Chapter Thirty
Hermione had decided that Ginny's smugness about the whole thing was almost as insufferable as Sally's. Honestly, who makes a bet about something like this?
"How did you even know?" she asked later once the commotion had settled down and they were in the kitchen helping Molly and Lavender peel potatoes.
Ginny grinned, "You know that pajama set I got you for your birthday a few years ago?"
"….yes…"
"Well I found it in his laundry hamper."
Lavender immediately looked up from her potato, "You had inside information!? That's not fair I want my galleons back!"
"No way, you never asked why I thought they may be dating."
Hermione stared at Ginny in disbelief. "What in the seven levels of Hades were you doing going through George's laundry!?" she exclaimed.
"He stole my favorite Quidditch jersey and I was trying to find it," Ginny shrugged dismissively. "Believe me, Mione I do not make a habit of just rummaging through my brother's dirty clothes for fun."
The bushy haired witch groaned, "How long have you known?"
Ginny stopped chopping for a moment to think about it, "Hmm… maybe about three weeks? Not sure…"
"I'm surprised you didn't tell."
"Like your mother!" Molly shot over her shoulder with an indignant snort.
"Why would I, its not really any of our business is it?" Ginny said. "Besides, you honestly think I was going to run and tell Harry or Ron that? Nevermind Mum. They'd run and hunt George down like a lion stalking a gazelle, its like they're your dad or something, and Mum would have had your chin pattern picked out before you even finish telling her."
"I am not that bad!" the older witch exclaimed.
"Only barely," Ginny teased. "But you can't deny that Harry and Ron totally ARE that bad."
Hermione groaned, Ginny was not wrong. She had avoided having to face her two best friends about this whole thing because Molly had swept her into the kitchen almost immediately. She was not looking forward to that conversation.
"It will be fine, Mione," Lavender piped up. "Ron and Harry are adult enough to know when to back off."
The three other women in the room gave her the same disbelieving look.
"Alright fine, they're both nutters. But we can at least try to pretend they're normal, can't we?"
"Sure, Lav-Lav," Ginny snorted and returned to peeling her potato.
… - … - …
"We need to speak with you."
"Outside."
"Right now."
George looked up from his game of chess and gave a lazy glance over his shoulder at the two red faced wizards behind him. Their barely contained fury was adorable.
"Sorry, Gents, but Fred and I are kind of in the middle of something at the moment," He said as he turned back to his game.
"Let us rephrase that…" he heard Harry growl just before a pair of limbs grabbed him underneath each of his armpits and hauled him off of his stool. "We're going to go talk. Now."
"Remember me fondly, Fred," George sighed dramatically as the two gits started dragging him towards the door.
"Try not to rough him up to badly," Fred called to them. "He has to open the shop on Monday."
"No promises," Ron muttered as they dragged him directly out the door.
With the door shut behind them, George shoved Ron and Harry's hands off himself and stood up on the porch.
"Could have picked a warmer place for a chat, Boys," he said as he dusted imaginary lint from his jumper. "And don't think that just because you both are big bad aurors means that I can't beat the snot out of both of you if you're about to do something stupid like tell me I'm not allowed to date Granger."
Harry's temper seemed to finally crack and he stormed up to George with his finger on his chest. "If you're playing Hermione right now for some kind of sick practical joke I swear to Merlin I will obliterate you right here on this porch," he roared. "What could you possibly want with her?"
George glared and smacked Harry's hand down, "Oh I don't know, maybe to just be with her? In case you haven't noticed this, Scarhead, but your little bookworm is something of a catch."
"Yeah, WE know that," Ron glared, joining Harry by his side. "Why do YOU know that?"
"You can learn a lot of things when you take the time to study them."
"Oh so you're studying her now?" Ron shouted. "What does that even mean!?"
George's temper was about to rear its ugly head and that just would not end well for anyone. "It means, Ronniekins that I've spent the last couple of months spending a lot of time with Hermione and I happen to really like what I've seen."
"And just exactly how much of her have you seen, George?" Ron snarled, his ears turning bright red.
