginny waited "HERMIONE!" Ginny pulled the blanket off her, throwing it to the floor angrily "You've got some explaining to do"
"What is there to explain, we broke up!"
"Soul mates don't break up" Ginny whispered.
"YEAH WELL THIS ONE DID OKAY" Hermione stood up and stormed into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror that was now free of girls as they had gone into the common room. She looked at her eye that was still slightly black and swollen as it would be for a long time now. Her lip was still scarred from when Fred had pushed her into the banister. She placed a few charms on her face to cover them up, went to get some clothes and got changed. She came back a few minutes later looking as good as new. Hermione hung her head low on the way down the stairs, Ginny tried to make conversation but it didn't work, Hermione just didn't seem interested. They both emerged in the common room, Fred and George were sat on the sofa, and Fred watched her walk across the common room.
"Hi Hermione" Fred tried. She stopped ever so slightly and tripped falling back on her feet. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk to him. He got up with George and followed her all the way down to the Great Hall.
"Why isn't Hermione talking to you?" Ron asked when they sat down.
"Because we're pretending to break up but we still love each other you massive prat!" "Because we had a fight" Fred said
"Oh did you break up?" Ron asked.
"No not really keep your hands off!" "I guess so" Fred said.
"So can I go talk to her?" Ron asked.
"Talk? Or hit on?" "Who am I to tell you what to do" Fred sneered. Hermione looked over at Fred really confused at what he was just saying but she didn't have time to think about it because Ron had come over.
"How are you Hermy?" Ron asked.
"Hermy? Is he hitting on me?" Fred looked over at Hermione when she spoke but her lips weren't moving. (wait, what?)
"I'm okay thanks Ron. Why would you ask?" Hermione said.
"I heard about you and Fred I'm really sorry" Ron said.
"Sure you are you massive prat!" Fred said.
"Fred!" Hermione said.
"What! Why shouldn't I tell him that we broke up, we did!"
"Yeah but you can't call him a prat!"
"Hermy? He didn't call me a prat!" Ron pointed out.
"Yeah Hermy why would I ever call him a prat?" Fred joked. Hermione huffed and focused on her breakfast.
"Just kidding Hermione love you" Hermione turned and looked at Fred sharply then thought about it.
"Fred?!" Hermione thought.
"What! Hermione!" Fred shouted down the table.
"Fred she didn't say anything!" Ginny said watching Hermione smile at Fred.
"Don't say anything but if you can hear me nod!" Hermione thought.
"Of course I can hear you Hermione!" Fred shouted again Hermione placed her head on the table.
"Don't say anything!" Hermione thought.
"Okay so I know that you two broke up but please stop arguing!" George said still confused. Fred looked over and Hermione whose head was still on the table, Ginny was patting her and trying to comfort her but Hermione didn't look upset she just looked annoyed.
"Hermione, if you can hear me meet me outside the statue of the one eyed witch when the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch match is on." Hermione flinched slightly hearing Fred's voice however no one else reacted.
"Hermione, walk with me to the changing rooms" Ginny stood up quickly, grabbing Hermione's hand and dragging her with her. Once out of ear shot from the table Ginny asked;
"What the hell is going on, you two are soul mates you can't just break up" She exclaimed.
"It wasn't up to us"
"According to Fred it was you who decided to end it"
"We had a decision, okay; I did what I did for the future"
"What about now?" asked Ginny.
"Now could have gotten us killed"
"I still not sure I follow" Ginny said, Hermione sighed.
"Dumbledore said that we could either break up or let the ministry find out and use our power against you know who, or you know who would use us against each other" Hermione sighed; it was clear she had thought about this a lot.
"Why can't we use your power?"
"Not without the ministry finding out, anyway I think Dumbledore wanted us to stay together as a symbol of hope or something, but that was a lot of pressure" Hermione stopped next to the changing rooms, as Ginny added it all up in her head.
"Wait so you broke up with my brother, your soul mate, because there was too much pressure on you! Did you ever consider that he had that pressure as well! That he loved you more than anything! I don't feel sorry for you anymore! Just go watch the match". Ginny turned sharply and went to go in the tent.
"Good luck" Hermione tried but Ginny just ignored her. Hermione turned and headed towards the library, she had half an hour until the match started. She charged through the hall ways trying to get to the library when she bumped into someone, spilling their books everywhere.
"Sorry, I wasn't looking, I'm in a bit of a rush" The girl apologised.
"Oh me too! I am sorry!" Hermione smiled and helped the girl pick up the books.
"Are you okay? You look like you've just fallen out with someone" The girl asked.
"Yeah well, it's a long story" Hermione said.
