It was a lovely summer day, and Hermione was inside. As usual, she was reading a book in the sitting room while everyone else was outside. Time always passed by faster while she was immersed in a book, and before she knew it Molly was calling everyone in for dinner. Ron, Harry, Ginny, Luna and Neville all walked into the house laughing and covered in mud splatter. Hermione smiled as the group made their way into the house and up the stairs to the bathroom to clean up for dinner. This had been the norm most weekends this summer; Ron and Harry were off from work, Ginny was always home when there wasn’t a match that weekend, and Luna and Neville were both home for the summer and seemed to always be at the Burrow. The only people that were missing were the twins. Their business was doing wonderful, but unfortunately took up most of their time and they didn’t seem to make it to the Burrow for dinner anymore.
“Hermione dear, would you please come in here?” Molly called from the kitchen. Hermione set her book aside and quickly walked into the kitchen. “Hello dear.” Molly greeted her with a smile.
“Did you need help?” Hermione asked her, as she seemed to be making a basket of food up.
“I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you?” Molly asked hopefully.
“What is it?” Hermione asked.
“Well, I noticed you’ve been sticking to the house a lot more. I packed enough food for you and the twins, and a little extra. You take that and make sure they are still human, go to their’s and have dinner.” Hermione laughed and shook her head a little.
“Molly, I’m sure that they are fine.” Hermione told her.
“Dear, you have been in the house for days. Please, humor me.” Molly insisted, holding the basket out to her with an expectant smile.
“Okay.” Hermione nodded and took the basket from her. “Okay, I’ll be back later.”
“Thank you so much dear. Enjoy dinner.” She said with a satisfied grin. Hermione shook her head in amusement and walked toward the front door to grab her trainers. She had set the basket down and was pulling them on when Ginny and Luna came bounding down the stairs, pausing on their way to the kitchen when they caught sight of Hermione.
“Are you leaving?” Ginny asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Your mum wants me to go have dinner with Fred and George.” She said, rolling her eyes.
“Both of them?” Ginny asked, and Hermione nodded. “Oh.”
“Why?” Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh you know… Fred.” Ginny said with a smirk.
“Oh, do you fancy Fred?” Luna asked in interest. Hermione eyed Ginny for a moment before turning her attention to Luna.
“It’s nothing, really.” Hermione said, standing and grabbing the basket in her arms. “I’ll see you lot when I get back.” She told them. Ginny waved at her innocently and Hermione exited the house and made her way to the Burrow’s apparation point. She took a deep breath and set her mind on the shop before spinning on her heel, her magic commanded her body and when she opened her eyes she was standing in front of the twin’s shop.
She walked around the side of the building to the stairs that led to the flat, and smiled as music floated out of the flat and down to her. She knocked on the door and waited for a moment, listening to the rock music that they had playing until the door swung open to reveal a grinning George.
“Hermione? What are you doing here?” He asked loudly over the music, and Hermione held up the basket of food.
“Your mum sent me!” She shouted, wincing at her own volume.
“Well, please come in!” He moved aside and swept one arm wide, inviting her inside. Hermione stepped into the flat, and was greeted by the sight of Angelina and Fred huddled around a coffee table that had multiple bottles of alcohol on it, laughing about something.
“Oi! Hermione’s brought food from Mum!” George shouted over the music. Fred and Angelina both looked up, apparently thrilled now that food was involved in their night. Fred waved his hand, and the volume of the music lowered, making it possible for them to now hear each other without shouting.
“Brilliant! I’m starved.” Fred said happily, bounding over to envelop Hermione in a tight embrace. She laughed, and hugged him back, before he released her and grabbed the basket from her hands.
“Angelina, nice to see you. I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.” Hermione said, giving her a smile and wondering why she was here, why she had been leaning in so close to Fred.
“Well, I could hardly tell my girlfriend that she couldn’t come over.” George said with a grin. Hermione glanced at him and saw that he had an eyebrow raised in amusement at her, and felt a blush fill her cheeks.
“Ah, right. Of course not.” Hermione said. “You’re mum packed extra, so there should be enough.” Hermione told Fred, who was unloading the food onto the counter.
“Do I need to leave?” Angelina asked, standing and stumbling her way over to George, who wrapped an arm around her waist. She was quite obviously intoxicated, and Hermione quickly answered.
“No, of course not. I’m sure these two could spare some of their food for you.” She told her with a wink. Angelina grinned at her and pointed a finger in George’s face.
“That means you.” She whispered to him. George gently brought her finger down and kissed her cheek.
“Of course. I’d give all my food to you if you wanted it.” He told her with a smile.
“I’m not giving anything up.” Fred said, glaring at the two of them from the kitchen and eating a bit of chicken.. Hermione shook her head and joined him, grabbing some silverware and dishing out the food, as he seemed all too content to just continue picking at the food from the containers.
“Drink, Hermione?” George asked, pouring three glasses of liquor and looking to her as he pulled a fourth one from the cupboard. Hermione was hesitant, she didn’t drink very much, but came to the conclusion that one wouldn’t hurt anything.
“Sure, but not too much, I still have to apparate back to the Burrow.” She told him. He nodded, and she watched as he only filled half of the glass. He handed her the glass just as Fred placed the filled plates on the counter.
“Fred, you only have two seats.” Angelina told him, as though he didn’t know that fact already. He gasped and placed a hand on his chest.
“Oh… oh no… George… I think we have to… stand.” He said, giving an overdramatic grimace at the notion.
“Oh dear, however will we recover?” George asked, obviously trying to prevent himself from laughing.
