| Firecrab
Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: melbourne
Posts: 887
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Chapter Sixty
‘You can’t date Hermione’
‘What?’
‘You heard me’ he said over the hum of noise in the background, they stood in the back room of the Weasley shop as Ron stood angry with Fred,
‘Well I’m not’
‘Oh – well alright then’
‘But if we chose to see each other like that what’s it got to do with you?’
‘She’s my ex girlfriend, it’s just weird’
‘Oh Merlin, get over yourself will you Ron, she dumped you because you were a self absorbed moron and that hasn’t changed in like – well since you were born actually’
‘It’s not like you’re perfect’
‘No but I’m not some idiot who broke up with her because he couldn’t wait to get laid’
Ron aimed to punch him but some how he bounced back, ‘What the hell?’
‘Invisible shield hat, I’m not daft, I knew you’d come eventually’
‘God fight fair for her will you’
‘There is no fight, she doesn’t want you, she doesn’t know if she wants me, we’re friends and if it becomes anything more it’s still none of your business’
‘It’s been like a month since the wedding, I thought you’d worked quicker then that big brother’
This time Fred moved to punch him, and this time it made contact ‘Don’t you talk about me and her like that, Hermione is lovely and I’m not going to rush her into doing something she doesn’t want, I like her and we are just friends’
The door opened,
‘I like you too’ she smiled ‘You ready to catch the film?’
‘Sure am’ he walked to the door, ‘I’ve just got to let George know’
‘Ok, I’ll wait outside, it’s kind of crazy in there as always’ he left and she made to go too,
‘So you’re just going to ignore me’
‘Fred’s right, him and I, us being whatever we are is nothing to do with you’
‘And what, you’re going to take him home to meet your parents and mums going to be happy you’re with a different brother’
‘Whatever happens is no concern of yours’
‘It’s my family, he’s my brother’
‘You left me ok, you didn’t want me anymore so you don’t have any say in what I do, now or ever, to me you don’t exist and if you feel the need to keep your presence known to me I promise you won’t to everyone else either’
‘Fine’ he muttered and she left. He held his nose and apparated back to the Burrow,
‘Ronald – what happened?’
‘Fred’ he shoved himself in a chair and let her fuss over him,
‘Why – was it one of his contraptions?’
‘Yeah, his fist’
‘That boy -’ she shook her head, ‘- but why would he hit you?’
‘Cause I told him something’
‘What?’
‘I warned him off of Hermione’ she slapped him round the top of the head ‘Oi!’
‘Serves you right he punched you Ronald’ she poked his nose with her wand, ‘you’ve no right to interfere with them, they’re happy leave them to it’
‘She’s my ex, its flaming weird alright’
‘You let her go, you broke it off with her, you ended any sort of chance with her when you did that so you have no business in getting involved now’ she made him a bacon sandwich as he sat in the chair huffing, ‘You leave your brother alone and you leave her alone’ she put the plate in front of him ‘And you find yourself someone nice and sensible and who can put up with you’
‘She was the only one’ he pushed the plate away,
‘There’s nothing for you to do, she doesn’t want you and to be honest I doubt she ever will so move on son, you won’t do yourself any good by not eating though’ she pushed the plate back and he poked the sandwich, ‘Eat up, I’m not making dinner for another couple of hours yet and there’s nothing in the house, I have to go shopping once your father gets paid’
***
‘Ginny?’ Harry said wandering in ‘Gin, are you home?’
‘Hold on’ she called down the stairs and then appeared in her dressing gown,
‘Gin it’s like five o’clock, why are you in pj’s?’
‘I’m not in Pj’s’ she rubbed the bump in her frame through the thin silk, ‘I was measuring him’
‘Oh… ok then, and we’re still not even sure it’s a he yet, Penny couldn’t tell’
She stuck her tongue out at him, ‘He’s grown a couple more inches’
‘Really, are you sure it’s not going to be twins again?’
‘Penny looked over every inch of the scan honey, she’s sure it’s not twins and anyway he’s not so big’
‘Like she was sure last time when we could only see Patience’s feet - Where are the girls?’
‘Mum took them so I could have a bath in peace, they’ll be back before their bed time’
‘Does that mean I have you to myself for a little while so we can celebrate?’
‘OH MY GOD YOU GOT IT!’ She squealed and leapt on him in a hug, ‘Congratulations honey’
‘Thanks’ he squeezed her gently, ‘It’s going to mean a lot more work though’
‘You’re good at your job, they know that or they wouldn’t have given it to you – and don’t you dare say it’s because you’re Harry Potter or I am not going to celebrate with you, I’m going to punch your lights out’
He kissed her but pulled away to say, ‘I just don’t want everyone else to think that’s why I got it’
‘They won’t and if they do, I’m very hormonal and I might curse them into oblivion’
‘I don’t know if I can use that in your defence when you murder countless wizards and witches honey’
‘Ok, ok I’ll just do the bag bogey on them’
‘A bit better’
***
They sat at the table in Fred’s flat drinking coffee and talking, she spoke up after laughing at his joke,
‘Fred?’
‘Yeah?’ he sipped his coffee,
‘You know what you said about us being friends the other week?’
‘Uh huh’
‘I don’t think that’s enough for me anymore, I mean I really like you and everything…’
‘But you don’t want to be my girlfriend’
She laughed ‘that’s not what I was saying silly’
‘A – Duh’ he grinned as realisation set in ‘Hermione?’
‘Yep’ she smiled at him leaning her head on her hand,
‘Would you like to be my girlfriend?’