"Are you on the way to the library?" The girl asked.
"Yeah? I am?" Hermione answered.
"I'm Bellani. But just call me Bea everyone does" Bea said.
"Hermione" She smiled they walked in silence for a few steps.
"Want to explain what your upset about?" Bea asked.
"I was going out with this guy and I broke up with him and his sister is my friend and at first she was on my side and now when I explained she won't talk to me" Hermione sighed.
"Oh I understand, there was this guy that I spent Valentine's Day with, but he hasn't spoken to me since, and because I'm in a different year and house I don't have an excuse to talk to him" she sighed.
"That's where I know you from! You're the girl that spent Valentine's Day with George!"
"You know him!"
"Know him! My boyfriend was Fred! And I'm best friends with his sister and brother, know him would be an understatement" Hermione laughed. "Small world" Bea nodded in agreement.
"What are you going to the library for?" Bea asked.
"Research, What about you"
"Returning books, maybe getting some more" She laughed quietly to herself. They had arrived at the library and Hermione turned to go the other way. "You and Fred are destined to be you know, I see the way he looks at you, at first I thought it was George but I know the difference now" Hermione nodded.
"I'll talk to George for you, he does really like you"
"Thanks"
"I hope we meet again Miss Bea"
"You too Mrs Weasley" Hermione walked away and stopped then turned slowly but when she turned around Bea was gone. She checked her watch and realised that she was going to be late and once again found herself running through the corridors. Fred wasn't around the One Eyed Witch statue which was surprising considering that Hermione was late. She turned around and tried to make it look like she was tying her shoe lace but before she could bend down she was pulled and fell through the wall.
"Shhhhhh" He whispered
"What! Who are you! Hermione shouted.
"It's me" Fred smiled from behind her. Moving his hands to her waist and giving her a hug.
"Oh yeah glad you pulled me again!" Hermione held his hands on her waist not allowing him to move.
"I think I figured it out, the whole thing, we can telecommunicate" Fred said. Hermione rolled her eyes
"Don't be stupid!" She said. He turned her around.
"Read my lips" "Hermione I'm so glad that we tricked everyone into think that we broke up, this way we can still go out and not have everyone knowing our little secret" Hermione laughed at his words then realised that his lips didn't move once during that sentence, she gasped. Then smiled.
"Is that what I am, your little secret?" She smiled and hugged him
"This is great now we can talk without people knowing!" He laughed and picked her up, spinning her around in the hidden passageway.
"Speaking of, do you know Bea? She's a year below you? Spent Valentine's day with George?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah! George said she was nice but a bit strange. She kept hinting at things that she didn't know" Fred sighed "Why?"
"I met her today, she called me Mrs Weasley?" Hermione looked up at Fred; he smiled sadly down at her.
"Down side to being soul mates, I was reading up on it and apparently when the bonds find each other in the eyes of the law they are already married"
"Oh" Hermione looked down. "How did she know?"
"I'm not sure? I thought you might have told her about the soul mates, or George did?" Fred sighed "You didn't tell her did you?" He watched her shake her head "George wouldn't have told her would he?" Hermione looked at her watch.
"People are going to be suspicious, we should get back" Hermione whispered.
"But I want to stay here with you" Fred thought wrapping his arms around her; she smiled and leaned into the crook in his neck.
"I don't want to leave either" Hermione said.
"Why can't we stay here?" Fred asked.
"Because people will think that we're going out" Hermione said.
"Why can't they know?" Fred asked.
"Because we told Dumbledore that we'd break up for each other's safety" Hermione said. Fred sighed and picked at the bottom of his top looking down at it.
"But we didn't really, I don't think I could go a day without you" Hermione laughed.
"Technically you can't" she smirked at him then kissed him on the cheek and stepped out of the passageway making sure that he didn't follow her immediately. She hurried off to the game noticing how empty the corridors were. She smiled to herself knowing that she could communicate with Fred without anyone listening. She hugged herself as she walked out into the sharp wind. Trying to protect herself from the cold, realising that she hadn't brought a hoodie or jacket she sighed and wrapped her arms around herself tighter, smiling as she went.
When she finally reached the stadium at the edge of the Forbidden Forrest she climbed the stairs slowly listening to the roar from the crowd. She found Harry amongst the Gryffindor's and sat down next to him.
"Where have you been, the match started half an hour ago" Harry asked keeping half an eye on the game.
"Had some important research" Hermione mumbled.
"Really because it sounds like you don't want to bump into Fred!" Harry sighed then continued "He's not here anyway, George said he went to his dorm after breakfast and hasn't come out since" Harry sighed again. Hermione, although knowing this wasn't true, still felt sorry for Fred and looked down at her feet.