“Well.” Angelina said, sitting down on one of the barstools next to the counter as Hermione walked around to sit next to her. “I don’t know if I want to eat with you prats anymore. Maybe Hermione and I will just take over one of your rooms? Eat in there?” She suggested, looking to Hermione.
“No food in the bedrooms!” Fred and George both said seriously. Hermione raised her eyebrows and glanced at Angelina, who had a smirk.
“Not even… whipped cream?” She asked, smiling innocently and turning back to look at George. His eyes went wide, and Fred spat out the food in his mouth and turned to face his brother.
“What?” He asked.
“Erm…” George looked down at the floor as his face turned red.
“You broke the rule… for whipped cream? Merlin, at least make it something fun, like fudge!” He said brightly, making the girls laugh from the opposite side of the counter.
Hermione shook her head and began to eat the dinner Molly had packed for them. She should know not to question the woman, but Merlin when she said she had packed extra… she had packed enough for a small army to be fed. There was no way that she would be able to finish everything that was on her plate. As usual, the food was amazing and they lapsed into silence, the only sound being forks hitting the plate. After eating half of the food she had been dished, Hermione set down her fork and let out a satisfied sigh. Angelina quickly followed suit, though she looked as though she was going to be sick as the two men continued to eat enthusiastically.
“Fresh air?” Hermione suggested. Angelina nodded, and looked relieved at the suggestion. They walked out onto the fire escape and sat down, listening as the boys inside began to talk again. Angelina sat down heavily and smiled over at Hermione.
“Thank you. I don’t think I could watch them eat anymore…. It always amazes me how much the Weasley’s eat.” She told her. Hermione laughed and nodded, that was an understatement. When she had first met the boys at school, she thought for sure that they had been starved, with how much they ate. It wasn’t until the summer before fourth year, when she visited The Burrow for the first time, that she realized that they were more than sufficiently fed. The whole lot of them just loved food.
“So… you and George. I had no idea.” Hermione said.
“Well… It’s been a few months, but I’m not really surprised that people don’t know. I only get to see him if I decide to hang around the shop. They spend all their time there.” She said, shaking her head. “George offered me a part time position, so I would get to see him more, but I really think I’d see him less. Besides, I’d miss quidditch.”
“How would you see him less?” Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.
“He loves making the products, he’d spend all day in that lab if there was another person working. I’m not going to give him that satisfaction.” She said with a smile. Hermione laughed and nodded. “What about you and Fred?” She asked her.
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, her smile disappearing.
“Well… You seemed quite relieved earlier when George told you that he and I were together, and not Fred and I.” Angelia said, crossing her arms and leaning back against the step behind her.
“Nothing. I wasn’t relieved.” Hermione said quickly.
“Oh come on, you can tell me.” Angelina insisted. Hermione glanced inside the apartment, making sure that the boys weren’t within hearing range. She had never really talked to anyone about how she felt about Fred, Ginny only ever guessed but she had never confirmed.
“I just fancy him a bit.” Hermione said softly. “That’s all.”
“How long?” Angelina asked, tilting her head.
“Erm… Fourth year.” Hermione answered.
“Does he know?” Angelina asked, and Hermione laughed.
“You tell me.” She said, gesturing to the inside of the house.
“Well, I think you would be quite nice together.” Angelina told her.
“It’s nothing.” Hermione said, taking a deep breath.
“But-”
“Are those owls?” Hermione asked, cutting off their conversation and pointing up. Angelina stood and slapped the window a couple times, grabbing the attention of both Fred and George.
“Oi! I think you lot have some orders coming in!” She shouted. The twins came to the window, intrigued. They both stuck their heads out of the window, leaning on the sill, and glued their eyes on the birds.
“But orders don’t come to the house…” George said, his happy smile transforming into confusion.
“And to get four all at once…” Fred added, furrowing his brow.
“Erm, maybe we should go inside. I don’t particularly fancy the idea of owls messing all over us.” Angelina said, eyeing the owls as they grew steadily closer. Hermione quickly agreed, and Fred and George moved from the window to allow them to come back inside. They turned back to face the window just as the birds landed on the sill.
“I don’t think these are orders.” Fred said, reaching out and taking the letters from the owls. George was standing at his side, and took one of the letters from his hands.
“These are from the Ministry.” George said, turning to face the two girls. Fred turned as well, and held out two letters to them.
“These are for you.” He told them. Hermione and Angelina glanced at each other before reaching out and taking the letters from him. They all opened them in silence and read over the letters
Miss Hermione Granger,
There has been an unprecedented outbreak of Dragonpox that has unfortunately spread very quickly throughout London and the surrounding areas. The death rate of Dragonpox is high in witches and wizards over forty and children, though it poses a danger to anyone who catches it. To protect our country and citizens, both magical and muggle. The Ministry for Magic has deemed it necessary to impose a quarantine charm on all magical residences.
Under Act 71.3 of the Health and Wellness Decree the Ministry for Magic has power within reason to quarantine citizens for their own welfare.
Under Act 85.2 of the Health and Wellness Decree the Ministry for Magic will provide assistance to residents under quarantine by providing any necessities free of charge.
Under Act 79.4 of the Health and Wellness Decree the Ministry for Magic will assign a house elf to residence of the Witch(es) and Wizard(s) under quarantine.
Under Act 59.0 of the Employment Welfare Decree the Ministry for Magic may supplement any lost earnings. At the request of the employed person(s), a income supplement application will be sent to the applicant and reviewed by the Department of Unemployment of the Ministry for Magic.
We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause for you, but we want to assure the wizarding community that the Ministry for Magic is working closely with St. Mungo’s Hospital to help cure those that are ill and prevent the spread of the illness.