‘Ok’
‘Awesome’ he leant over the table to kiss her lips softly and sat back down, ‘That just made my day you know’
‘I know’ she chuckled ‘It made mine to’
She got up to sit on the chair next to him and rested her head on his shoulder; he moved his arm round her back,
‘I haven’t felt this close to someone since – and he turned out to be a pig’
‘He did but although we’re related there’s nothing like him in me’ he kissed her forehead ‘shall we go get dinner?’
‘Why not’
She let him lead her down Diagon Alley holding his hand until they reached there favourite restaurant. The place they’d stop off for a quick meal before going to the cinema or visiting muggle art galleries or joke shops.
‘Erm…’ she looked in the window,
‘I know right, let’s find somewhere else’ he grinned holding her in a hug,
‘Definitely, I mean this was good when we were friends’ she smiled up at him, ‘but since we’re seeing each other properly let’s not go back again please’
He shrugged ‘The leaky cauldron?’
‘I hope you’re joking’
‘Yes’ he laughed, ‘that look of horror, priceless my dear’ he leant down for a kiss and she smirked moving her head away and biting her lip about to move back and kiss him when,
‘Ouch, denied big brother’ said a voice, he emerged from the restaurant with a girl hanging on his arm and a bottle in his hand. Hermione reached with her hand for Fred’s cheek and kissed him meaningfully as she had intended to. He replied in the same tone and they only pulled away when the bottle smashed on the ground near their feet.
Fred moved Hermione behind him and took out his wand,
‘Ronald, go home’
Ronald let out a torrent of obscenities at them, too foul to write and Fred took her hand in his and apparated them to the Burrow.
‘Why here?’
‘I just need to tell them he’s lose and drunk’
‘Ok, I’m going to stay out here; I don’t think Molly will appreciate my presence given the situation’
‘If you feel that way, but she’s always liked you’ He squeezed her hand reassuringly, ‘Don’t worry’ he left her standing there and she sat on the bench,
‘Mum?’
‘George?’
‘Fred mother’
‘Oh, Fred, what are you doing here – if you’re looking for Ron he’s not here, I haven’t seen him for days’
‘I know where he is, he just threw a bottle at me and Hermione in Diagon Alley and he’s blind drunk’
‘You didn’t bring him home with you!’
‘He was throwing stuff and swearing like a sailor, I’m not getting involved in that, he needs to get over himself, I mean she’s only just said yes to being my girlfriend’
‘But you don’t need to go parading it in front of him’
‘We were going out for dinner, are we not allowed to be seen out of the house together anymore or something?’
‘Have you – you know - with her?’
His ears turned a shade of scarlet Ron would be proud of ‘MOTHER!’
‘I – I just thought I’d ask so I know whether this is serious or not’
‘She agreed to be my girlfriend like twenty minutes ago and anyway, we’re not crazy about that like Ron is, we like getting to know each other whereas he likes what he can get from the cheap drunks!’
‘He’s lost her to you how do you think he feels Fred!’
‘He didn’t lose her, he dumped her ages ago, he broke her heart and she ran away!’
‘But he still likes her’
‘She doesn’t want anything to do with him, she came back and she came back different to the girl that left, she came back a woman and we started talking and we get along, we like the same things – she’s not the same person that left, would you like her to tell you herself?’
‘Is she here?’
‘Outside’
‘You left her out in the cold – what kind of hospitality is that?’ she hurried to the door, ‘Hermione dear, come in and have a cup of tea’ she lead her in,
‘Don’t be angry with Fred about leaving me out there, I didn’t want to cause anymore anger by coming in’
‘Don’t be silly dear’ she boiled the kettle and made a pot of tea while sending a patronus to Harry. ‘I know he’s got a lot going on with his promotion and Ginny being pregnant again but he’ll know what to do with Ron’
‘Mrs Weasley’
‘Now for a start it’s Molly’ she smiled sitting at the table with her as Fred did beside Hermione,
‘Molly’ she smiled back politely if not hesitantly, ‘I’m sorry to cause all this mess, I mean I’ve told Ron over and over that I don’t want anything to do with him, Fred and I, well that just happened and we’re happy’ he reached out to hold her hand and she grinned at him, ‘I really like him and when we got to know each other all over again – I’m not the same bushy haired book worm’ she bit her bottom lip gently ‘I saw the world, I saw what was out there and then I came home, he knew I was different from the moment he saw me so did Ron – it’s not just the use of a hair straightener I tell you that – I want different things, I want, even though its hard for Ron to grasp, I want to be with Fred and as strange a match that it might have seemed nearly two years ago, he wants to be with me’
‘Alright’ she patted their joined hands, and a stag patronus charged into the dinning room table and out the other end to stop next to Molly,
‘I’ve got him, he’s sleeping it off in our spare room, and I’ll drop him off in the morning’ she sent back the thank you with a sigh,
‘We’re gonna go Mum’ they stood up,
‘Why don’t you stay for dinner, toad in the hole?’
‘You know how to tempt me with my favourite Ma’ he looked to Hermione,
‘We can stay if you want; I like Toad in the hole too’
‘With my roast potatoes and some carrots your father grew’ she waved a knobbly looking orange vegetable at them
‘Sure’ Hermione sat down again, ‘They look….organic’ she grinned as Fred went to sit down laughing but missed the chair and landed on the floor,
‘Ouch’ he grinned rubbing his backside, ‘Well that snapped my tail off, you should be relieved Mione, once less weird thing about me but you’ve still got my family’
She moved to sit next to him and kissed his cheek, ‘I like your family’
‘And we like you too’ Molly said moving round the kitchen with ease and a smile on her face. ‘Now just to sort out Ronald’ she thought to herself.
__________________
RIP JD Salinger |