"Oh... Really? Because I don't think he's that type of person" Hermione mumbled.
"You don't think he's that type of person? Hermione get it into your head, you're soul mates, of course he's going to be upset! Why aren't you upset as well?" Harry asked half shouting. Hermione looked at her feet trying to make it look like she and Fred had actually broken up.
"Harry what I did was right! Okay! I did it to protect us!" Hermione said.
"Harry I'm sure Fred is fine, he just needs some time to get over it that's all" George, who was sat behind them, put in. "Look here he comes now, see he's kind of smiling" Hermione looked over at Fred; his face was full of disappointment and confliction, he took the seat next to George and focused hard on the game, as if Hermione wasn't there.
"What's going on? Why are you all yelling" Fred asked.
"They're blaming me for us breaking up" Hermione replied.
"Why you? How come it's not my fault?" Fred asked.
"Because you're better at acting upset than I am, and from the 'argument' from last night it sounded like I made the decision" Hermione once again replied.
"Technically you did make the decision" Fred chuckled.
"But you liked it so" Hermione smiled, causing Harry to look around.
"Hermione why did you smile? Ron let a goal in?" Harry asked.
"Yeah Hermione why did you smile?" Fred joked.
"Because Ginny just saw the snitch" Hermione improvised. The group all looked round and thankfully Ginny was plummeting towards the ground toward the snitch. She caught it and the crowd applauded with delight. The Gryffindor's were just thankful that the match was finally over.
"Good catch," Harry told Ginny back in the common room, where the atmosphere resembled that of a particularly dismal funeral.
"I was lucky," she shrugged. "It wasn't a very fast Snitch and Summerby's got a cold, he sneezed and closed his eyes at exactly the wrong moment. Anyway, once you're back on the team -"
"Ginny, I've got a lifelong ban."
"You're banned as long as Umbridge is in the school," Ginny corrected him. "There's a difference. Anyway, once you're back, I think I'll try out for Chaser. Angelina and Alicia are both leaving next year and I prefer goal-scoring to Seeking anyway."
Harry looked over at Ron, who was hunched in a corner, staring at his knees, a bottle of Butterbeer clutched in his hand.
"Angelina still won't let him resign," Ginny said, as though reading Harry's mind. "She says she knows he's got it in him."
Harry liked Angelina for the faith she was showing in Ron, but at the same time thought it would really be kinder to let him leave the team. Ron had left the pitch to another booming chorus of Weasley is our King sung with great gusto by the Slytherins, who were now favourites to win the Quidditch Cup.
Fred and George wandered over.
"I haven't even got the heart to take the mickey out of him," said Fred, looking over at Ron's crumpled figure. "Mind you… when he missed the fourteenth -"
He made wild motions with his arms as though doing an upright doggy-paddle.
"- well, I'll save it for parties, eh?" Fred spotted Hermione out the corner of his eye sat in the corner alone; George noticed his face when he saw her.
"Let me talk to her" George said. Fred nodded because it seemed like the right thing to do. George walked over to Hermione, coming up behind her and giving her a reassuring hug.
"Maybe now that my brother's not going out with you, maybe I can have you?" George joked. Hermione turned around sharply dropping out of his embrace and stumbling backwards into someone who had appeared behind her.
"Sorry Hermy, didn't mean to scare you" Ron said smiling.
"Oh hi Ron" Hermione sighed moving out of his way.
"Are you okay? You look a bit down" George said to Ron "I mean missing that many goals, I'm sorry brother" It was clear that George was trying to get rid of Ron.
"Ummm it was okay I guess" Ron had turned a dark shade of red that blended with his hair.
"Hermione can I talk to you for a second" George asked.
"Why would she want to talk to the guy who broke her heart" Ron asked harshly
"Fred get over here Ron thinks George is you" Hermione thought. Fred's head turned sharply towards the scene but he was in the middle of a conversation with Ginny and Harry and it didn't look like he could leave.
"What?! When did I break her heart?" George asked.
"What do you mean when?! It was Yesterday!" Ron shouted.
"Ron he's not…" Hermione tried but Ron butted in.
"He is! And he should be sorry!" Ron almost yelled. Fred then decided to come over.
"Ron what are you going on about?" He asked.
"Your twin broke my best friend's heart!" Ron yelled.
"No Ron! I broke his! And He's not Fred. He is!" Hermione shouted pointing towards Fred. She then turned and walked away.
"Hermione wait!" Ron, Fred and George all shouted. But she didn't turn back she went all the way up to the girls dorm and sat on her bed. This is going to be harder than I thought…