If you or someone around you begins to feel or show symptoms of Dragonpox, we ask that you separate yourself and immediately contact the Ministry via Owl. Do not attempt to transport yourself to St. Mungo’s or the closest medical facility, as you may put yourself and others further at risk.
We would like to thank you for your cooperation, and once again apologize for any inconvenience. We hope this letter finds you well.
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Minister for Magic
Hermione finished her letter first, and she looked up at the others, her mouth wide open in shock. She had heard of a quarantine charm, though it had never been used on the public before. It was an extreme measure, though the Dragonpox story had been floating somewhere on the front page of the Daily Prophet for a couple weeks now, so it shouldn’t have surprised Hermione. The paper had urged people to avoid large crowds, though apparently that hadn’t worked too well and now they were under quarantine.
The other three finished reading the notice only moments later, and they all stared at each other in surprise. Hermione sighed and set hers down on the coffee table before sitting down on the couch. The others joined her in silence on the couch, Fred sitting down next to her.
“Has this ever happened before?” Angelina asked after a few minutes, looking directly to Hermione.
“No.” Hermione shook her head and let out a deep breath. “They only managed to perfect the charm about fifteen years ago. It’s immediate, so I can only assume that the moment we got the letters, it triggered the charm which means we can’t leave.” Hermione told them, remembering the article that she had read a few years ago.
“What do you mean ‘triggered’?” Fred asked, shifting to look at Hermione.
“Well, when they developed the charm, they wanted to basically install it into every wizarding home. But since some wizards live in the muggle world, they couldn’t exactly do that. So they made it to move, basically. So they embed it into the letters, when we open them it places the charm over wherever we are.” Hermione told them.
“So… we’re stuck here?” Fred asked, and Hermione nodded.
“Well… anyone care for a drink?” George asked, lazily waving his wand and summoning four glasses and a bottle of firewhisky. He didn’t wait for anyone to answer, and soon everyone was holding a full glass.
Hermione stared down at it, she really didn’t drink very often and just the half glass earlier was more than she usually drank. She thought for a moment as the others began to drink their own glasses, before deciding that as long as she was stuck here, she might as well have fun with it. She brought the glass to her lips, and closed her eyes at the burn as the amber liquid made its way down her throat.
“How about a game?” Angelina suggested, looking around the room at everyone.
“What sort of game?” Hermione asked nervously, she had heard of the sort of things that happened at parties from her roommates at Hogwarts, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to play any of those.
“Confession. I write down some simple prompts, and if you want to answer, you can, but you have to tell us what the prompt was. If not, you drink. It’s just a little drinking game.” Angelina explained. Hermione looked at Fred and George, and by the looks on their faces, they had played this before and had fun.
“Erm… sure. Why not?” Hermione agreed. Angelina’s face lit up and she quickly found a piece of parchment and ripped it into strips. She spent a few moments writing on each piece before grabbing a bowl from the kitchen and tossing the bits of paper into it.
“George, you go first.” She said, setting the bowl down on the table and gesturing to it. He shoved his hand into it and rustled around a bit in it before drawing a piece of paper out and reading it.
“How old was I the first time I shagged someone?” He read the paper aloud and thought for a moment. “Sixteen.” He said, and Fred nodded knowingly.
“Who?” Hermione asked, interested.
“That’s not part of the question.” He answered with a sly smile. Angelina rolled her eyes and snatched the parchment from him, refolding it and tossing it back into the bowl. She then placed her own hand in the bowl and grabbed one of the prompts.
“Erm…” She stared down at the paper for a moment before shrugging. “Who was the first person I ever kissed? Fred. I thought he was George.” She said, being sure to make eye contact with Hermione as she said it.
“My turn, I believe.” Fred said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. He reminded Hermione of the villains she had seen in films, and she held back a laugh as he pulled his own slip out of the bowl.
“Erm, no.” He said immediately, taking a drink. Angelina raised an eyebrow at him, before turning her gaze to Hermione as Fred tossed the paper back into the bowl. Her hand was shaking slightly as she pulled her own prompt from the bowl, and she quickly unfolded it.
Who was your first kiss?
Hermione felt a deep blush flood her cheeks, and was tempted to pick up her glass and drink, but reminded herself that she was a Gryffindor.
“Who was my first kiss? Viktor Krum, when they were all leaving.” She answered, avoiding the gaze of everyone else in the room as she refolded the paper and put it into the bowl.
“Krum? Blimey, how is anyone supposed to live up to that?” Fred asked.
“It wasn’t even that nice really.” Hermione muttered.
“My turn!” George declared, pulling the attention from Hermione and pulling another paper.
“Who was the first person I fancied? Angelina.”
“Who was the first person I ever dated? Erm.. Wood and I went on a few dates.”
“When was my first kiss? After a quidditch game.”
It was Hermione’s turn again, and in the few moments it had taken to go around back to her, she had drunk another glass of Firewhisky. She felt very warm as she picked up another scrap of paper.
Who do you fancy?
Would she answer? She looked up at Angelina, who’s eyes went wide with realization. Hermione lifted her brow, questioning. Should she? Angelina seemed to think for a moment, glancing over at Fred, before grinning and nodding. Hermione took a deep breath and set the paper face down on the table. She reached for her glass, and traced the lip of it with a finger before bringing it to her lips. She needed more than just Gryffindor courage.
“Ah, well that’s okay.” George sighed, reaching out to grab a new prompt for himself. Hermione lifted her finger and shook her head as she swallowed one last gulp of the firewhisky.
“Who do I fancy?” She said aloud, setting her glass down on the table. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she took a deep breath and looked at Fred. “You.” She said blatantly.
