A/N: I'm sorry. I bet you all hate me. I hate myself for not updating this story for like, eight months. I'm a jerk. I'm really sorry I didn't update sooner. I hope this chapter makes up for it? It's pretty (emotionally) heavy.

I know I shouldn't have taken so long with this story and now I'm going to bore you with excuses. I have two other stories in progress and one of them is my favourite to write. I'm a Romione shipper, of course, but in the Hunger Games there's a couple I just love to death. Everlark is my OTP and I absolutely love writing about them. So this story has become sort of a secondary thing and I'm really sorry to all of you who have been waiting for an update.

School's back so it will be even harder to update. But I will try not to keep you waiting for months. I hope none of you have lost interest in this story because that would make me feel worse than I already do.

I hope you know that I love you all and am so thankful to my readers and everyone who follows and favourites. Please drop me a review. I'm desperate to hear from you.

Thanks for sticking with me!

–Wolf xx

Calm Before The Storm

Now that it was known that George was at the joke shop, the mood in the Burrow had changed. They were all still quiet, but they weren't moping. Molly had sent Pigwidgeon to Arthur at the Ministry just to let him know what had happened.

Harry and Ginny were upstairs and Ron and Hermione were sitting in the family room, and Molly was now in the process of cooking what looked to be a rather large, elaborate dinner.

"I don't know why she's doing it," Ron said, shaking his head. "Who knows if George is coming home?"

"We don't know when he's coming home," Hermione replied, giving him a sharp look, "but cooking is an outlet for your mother. I thought you of all people would be happy about so much food." She smirked and Ron nudged her shoulder with his.

"Very funny, Hermione. I just don't want her to work herself too hard."

Hermione kissed his cheek. "She'll be alright."

Ron sighed but he didn't say anything more. He rested his hand on her thigh and rubbed his thumb over it. She smiled at the action and leaned into his side. Despite the fact that Hermione had slept in, she felt her eyelids drooping. She dropped her head on Ron's shoulder and her breathing slowed down.

"Are you all right?" Ron asked her.

"Yeah, just a little tired." She mumbled.

Ron replied but it sounded fuzzy as sleep pulled Hermione under.

Hermione was having a nightmare, an awful one. She woke up as soon as she felt Bellatrix's knife cutting into her skin. She smacked her head against something hard when she sat up straight.

"Ow!" She turned her head and saw Ron rubbing his temple. "Merlin, Hermione!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, rubbing her own head.

"Are you okay? You gave quite the start." He dropped his hand and studied her face.

She wiped at her forehead, which was damp with sweat. "I-I was having a nightmare. I'm okay, though."

Ron took one of her hands in both of his. "Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?"

Hermione smiled at him but shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm really okay." She lied.

"All right." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. Her heart swelled.

When Ron pulled away, a delicious smell filled her nose. "Wow that smells amazing."

"Yeah, Mum's really working in there." He glanced over at the kitchen.

Hermione could faintly hear Mrs. Weasley humming and she smiled. "She's enjoying it, though. How's your head?"

"It's fine."

"What time is it?" Hermione asked, stretching her back.

"Quarter after five."

"Hmm." She hadn't napped for too long. "Where are Harry and Ginny?"

Ron wrinkled his nose slightly. "They said they were going outside to practice spells. Load of rubbish if you ask me."

Hermione smirked and patted his leg. "They might be."

"Whatever." Ron muttered.

Hermione laughed and settled back on the couch. Ron put his arm around her shoulders and they sat quietly for a while.

Hermione tried to push away remembering her dream, but she couldn't help it. She hated that her tortured haunted her sleep, but she didn't know what to do. At least when she was with Ron, she woke before it could get too bad. She wasn't ready to talk to Ron about her nightmares, but maybe she would be soon. Hopefully before they got too bad. She knew that Ron would want to help her.

"What are we supposed to do, now that we're not out stopping Lord Voldemort?" Ron asked, breaking the silence.

Hermione laughed. "I don't know. But it's summer, what would we normally do?"

"I dunno." Ron sighed. "Things are different now." He turned quiet.

Hermione frowned. They hadn't finished their seventh year at Hogwarts yet, so they couldn't really pursue a magical career. Hermione had wanted to have a summer internship at the Ministry but she didn't have the qualifications she needed.

Her parents… Hermione swallowed thickly at the thought of them, felt the back of her eyes sting as she fought tears. Her parents had always been enthusiastic about Hermione's magic. However, before she had received her Hogwarts letter, they all thought Hermione would want to be a dentist as well. She thought it would be nice to do what her parents did, they seemed to enjoy their jobs very much. But as Hermione grew and she took to being a witch, she knew that she wanted a magical career. Her parents were happy with her decision.

