"Not that I don't like to see any of you," Hermione said after she had opened the shop and the twins had made themselves comfortable. "But why are you bothering me so early?"

Fred had already sat down in one of the armchairs next to the counter, looking longingly at the cafe—the area where Hermione and Sophie had opened to serve tea and coffee and pastries to all of their patrons—which hadn't opened yet. George was standing next to the romance shelf, staring at Hermione with a wicked grin.

That grin was what made Hermione nervous.

"Why do you treat us like this, darling Mia? When we have never done anything to gather suspicion," George said, with a hand over his heart like he was truly offended.

Hermione snorted. "Please, cut the crap and tell me why you two are here so early. What's this about some gossip? You know I don't like that."

Fred stood up and walked towards the till, grinning just as wide as his brother. Now Hermione was really starting to worry about their visit.

"We are just waiting for—" Fred started to say but was interrupted by Luna strolling into the bookshop. Her radish earring had long been replaced by some small fruit depending on the season—today it was pumpkins—and she held a wooden spoon in her hand, that Hermione didn't want to really know about. "Right on time, Luna."

The blonde smiled her airy smile and Hermione immediately mirrored it.

"I thought you were still travelling with your dad." Luna's passion for the mythical creatures that only she could see had never diminished.

"I came back earlier. The twins said something about needing my presence here," Luna said, looking at George, who approached her.

"Now that she's here, would you two tell me what's the reason behind this impromptu meeting?"

Hermione was a patient person, but she was feeling like they were hiding something from her. And she never liked it when people hid things from her, even if they deemed it was from her own good.

"Calm down, no need to get your knickers in a twist," Fred said before snickering alongside George. "That's a weird phrase to say to our darling Mia."

Hermione rolled her eyes while the twins seemed to be losing their minds, laughing at their own immaturity.

"C'mon, be serious for a minute," Hermione said and realised it was the wrong thing to say, as the twins started laughing even more, to the point that tears rolled down their cheeks.

"I think they want to tell you about Nott," Luna said in her airy voice, making Hermione's head snap towards her.

"Why would I want to know about Nott? That doesn't make any sense!" Hermione tried to deny it, but she wasn't fooling anyone.

She'd had a crush on Theodore Nott ever since her third year, and the only people who knew about it were the twins and Luna. Hermione had herself told Luna about it; the twins only knew because they were nosy troublemakers who had found out her secret.

"You can say whatever you want, Mia, but we know how you feel about Nott," George said, wiping his eyes. "We can all see how you stand a little taller whenever we talk about people you knew, and whenever we mention Malfoy or Zabini, your eyes do a little dance."

"You didn't manage to fool us when we were at Hogwarts, and you're not going to now." Fred approached her and put an arm over her shoulders. "And you know we would never judge you because of who you like."

'Unlike others' wasn't said, but it was obvious in the way the twins exchanged looks.

Molly Weasley had always hoped Hermione and Harry would someday become family, only to have her dreams shattered when it was clear it wouldn't happen. Molly was one of the reasons why Hermione had moved to Castle Combe, and she hadn't regretted her decision.

"Can you just stop messing with me and tell me why you appeared here today?" Hermione snapped, not liking the looks on their faces.

"People are saying that Nott is missing," Luna said, quite bluntly.

It was like Hermione was falling without a safety net. She didn't have any reason to react like that, but worry for Nott overwhelmed her; she still had a crush on him, and the fact that he was missing was messing with her brain.

"Mia? Are you alright?" Fred asked, before turning her towards the chair he had been sitting in. "C'mon, talk to us."

"What do you mean Nott is missing?" Hermione asked, trying to breathe calmly.

As Fred and George began explaining to her what they knew, Hermione's mind began to wander to places she thought she would never visit again after the war.

How wrong she was.