“Me?” He asked, as his eyes grew wide. She nodded and stared at him for a moment, waiting for a reaction that would tell her what he was thinking.
“Bloody hell… I should have answered that question earlier…” He said, pushing his hair back with one hand.
“I think… We should let you two chat..” George said, glancing to Angelia who nodded. “We’ll just… we’ll be in the other room.” He said, grabbing Angelina’s hand and pulling her to his bedroom. Hermione let out a breath and looked down at the ground, her cheeks burning from embarrassment.
She was mentally kicking herself, damn the alcohol, she should have never said anything. She might have just ruined everything. She wished that she could turn back time, take back everything that she had just said.
“Hermione I-” Fred began to speak, but Hermione stood and cut him off.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She said, wrapping her arms around herself and avoiding his gaze.
“Hermione, please stop.” Fred said quickly, standing and lightly touching her arm.
“I drank too much. I-” Hermione shook her head and pulled away from him.
“Hermione! Stop.” He said, and she finally met his gaze. He was smiling gently at her. “I had the same question. I didn’t answer because it’s you. I fancy you.” He said, his neck turning red.
“You… you do?” Hermione asked.
“Well, yeah. I do.” He said. They were silent for a moment, until Hermione couldn’t handle the quiet anymore.
“What now?” She asked softly. He took a deep breath and smiled widely.
“Well, we should have a date.” He said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world.
“A date?” She asked. “Fred, we can’t date…” She said softly, and his face fell.
“Why not?” He asked, frowning at her.
“Fred… We’ve known each other for years. I’ve been living in your house… Your brother is one of my best friends.” She told him. He nodded and sat back down on the couch.
“Hermione… Why does any of that matter?” He asked softly, looking up at her.
“It would be… complicated.” she said carefully.
“When have our lives ever not been complicated?” He asked her. And a small smile lifted her lips.
“Fred..” She said, not sure what she could say in return.
“Please, why not just… see how it goes?” He asked hopefully.
“And how do you propose we do that?” She asked, folding her arms.
“We date.” He said with a grin.
“We can’t date, Fred. We’re locked in this house.” She reminded him.
“George is an excellent cook.” He told her.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea…” She said softly.
“Hermione, it’s the best bloody idea I’ve had in ages.” He argued. “Look… why- why don’t we sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow?” He suggested. Hermione thought on that for a moment before nodding, having this conversation without alcohol muddling her thoughts was a good idea.
“Okay… You can take my room. I’ll bunk with George.” He said, standing from the couch.
“What about Angelina?” She asked.
“Oh, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind bunking with you. Seems to me you two might have something to chat about.” He said, grinning at her and lifting an eyebrow. Hermione blushed and nodded as he made his way to his twin’s room and knocked on the door.
“Oi, Georgie. We’re bunking up tonight. Angelina can stay with Hermione in my room.” He said through the door. When he was done speaking, Angelina opened the door and skirted past him, quickly walking to Hermione. She watched as Fred entered the room and closed the door behind him before turning to the hopeful looking Angelina.
“Let’s.. Let’s go in here.” She said, turning and going into Fred’s room. She looked around, all the times she had been in this apartment and she had never been in this room. His room was clean, and she was surprised that his bed was made. He seemed like the messy kind, but apparently the mess that was the shop downstairs was enough for him.
Angelina followed her into the room, and after a cursory glance around, she hopped onto the bed and stared expectantly at Hermione. Hermione moved and sat next to her on the bed and let out a sigh.
“That bad?” Angelina asked.
“Well… He fancies me. He told me.” Hermione said, making Angelina grin. “But… I told him we can’t date.”
“Well why would you say that?” Angelina asked, her brow furrowed.
“It would be too complicated.” Hermione repeated her reasoning.
“Eh.. every relationship is complicated in its own way.” Angelina said with a shrug, flopping back and laying on the bed.
“I just don’t know.” Hermione said, laying next to Angelina.
“Well. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’m fairly tired, let’s just go to sleep.” She said. Hermione nodded, and they both moved so that they were fully on the bed and went to sleep.
______
Hermione woke to Angelina exiting the room, the smell of coffee wafting through the open door. Hermione groaned, and moved her hair out of her face. She froze as her fingers snagged in some tangles, and she realized that she didn’t have a hairbrush. Even when Harry, Ron and herself were on the run, she had a hairbrush. She sat up and looked around the room for something that she would easily be able to transfigure. Her eyes finally landed on a comb, and though she didn’t relish the thought of using Fred’s comb, she would not be leaving the room without brushing her hair.
She grabbed her wand from the bedside table before standing and grabbing the comb. She worked through her hair as quickly as she could, trying to avoid ripping through the knots and instead slowly working them out. As soon as she was satisfied that the knots were gone, she pulled her hair up and twisted it into a bun, securing it with a hair tie.
As soon as she left the room, her eyes found Fred and she felt her cheeks grow warm. He flashed her a smile before pouring a cup of coffee and holding it out toward her. Hermione took it and smiled thankfully at him.
“So I was wondering.” Fred said, and Hermione lifted her eyebrows as she took a sip of coffee. “So we are quarantined, do you think we can go down to the shop?” Fred asked. Hermione thought for a second before answering.
“I think so. It’s the same building, same address. I don’t see why not.” She said with a shrug.
“Brilliant. Do you think… we could go down there? Talk?” Fred asked, keeping his eyes on her.
“What? Now?” She asked, looking down at her still full coffee mug.
“Yeah. You can bring the coffee.” He said with a smile. She felt her cheeks grow warm again and looked to Angelina, who nodded encouragingly at her.