Now she had no idea where her parents were. With her successful spell, they were probably tending to people's teeth in Australia. She had always avoided thinking about them because it made her sad. She didn't know how she'd find them, but she knew that it was possible to restore their memories. She had hope for finding them, but she didn't know how she would or how hard it would be.

Hermione would have wanted her parents to have Ron over for dinner some time, considering now they were dating. But that seemed like a fantasy. Hermione was angry that her life was so broken apart. She silently vowed that when she finally knew George was really fine, she'd start getting her life back together. She'd find her parents and restore their memories, look into taking classes at Hogwarts, and start searching for job opportunities.

"Things are different." Hermione confirmed finally.

"If George really does open the shop again, I think I'll help him. Stock the shelves, work at the front desk. Anything that could help, really. I know he'll need it."

"That's really nice of you, Ron. I can help too. Everyone can pitch in. I don't think George should have too much alone time."

"Probably not. But he still needs some."

"Yes, especially after everything. I'm just worried that if he's by himself too much his thoughts will wander and what happened today will happen more often." Hermione said solemnly.

"Yeah." Ron cleared his throat and removed his arm from around Hermione's shoulder. "I think I'm going to go take a shower."

"Oh, okay." Hermione said as he got up. He gave her a small smile before disappearing upstairs.

Hermione rubbed her forehead. She probably shouldn't have said all those things about George after everything that happened that day. She knew Ron was more sensitive to the issue than she was, because it was his brother. She made a mental note to not talk so extensively about it next time. She'd apologize to him later.

She also felt bad for referring to the situation as "it". Fred was dead, George was depressed, and it was worrying the family. While the Weasley's were mourning the loss of Fred, they had to watch it tear George apart.

Hermione got off the couch, grabbed her wand and began walking to the front door. "Mrs. Weasley, I'm just going to go out for a bit." She called.

"Alright, dear, have a nice time!" Mrs. Weasley replied.

Hermione opened the door and walked out into the yard. She spotted Harry and Ginny sitting side by side against Mr. Weasley's shed. They gave her a small wave which she returned before Disapparating.

It was quiet. A small breeze blew Hermione's hair out of her face and she felt the warm sun kiss her skin. It was peaceful. She walked among the stones slowly until she got to one with young grass and fresh flowers. Earlier that day was the first time she had come here since the funeral, and she felt the need to visit for real.

Hermione touched Fred's headstone and sat down beside it so she could still read the engravings but not be directly in front of it. She didn't realize how emotional she was until she felt a lump in her throat that she couldn't swallow. She sat in silence for a moment before she was able to speak.

"We miss you, Fred. It's not the same without you. You were such a great person…" Hermione trailed off. "I know you probably don't want to hear such sappy things but I don't have any other way of saying it. This never should have happened. You should still be here, running the joke shop with George." Hermione shook her head. "He's lost without you. It's breaking him and we can't help him." Hermione felt tears prick her eyes.

"I don't know if you can hear me. But if you can, you need to let George know that it's okay to move on. You'll forever be a part of him, everyone knows that. But he thinks he's doing you wrong with opening the shop again and he's confused. He's grieving more than anyone else and it's tearing him apart. If you can, please help him pass through this. He loves you more than he can say and he just misses you so much."

Tears dripped down her cheeks and she sniffled. "We don't want to lose George, too." Hermione ran her finger in the grooves of the stone, tracing the word twin. "He's haunted. Maybe, in some way, you can help ease the pain." Hermione wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

She took her hand off the gravestone and rested her face in her hands. She sat there quietly until her tears vanished, and she lifted her face. Hermione clasped her hands and rested her chin on them. She had said everything she wanted.

Hermione stayed with Fred for some time longer. She lost the feeling in her rear and legs, but she didn't move. Her thoughts didn't wander, her mind wasn't working like it normally would. She felt at peace. She suddenly was covered in goose bumps and she shivered.

She stood and brushed the dirt from her pants. She laid her hand on Fred's stone again before leaving the graveyard and Disapparating back to the Burrow.

She stuck her wand in her pocket and opened the front door. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all sitting at the table, and Mrs. Weasley was just putting the dishes on the table. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost six thirty.

"Sorry, I'll just go wash up." Hermione said.

"Oh, no worries, Hermione. You're right on time." Molly smiled. Hermione went over to the sink and washed her hands. She took her place across from Ginny and smiled at Ron. He gave her a small smile, but she caught the question in his eyes. She looked away and took in the sight of all the food in front of her.

Mrs. Weasley had prepared a turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, and carrots, and Hermione saw a few pies on the counter.

