Chapter 27
Hermione
The next week passed swiftly. After a “family meeting” as Sirius had taken to calling it, they had discussed letting Hermione testify. After much debate it was settled that Hermione would tell the entire tale to Anders, but only testify if there was a way to leave Lupin and time travel out of it. It turned out to be unnecessary, however, when two days later Dementors were spotted in London, near Little Winging. It was reported to the muggle news as a gas leak that had caused hysteria in the neighborhood, several resident having been found in the street, sobbing or catatonic. The Prophet was reporting that Wizards in the area had witnessed Dementors attacking in the streets. The public outcry was immediate, and suddenly the Ministry was all too happy to concede to Ander’s demands, and a trial was set for the next week.
Each day the headlines of the Prophet reporting something shocking, first the Dementors, then Dumbledore’s removal from the Wizgamont. News of Sirius’s upcoming trial dominated, and public support poured in, as wizards began gathering in protest at the unfairness of Azkaban. Testimonials were printed of people claiming to have been falsely imprisoned over trivial crimes, returning from the wizard prison haunted and changed. Rita Skeeter was basking in the glory of being “The only reporter brave enough to take on the unfairness of the prison system,” and was busy giving simpering interviews claiming she could no longer bear the suffering of her fellow wizards.
Dumbledore hadn’t returned to headquarters, although Bill claimed he was jovial about his removal from the Wizgamont, making jokes that as long as he stayed on the chocolate frog cards he didn’t even care if they took his Order of Merlin from him. Hermione wasn’t concerned about him or his loss of status (she viciously thought he was getting his just deserts, as he had been quite willing to overlook the law when it came to Sirius). She was somewhat worried about what would happen in school come September, but pushed that aside, trying to focus on the now rather than the hypothetical.
The fast approaching deadline had Hermione in a tailspin trying to make sure all possible outcomes were planned for. Harry, as was his custom, began to avoid her while she was reading, scribbling furious notes as she looked up laws and loopholes. She supposed it was fair, she couldn’t be bothered to be pleasant while her mind was so occupied and wasn’t fond of interuptions. The twins took a different approach; far from being cowed by her snapping that she was busy, they would leave her alone for a few hours, then enforce breaks by stealing her books and badgering her to eat or rest.
Harry had taken the news that they were dating well, but Ron was oddly quiet on the whole subject. Hermione couldn’t be bothered to care if it upset him or not, she was absurdly happy. Being with them felt right in a way she’d never experienced before, whether it was just quietly reading together, helping brew their potions or working on her own project while they tinkered with their inventions, or being drug off to an impromptu adventure, they just fit in a way she couldn’t explain.
Hermione was on her fifth re-read of a particularly dry tome of wizarding laws, checking her notes against each chapter when the world went dark as warm hands covered her eyes.
“Guess who.” George whispered in her ear. He kissed her neck and lightly nipped her earlobe before pulling back, keeping her eyes covered.
“George, I’m working.” She said irritably, fighting back a smile.
“Good guess. Come on, it’s break time.” He pulled his hands from her eyes and picked her up out of her chair instead, tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Suddenly Hermione’s world was upside down, and consisted mainly of George’s back.
“What are you doing?” She screeched, swatting at him. “Put me down!”
He laughed at he, ignoring the swats to his back and pinning her legs to his chest to avoid kicks as he made his way out of the library, whistling and adding a bounce to his step that had her head swinging side to side.
“Can’t do it.” He said lightly. “You’ve been at it for hours, you need to relax.”
“This is not relaxing.” She grumbled as she was bounced along.
“Er, Fred? What are you doing with Hermione?” Harry’s voice called out.
“Just a library break.” He answered jovially. “Nothing to see here.” Hermione groaned in mortification, burying her face in George’s back as her best friend allowed her boyfriend to cart her off without further comment.
“Traitor.” She muttered.
Moments later she was dumped unceremoniously onto George’s bed. She had no time to get her bearings before she was flipped like a pancake, and strong hands began to work out the knots in her back formed from hours spent bent over legal books.
“You can’t just, ….mmhhhmmm right there.” She trailed off, as another set of hands joined, rubbing her calves. She felt the tension melting out of her back as she sunk her face into George’s pillow, inhaling his cinnamon and gunpowder scent and grinning to herself.