“Okay.” Hermione said, following Fred out of the apartment and down the stairs to the shop. He led the way to the front counter and moved around it, sitting on a stool. He patted the stool next to him and she hesitantly took a seat.
“I just thought you’d like to talk about this without anyone listening.” Fred said.
“Thank you.”
“Did... did you have a chance to think about… well, about us last night?” Fred asked, skipping any form of small talk.
“Erm… yes.” Hermione said, forcing herself to keep her eyes on him.
“And?” He asked, looking hopeful. “Look, of course we will have to get through a few things, my family for example. And with me.. You know-”
“Okay.” Hermione said, cutting him off. She wanted to be with him, she had wanted to be with him since fourth year.
“What?” Fred asked, grinning.
“Let’s give it a go.” Hermione said, giving him a smile in return.
“Are you sure?” He asked.
“Yes. You’re right, our lives have always been complicated. We might as well be happy and complicated.” She told him. He shot off of his stool and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Hermione let out a slight laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Thank you.” He said into her hair.
“You’re welcome.” She laughed as he released her and sat back down on the stool. His face was red, but his features went from happy to serious.
“Okay, but before we do this. Hermione, George and I are a package deal.” He said seriously.
“Erm… Fred I know triads are welcomed in the wizarding world… but I don’t think-”
“What? No.” Fred interrupted her and shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean.”
“Well.. what do you mean?” Hermione asked, her brow furrowed.
“I mean… He’s part of me. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to live without him. You have to be okay with George being a part of who I am.” Fred said seriously.
“Fred, I know that.” Hermione told him. “I- I can’t even imagine you without George.”
“What if… down the road… If we work out, and he needs somewhere to live?” Fred asked, and Hermione suddenly felt as though she was in an interview. She lifted an eyebrow and smiled a little.
“He’d stay with us, of course.” She answered.
“What if…” Fred began nervously, “What if we decide that we don’t want to live apart?” He asked.
“Well, we would just need a bigger house.” She answered immediately.
“You’re really okay with all of that?” He asked nervously.
“Of course.” She assured him, and he let out a relieved sigh.
“So, we’re giving it a go?” He asked. Hermione rolled her eyes but nodded with a smile. “Brilliant.” He said, nodding his head.
“Is that all you wanted to talk about?” Hermione asked.
“Well, would you like to have a date tonight?” Fred asked with a lopsided smile.
“I would love to.” Hermione said, noticing for the first time that his cheeks were dimpled.
“Brilliant. Oh, the house elf the letter said everyone would get? It came this morning, brought everything to make breakfast.” He told her.
“Oh good, I’m hungry.” Hermione said, standing up. “Did you eat already?” She asked, noting that he didn’t stand to join her.
“Oh, yeah. I was a bit nervous, so I ate.” He said. “But erm, when you go back upstairs, would you ask George to come down here? It’s a pretty good time to go over some things for the shop.” He gave her another smile and she nodded.
“Of course.” She said, turning and going back up to the apartment without him. When she opened the door, George and Angelina turned to her and stared expectantly.
“George, he was wondering if you could go downstairs? He said something about going over a few things for the shop.” Hermione told him. He eyed her before nodding and began to walk out of the apartment. Just as he passed her, his curiosity seemed to get the best of him and he stopped walking.
“Just tell me, good or bad?” He asked, worry written all over his face.
“Good.” Hermione said with a smile, and he seemed to relax as he nodded.
“Good?!” Angelina shrieked happily as the door leading to the shop snapped shut. “I thought surely last night you had decided that it would be too difficult?” Angelina asked her.
“Like I told him, I’d rather be happy and complicated.” Hermione said. “I was going to say no… but I couldn’t. I’ve fancied him for too long.” She said, feeling the blush creep into her face again.
“Well good. Like I said, I think you would be good together.” She said, taking a seat on the stool at the counter and placing her chin in her hands.
“Have you eaten?” Hermione asked, moving into the kitchen.
“Starved, I didn’t want to eat without you. Though it seems that the boys have no problem with that.” She said, gesturing to the dishes next to the sink.
“I’ll make you a plate.” Hermione said, chuckling and grabbing a couple clean plates from the cupboard. She quickly made up the plates and set one in front of Angelina.
“So. We are having a date tonight. Apparently George is a good cook?”
“Oh, he really is.” Angelina said, gesturing at the plate in front of her.
“He made this?” Hermione asked, her eyebrows raised. It really was good, enough to convince her that having George make their first date dinner really wouldn’t be a bad idea. Angelina nodded and tilted her head.
“Wait… what about George and I?” She asked, and Hermione shrugged.
“You’re welcome to join us.” She said nonchalantly.
“No, we can’t. First date is off limits. Give me five minutes, I need to go talk to them.” She said, setting her silverware down on the counter and standing. She left the room, leaving Hermione to finish her breakfast alone.
“Taken care of.” Angelina said simply when she reentered the apartment. She not only had a smile, but was also carrying a box. She set the box down on the coffee table, and gestured for Hermione to join her.
The box contained a puzzle, which Hermione raised her eyebrows at. The twins didn’t seem like the type of people that would work on puzzles in their downtime. She sat down on the floor across from Angelina, who caught sight of the expression on her face and let out a soft chuckle.
“They tried to charm them to never be able to go together, but decided that that many repelling charms in one box might not be a good idea.” She explained, answering the unasked question. Hermione laughed and shook her head, of course they had wanted to do something like that.
They passed the day like that, working on the puzzle, taking short breaks to rest their eyes and to talk. They hadn’t really spoken since Angelina had left school, and Hermione had forgotten how much she had liked the girl sitting across from her. They had been something of friends in school, especially since she had played quidditch with Harry.