She heard the front door open and turned to see Mr. Weasley walk in. He took off his hat and set down his briefcase. "Merlin's Beard, Molly! That looks delicious! You really out did yourself." He walked over to her and gave her a peck on the lips. "Hello, everyone!" Arthur greeted them. They all said hello in return and Mr. Weasley turned his back to them slightly. He spoke with Molly about something and it was too quiet for Hermione to listen in.

Looking at the serious expression on Arthur's face, Hermione guessed they were talking about George. After a moment Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took their seats and everyone began eating. Throughout the meal, Mrs. Weasley kept glancing at the door, her composure dropping a little more each time when George didn't come home. The clock said he was still at work, but Mrs. Weasley was still upset. Ron's face was hard and Ginny's expression was unreadable. Harry looked uncomfortable and Hermione could relate.

Mrs. Weasley brought out the pie and silently gave everyone but herself a slice. "I think I'm going to go lie down." She said.

"Okay, Mum." Ginny said.

"Dinner was delicious, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione said brightly. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome, dear. Good night."

Everyone bid her good night and started to eat their pie. Mr. Weasley finished first.

"Well, I had quite the day at work. I think I'll go with Molly. See you all tomorrow!"

The teens said good night to Arthur and when he was done, Ginny silently left the table and curled up on the couch. Ron put away the leftover food and Hermione stood to do the dishes and was surprised when Harry came up beside her to help her dry.

He gave her a small smile which she returned. They quietly washed and dried the dishes and when they were done, they went to the family room. Ron and Ginny had their backs to them, but they were sitting beside each other, something that was now quite rare.

"Let's give them some space, yeah?" Harry asked in a hushed voice.

Hermione nodded and Harry took her hand. He led her outside and they sat down on the grass. Hermione ran her hands through the grass, the blades tickling her palms.

"Is Ron okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Just a little upset. I made it a little worse by talking about it too much earlier." She frowned. "What about Ginny?"

Harry ripped some grass from the ground and threw it. "Quiet."

"I thought you two went outside to practice spells earlier?"

"Well, sort of, I guess. She didn't say much, and all the spells she casted grew flowers. Until she made one of the flower pots explode. Then we sat down by the shed and you came outside. Where did you go, anyway?"

Hermione stilled her hands and lay down, tucking her arm beneath her head. She looked up at the darkening sky, watching the stars begin to come out. Harry followed and didn't say anything as he waited for Hermione's reply.

"I went to visit Fred's grave." She said finally.

She saw Harry turn his face away in her peripherals.

"I can't help but feel that it's my fault." Harry said quietly.

"Harry, no. You know that Voldemort wouldn't have really spared anyone. There was no way of avoiding what happened. There was nothing you could do, nothing anyone could do."

"I watched him die." Harry's voice was nearly inaudible and Hermione had to strain her ears to listen. "I was there when the ceiling collapsed and... and then seeing everyone with him later on…" Hermione reached over and took Harry's hand, giving it a light squeeze. She hated when Harry blamed himself for things he couldn't control. Hearing what he had to say broke her heart.

"I just feel so awful about it, Hermione. I let so many people down."

"Harry, you saved us. You didn't let anyone down. The only person you're letting down is yourself when you think of all of these awful things. You need to learn to look past it all. It's okay to remember, but don't get so hung up over it."

Harry didn't say anything. "Don't make me worried about you. You're my best friend, Harry, and I care about you. I want you to be happy." Hermione said softly.

"Thanks, Hermione. I care about you, too."

She squeezed his hand again and they turned quiet. Hermione liked Harry's company. They always seemed to calm each other down. They stayed there until the sky turned really dark. Then they got up, stretched out their limbs and headed back inside. Ginny was no longer in the family room, but Ron was still there. Harry bid them good night and went upstairs to bed.

Hermione bit her lip and approached Ron. "Hey." She said, sitting down beside him.

"Hey." He said quietly.

"Listen, I want to apologize. It was wrong of me to talk so freely about George and what he's going through earlier today. I shouldn't have done that and I'm sorry for being insensitive. I know it's hard for you right now. I'll try not to do that anymore."

He looked at her and gave her a sad smile. "It's okay, Mione. I know you were only trying to be helpful." Ron held out his arm and she leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

"I love you, Ron." Hermione said.

"I love you, too." He replied.

They stayed in their embrace until Ron yawned. "Come on, we should go to bed."

Ron didn't argue and they went upstairs. She kissed Ron good night and went to Ginny's room.

Ginny was in bed already so Hermione got dressed in her pyjamas and quietly left the room so she could use the bathroom. When she got back she found Crookshanks on her bed. She filled his food bowl and sat in bed, waiting to fall asleep.