“Just because Harry and Ron are scared of you going dragon mode on them-”
“Doesn’t mean we are”
“George thinks it’s hot, so your screwed there.” Fred laughed.
“Oy, what happened to twin confidentiality?” George hissed, making Fred laugh harder.
“She’s in the circle or trust. No secrets.” Fred said impishly.
“Some things can be private.”
“I think it’s in your best interest if Granger knows what turns you on, really.” Fred continued, and a hand lifted from her back followed by a meaty thuwk.
“Ow! Jokes on you. How’s that feel?” Fred snorted as George cursed.
“Wait.” Hermione pushed herself up and flipped around to her knees, facing the twins.
“How much can you feel from each other?”
Their eyes slid to each other like magnets, and she snapped her fingers, “OY!” Their eyes snapped back to her.
“No secret side chat. How much can you feel of the other?” Hermione raised a brow.
“Well…we told you we feel each other’s pain, right?” George said slowly.
“Yes, but did you mean physical or metaphorical?” She asked, reaching out and pinching George on the thigh, while watching Fred slap a hand over his own in the same spot.
“Both.” The said together.
She raised a brow. “So, when we kiss…”
“If you kiss George, touch him, it’s like I feel the ghost of you. I can feel what he’s feeling, uh- emotionally.” Fred rubbed the back of his neck and blushed.
“That’s why we prefer to be together, it’s more..honest.” George said.
“Honesty is more honest.” She replied tartly.
“It’s difficult to explain. We’ve never really talked about it with anyone,”
“Besides each other.”
“So have you two ever…er..been with the same girl before?” She asked blushing.
“No, we told you we’ve never,”
“Fallen for the same girl before,”
“This is new for us too.”
The air crackled with unspoken tension, a far cry from their usual boisterous banter. "Right, so…you’re virgins?" Hermione began, her voice a little shaky. "This… this is awkward, but we need to talk. About, you know…" She trailed off, gesturing vaguely between the twins. "Dating… and… everything that entails."
Fred chuckled, a warm, comforting sound. She watched as their eyes met again, but didn’t try to stop them this time. Their silent communication was as natural to them as breathing, and she didn’t feel like they were keeping secrets so much as knew gathering their thoughts.
"Everything? Sounds like a big order, Hermione. But yeah, let's do this. We need to be on the same page, especially since… well, since we’re all in this together." He gave her a warm smile.
George cleared his throat. "We've both dated plenty before, obviously. But never... concurrently. And Hermione, you're... different." He offered her a genuine smile, a rare display of vulnerability. Fred nodded in agreement.
"We don't want to pressure you, Hermione. No expectations. It’s all about comfort and communication. We can go at your pace. And if it ever feels wrong, we stop. No pressure, no competition between us." Hermione's relief was palpable.
“We’re not- we’ve had sex before. Erm…separately, you know.” Fred said blushing.
“We tried to be…normal. Tried to block out the bond, but it was always there, and it felt wrong.” George looked down, and reached for her hand, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand.
The twins’ sensitivity surprised her, in a good way. Their usual boisterous competition seemed to have vanished in the face of this delicate conversation. She appreciated their honesty and forthrightness, the fact that they were prioritizing her comfort.
"Thank you," she said, feeling a wave of warmth wash over her. "That means a lot. And honestly, I think open communication is key. I'm a virgin, but… I'm…that is, I want to learn and experience things naturally, at my own speed- our own speed." She smiled, a genuine smile that mirrored the relaxed smiles on the twins’ faces. The initial awkwardness had dissolved, replaced by a sense of mutual understanding and respect.
“So…” George began, shifting closer. “What would you like to do now?”
“Break time is a minimum of one hour.” Fred said stubbornly.
Hermione smiled, and looped her arms around George’s neck.
“An hour, huh? What could we possibly do for an hour?”
“I’m full of ideas.” George said in her ear, nipping it again.
Fred leaned back on the bed, content for the moment to watch.
“So in the interest of open and honest communication,” George began, sliding his hands down her back and over her jeans-covered bum. “What’s OK right now?” He began to kiss her neck, licking and sucking lightly as she sighed and tilted her head for more.
“Uh-over the clothes.” She whispered, blushing. He pulled back and smiled at her, before diving down to claim her mouth. Hermione relaxed into him, the last of her anxiety drifting away in the thrill of his affection, the library forgotten.