Before either of them knew it, George had come upstairs and had begun cooking dinner. Hermione’s stomach growled, as they hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning. Suddenly, she was unable to focus on the puzzle in front of her, and she stood and moved toward the kitchen.
“Nope. You stay here. I’ll get some food.” Angelina said, moving quickly passed Hermione and into the kitchen. Hermione watched as she began speaking quietly to George, and she cursed the twins for not having any products in the house as she would do anything for a pair of extendable ears right now. After just a few moments, Angelina came back carrying a bag of crisps and a bottle of wine.
“Don’t want you too full to not eat on your date.” She said with a wink, and Hermione realized that they hadn’t seen the twins all day.
“Speaking of, where’s Fred?” She asked.
“Oh, George said that they have been working on stocking up the shop all day, Fred is just cleaning up.” She answered, though she avoided eye contact with Hermione.
“Alright. Hermione, this is almost done. Why don’t you two go… do girl things? So I can get this downstairs?” George suggested from inside the kitchen.
“Ohhh.” Angelina said, setting the bottle of wine down and grabbing Hermione’s hand. “Let’s get you dressed properly.” She said excitedly. Hermione grimmaced, she had never been girly. “Oh come on, it’ll be fine.” Angelina assured her. She stood and followed her reluctantly into George’s room.
“Why are we in here?” Hermione asked.
“Oh, I have some clothes in here. Also, Fred and George made sure to tell the house elf that we would need clothes, the elf brought them when you two were downstairs, but I hid them since I didn’t think the boys needed to see any of that. I just remembered, sorry.” She said, giving Hermione an apologetic smile.
“It’s fine. I just used a cleansing charm…” Hermione said awkwardly as Angelina pulled a bag out of the closet.
“Well. pick out what you like from this, there’s more than enough for both of us.” Angelina said, dumping the bag out onto the bed. Hermione stared at the pile of clothes for a moment before Angelina sighed and began to sort it all apart.
“Okay…. Pants… knickers… shirts… socks. There, now just take some.” She said. Blushing, Hermione grabbed some of each, knickers first and hiding them under the small pile she formed. Angelina rolled her eyes, but said nothing about the obvious embarrassment that Hermione was feeling.
“So, what do you want to wear tonight?” She asked, raising her brows at Hermione.
“Erm… Pants and a shirt?” Hermione said.
“Oh honestly Hermione, it’s like you’ve never been on a date.” Angelina said, shuffling through the pile that Hermione had made. Hermione stayed silent, her eyes wide at the statement. Angelina glanced at her and her mouth fell open. “Oh.. shit… you’ve never been on a date?” She asked, her hands pulling from the pile.
“Erm… no. Well... not really. I went to the ball with Krum, and I went to a Christmas party with McGlaggen.” She said, and Angelina nodded.
“Right… Okay. Well… here. Put these on.” She said, holding out a pair of pants. She did as she was told, ignoring the blush she felt grow warmer in her cheeks as she pulled her own pants off. Angelina glanced at her and gave a nod before turning back to the pile. It took a moment, but she held out a shirt that Hermione quickly pulled on.
“Now what?” Hermione asked.
“Well. Look at yourself.” She answered, gesturing to the mirror on the wall. Hermione turned, and smiled at the sight of herself. The plain blue jeans and black long sleeve looked nice on her. “Do you like it?” Angelina asked.
“Yeah, I do.” Hermione said, turning slightly to look at the entirety of the outfit.
“Now, do you want any makeup?” Angelina asked. “And what do you want to do with your hair?”
“No… no makeup. And… Let’s just leave my hair down.” Hermione said after a moment. She pulled her hair out of the elastic and let it fall down her back, pulling her fingers through it to break it up.
“Alright. I’ll go see if they’re ready. I’ll take care of this in a bit.” She said, leaving the room and Hermione.
She could feel the butterflies in her stomach, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. She ran her hands along her pants, the feel of denim comforting to her. She heard the door from the apartment to the shop open and close, and she took one last deep breath as Angelina walked into the room, grinning.
“He’s ready, get yourself downstairs.” She said, holding the door open as Hermione passed her. She jumped a little when the door snapped shut behind her, but let out a deep breath and smiled a little at George who was leaning against the counter.
The lights to the main shop were dimmed, which would have made it difficult for Hermione to see if there hadn’t been small candles making a trail to one of the back labs. She smiled as she opened the door to find Fred standing next to a small table that had the food George had just cooked placed on it. Fred grinned at her, and made a large swooping motion with his arm to the chair next to him. She gingerly sat down, her nerves still not settling. It was Fred, why was she so nervous?
“Okay here we have… pasta? And sauce. And we have bread… and wine.” Fred said, biting his lip and blushing.
“Well, it looks wonderful.” Hermione said as he took a seat across from her. They were both silent as Fred dished out the food and poured each of them a glass of wine. They sat awkwardly for a moment before Hermione began chuckling. He looked upset, but Hermione shook her head and covered her mouth.
“I’m sorry.” She gasped behind her hand. “Why is this so… awkward? We’ve known each other for years.” He stared at her for a moment before letting out a laugh of his own.
“You’re right. It’s not like we’ve never met before.” He said, nodding.
“Okay.” Hermione said, taking a deep breath as her laughter subsided. “Let’s just.. Be us. There’s no point in thinking that we are whole new people just because we are on a date.” She said.
“Agreed. So… do you have any idea what this is?” He asked, poking at the pasta with his fork.
“Fred… I think it’s just spaghetti.” Hermione said, shaking her head. She knew how Molly cooked, and wasn’t surprised that he was confused.
“Hermione. It has clams.” He said, picking a shell up and showing it to her with a doubtful look on his face.