It was too much to resist. "As much as she's wanted me to see. Which turns out was quite a bit," George said smugly. Harry only had half a second to catch Ron before he flew at his brother.
"You effing bastard! Don't you dear talk about her like that!"
"Months," Harry said flatly, trying to restrain Ron. "You've been dating for months?!"
"About two if you want to get technical about it."
"And she didn't tell us?"
"Gee that is a surprise," George rolled his. "Its like she didn't think you'd trust her judgement or something crazy like that. Because you've never given her any reason to ever think such a thing…"
The pair visibly flinched.
"Look Guys, I like Hermione. I truly, genuinely like her, and I am fairly certain that she feels the same way. I know what you all have been through together and why you three are probably closer than blood, and while I'm sure you would of preferred for me to have come to you on my hands and knees begging for your blessing or some such nonsense, frankly its not going to happen. I don't give a damn about your approval. The only opinion here that matters to me is hers, not yours," he said. "And she's already made her opinion pretty clear I think."
Harry and Ron looked at the ground like they were being scolded by McGonagall.
"Now if you don't mind, I have to go whip Fred's arse at chess. And you two have some apologizing to do to Hermione. She's spent weeks alone with her anxieties and stress because you two made her feel so uncomfortable about her life choices that she thought she couldn't come to you anymore. I only know the tip of the iceberg of what followed her out of that war. You two know everything, and somehow still managed to think it was ok to make her feel like she was alone," George glared. "Think about that next time you decide to try and jump in and play the judgmental shining white knights for someone who can slay her own damn dragons."
With that George shoved his way past them and stormed inside leaving Ron and Harry standing on the cold porch. Ron sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Harry…"
"Yeah Ron?"
"If you ever tell George that I'm admitting right now that he's right I will kill you."
"Ditto."
… - … - …
Warm arms wrapped themselves around Hermione's middle, startling her enough to nearly drop the bowl of mashed potatoes she was holding.
"Don't do that!" she scolded half heartedly but giggled as George kissed her cheek. "Ak! George, your nose is cold stop it!"
"Sorry, Love," he chuckled into her hair. "Was just outside having a chat with Thing One and Thing Two."
Hermione snorted at George's description. She'd been right to let him listen in while she read Freddy 'The Cat in The Hat'. Life was just a little more entertaining when he understood muggle references. "And what did they have to say?" she asked, "Or do I want to know?"
"Nothing to worry your bushy little head about," he said with another kiss on the cheek before letting her go and snatching a few green beans out of a near by bowl. "Turns out they just really love and worry about you, but fret not, Dearest. I told them to go bugger off."
Hermione chuckled softly and just shook her head, "Just so long as I'm not going to read in the paper about someone finding your body in the woods I'm good."
"I highly doubt they would ever actually find my body."
She laughed again, knowing he was probably right. Hermione blushed slightly as George gently kissed her ear.
"So," he whispered. "Since we're 'out' as it were and don't have to pretend to leave separately, when would you like to bust out of here so we can continue celebrating Christmas properly back at your place?"
Hermione giggled and swatted George on the arm. "You know your mother will kill us both if we don't stay at the very least through the presents. Beside, I'd hate to miss the looks on Bill and Fleur's faces when the children open up the box you and Fred put together for them."
"Have I mentioned recently how astonishingly perfect I think you are?"
"Not today you haven't," Hermione smirk as she wiggled out of his grasp. Leaning up to his ear she whispered in a low sultry voice. "But you can tell me again tonight while you reopen your present again."
George froze in place as all the heat from his body shot straight to his groin and he growled slightly at the witch that was now wandering out the kitchen, swaying those glorious hips of her as she walked. He smirked. Little chit was doing that on purpose. And he adored her for it.
This really was the best Christmas ever.
TBC
A/N: I suck as a human being, I know. I promise you won't wait as long for the next chapter as you did for this one. I'm sick in bed right now so really there is nothing getting in the way of me just binge writing this weekend. R&R. Hope you're still with me!
~Chupip