“Fred, why don’t we just try it?” Hermione suggested. She too, was unsure what to think at the realization that there was seafood in the dish, but was thankful that she didn’t inherit her mother’s allergy. They both took a bite of the food, and her doubts were erased. George had certainly taken after his mum when it came to food.
“Don’t tell George I questioned his cooking.” Fred said in a whisper, his eyes wide. “He’d be heartbroken.”
“I will never say a word.” She told him with a wink, taking a sip of her wine.
With their nerves finally relaxed a bit, conversation flowed easily for the remainder of their dinner. Fred was his normal joking self, but seemed more attentive to what Hermione was saying when she did speak. It was the perfect first date.
A month had passed. The twins allowed Angelina to give them both haircuts, Hermione had attempted to make dinner (and she was now barred from cooking for the group again until Molly was able to teach her how to properly cook), and she had read a handful of books that she had found, but now they were bored. Hermione was laying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling fan. Fred and George had gone down to the shop, though Hermione hadn’t listened when they had said why. Angelina was polishing a broomstick, but Hermione figured that she was bored as well.
It hadn’t taken long before Fred and George had popped back into the apartment and had asked if she and Angelina would come help them with something down in the shop. Eager for something to busy themselves. They were met with various buckets of paint, and Hermione raised her eyebrows at the realization that they would be painting the shop.
“Angelina, could you help me with some things in the lab?” George asked. Angelina followed him happily, leaving Fred and Hermione by themselves.
“So… we’re painting?” Hermione asked.
“Yeah. We have brushes,” Fred pointed to the checkout counter, “And the paint there.” He said, pointing to the buckets.
“Okay, where do we start?” She asked, pulling a hair tie off of her wrist and making her hair into a ponytail.
“Let’s start with this wall.” Fred suggested, gesturing to the wall behind the counter.
“Perfect.” She said, prying the lid off of one of the buckets of paint, revealing a magenta that matched the robes they wore for work. They each picked up a brush and dipped it into the paint.
At first, they were silent. But Hermione found the silence unsettling in the bright shop, and she began to hum to herself. She had gotten through a couple songs when she glanced over to Fred, who stood a little down the wall, and paused her painting when she realized that he was staring at her.
“Can I ask you something?” He asked.
“Sure.” Hermione said, taking her brush off of the wall and turning her body to face him.
“What was it like, growing up as a muggle?” He asked her.
“Oh.” She was surprised, nobody had ever asked her that before. “Well… I would assume it was quite how you grew up. My parents loved me, I went to school and had friends.” Hermione answered with a shrug.
“I mean…” He thought for a moment, “What was school like? Your friends? What were your parents like?” He asked.
“Okay… School was hard. Just like Hogwarts, I didn’t quite fit in. I didn’t know why of course, not until I turned eleven. I just didn’t fit in. I didn’t have loads of friends, just a few. We were all really friends because we weren’t friends with anyone else.” She answered the first two questions, and Fred took a seat in the stool he had occupied earlier as he listened to her.
“My parents though…” She smiled, thinking about them. “They were wonderful. They weren’t able to have any more children after me, so I should have been lonely but they made sure I never was. They bought me books, they would take me to their offices on weekends so that I could spend time with them when they weren’t with patients. When McGonagall came to give me my letter, they were both so… understanding. Well, not exactly, they questioned McGonagall for hours. But when they were finally convinced, they did everything they could to make sure I didn’t feel out of place. As soon as I got all my books, they would insist on reading them before me so that I could talk to them about it. They were the best parents.” She told him happily.
“ I was so sorry to hear about them, I wish I had met them.” Fred said, frowning.
“No, it's nice to talk about them, nobody has ever really asked before.” Hermione assured him.
“Really?” Fred asked.
“Really.”
“Well, tell me more about them. What did they do? What did they like to do when they weren’t working?” Fred asked, setting his brush down on the counter.
“Fred! Your brush still has paint on it!” She said, ignoring his question for a moment to point out that he was getting paint somewhere other than the wall. He glanced down at the counter and waved his hand at her.
“We’ll be painting that too, tell me about your parents.” He insisted.
“Well… alright then. Do you mind if I just keep painting?” She asked.
“Not at all, I just want to listen.” He told her, pushing the paint bucket closer to her. She dipped her brush in and turned back to the wall, brushing paint onto the wall as she began to speak again.
“My dad’s name was Richard. My mum’s name was Jean. That’s how I got my middle name. They were both dentists, that’s how they met actually. They went to the same university, and according to my father, it was love at first sight for him. When they graduated, they had been married for a week. They worked in the same office for years before they had me and opened their own practice.” She told him.
“What’s a dentist?” Fred asked, interrupting her train of thought.
“Oh,” She turned and gave him an apologetic smile. “They mend people’s teeth.” She said brightly, though Fred made a face. “They clean people’s teeth, and sometimes fill them when they get a cavity. Things like that.” She expanded, waiting until he nodded before she continued.
“They had my whole life planned; where I would go to school, where I would go to uni. Of course, being a witch threw a wrench in that plan. They accepted it though. They loved that I was a witch.” She told him. She didn’t know what else to say about her parents, and they fell into a silence. It felt like they were talking about them as if they were dead, but it had been a year since Hermione had tracked them down and discovered that she was unable to restore their memories. She had mourned of course, but was thankful knowing that they were happy and had lived through the war.
Fred joined her in painting the wall again, and Hermione couldn’t help but glancing over at him every few moments. With every glance, she noticed that his smile slowly became a grin. She glued her eyes on the wall, a blush filling her cheeks as she realized that he knew what she was doing. She felt her eyes move along the wall, and didn’t bother stopping herself as she looked at Fred again. This time, he was looking at her with one eyebrow raised.
“Did you need something?” He asked.
“No.” She said quickly, flashing him a smile.
“Seems like you might.” He said.
“Can I ask you something?” She asked, deciding to just get it over with.
“Of course.” He answered with a nod.
“How long?” She asked. This question had been on her mind since their date. She had fancied him for years, but she had no idea how long he had felt the same about her.
“How long what?” He asked, looking appropriately confused.
“How long have you fancied me?” She asked, stilling her brush on the wall. She was unsure if she really wanted to know the answer.
“Oh.” He said, surprised at the question. “Erm… sixth year?” He said awkwardly.
“Your sixth year?” She asked for clarification.
“Yeah.” He nodded. Hermione couldn’t help it, she burst into laughter.
“What? What’s funny? He asked. Hermione took a deep breath, urging herself to calm down.
“I’ve fancied you since my fourth year.” Hermione said. His mouth formed a small ‘o’ as he did the math.
“We have wasted so much time.” He said, sounding upset.
“What? No… Fred no, we haven’t.” She insisted.
“Hermione, we have fancied each other for years. We could have been together this entire time.” He said, turning away from the wall and tossing his brush onto the counter.
“Fred… Think about it. We couldn’t have. You left a year later, you wouldn’t have been there for my sixth year. Then, I went on the run with Harry and Ron. We had the trials after that, and we were all mourning people we lost.” Hermione explained.
“I could have come with you.” Fred said softly.
“Fred…” Hermione said, setting her own brush down and standing in front of him. “I didn’t want you there, we were in so much danger. I wouldn’t have wanted you there.” Hermione explained. Fred frowned, but nodded softly.
“Oi, you lot want to go upstairs?” George asked as he and Angelina reentered the shop. “We’re hungry. That wall looks great.” He said, nodding to the almost fully magenta wall.
“Hungry?” Hermione asked. “We only just came down here.” She said, looking down at her watch and realizing that it had actually been hours since they had all come down to the shop.
“Lunch sounds good.” Fred said, standing and turning away from Hermione. “I need to talk to you.” Fred whispered as he passed George. His twin nodded and glanced at Hermione, who looked guilty. The twins led the way back to the apartment, leaving Hermione and Angelina to walk together.
“What happened?” Angelina asked in a whisper. Hermione only shook her head, and gave her a tense smile.
The twins disappeared into George’s room, and the two girls decided to go ahead and fix a lunch for the four of them. They quietly began to make some sandwiches, only speaking when asking for one ingredient or another.
“Is everything okay?” Angelina finally asked when they finished making lunch.
“We talked about how long we’ve fancied each other.” Hermione said, glancing to George’s door.
“How long?”
“He said sixth year… the same time I started to fancy him.” Hermione said.
“Really?” Angelina said, her face lighting up.
“Yeah… and then I told him that we would have never worked if we had started dating then, that I would never have wanted him to be with us on the run.” Hermione explained.
“Oh…” Angelina said softly.
“Yeah.”
“Didn’t take that well?” She asked, and Hermione shook her head as Fred and George exited the bedroom.
“Can I have a moment?” Fred asked, looking directly at Hermione. She nodded, and he entered his own room. She glanced at Angelina, who nodded, before following Fred into his room.
“Are you alright?” Hermione asked, closing the door behind her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t really… I didn’t understand why you wouldn’t want me there. But… George explained. And I’m sorry.” Fred said.
“There’s no reason for you to be sorry.” Hermione insisted, following her instincts and enveloping him into a hug. He returned the embrace, and they stood in silence for a moment. Hermione expected it to become awkward at any moment, but it didn’t.
“Can I tell you something?” Fred asked, his voice quiet as he spoke against her hair. She nodded, knowing he would be able to recognise her giving permission. “I don’t just fancy you.” He admitted. Hermione’s eyes went wide and she slowly took a step back to look at his face.
“What?” She asked softly. He let out a sigh and brushed his hand through his hair.
“Hermione… Why do you think I always sat next to you when I showed up for dinner? Why did I offer you a job countless times? I’m the one that gave you that necklace for your last birthday.” He said, bringing a hand up and fingering the chain that hung around her neck.
“What.. what are you saying?” Hermione asked, her heart thumping hard against her chest. They had only had a few more dates since their first, and Hermione couldn’t tell if the thump in her chest was fright or excitement.
“Hermione.. I love you.” He said, holding eye contact with her.
“You do?” She asked.
“I do.” He said with a singular nod. She opened and closed her mouth, unsure what to say. “I know.. We haven’t been dating for long, and it’s weird because of this whole quarantine thing… but I have known you for nine years, and I know that I love you.” He confessed further. Hermione finally settled on what the thump in her chest was as she felt relief flood through her.
“I- I love you too.” She said, soft enough that he didn’t hear her as he continued to speak.
“It’s fine if you don’t feel the same way, I know that this is… complicated. I know that we still have a lot to learn about each other, but I just wanted you to know that.” He said, his face revealing how nervous he was.
“Fred, shut up.” Hermione said with a laugh. He stopped talking, his eyes wide as she took one of his hands in hers. “I love you too.” She said again.
“Bloody hell, really?” He asked, gripping her hand tightly.
“Yes.” She confirmed.
“Oh. Well then, good.” Fred said, his body relaxing.
“Should we go grab our lunch?” Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows at him.
“Yeah.” He agreed, giving her a lopsided grin. They left the room together, and Hermione grinned. She had no idea how they would explain all of this to his family when the quarantine was lifted, but in this moment she didn’t much care. They were happy and complicated.