At that moment the door opened, and George walked in with a flash. He took a picture with his camera, he has been carrying it around since he got there.
"Hi Hermione. Couldn't sleep, so I thought I could keep you company. So, this is your second favourite place." George smiled as he stepped closer to her and the dragon. He stroked the dragons head while Hermione bottle fed him.
"George?!" Fred's voice came from her phone. George frowned and looked around the room.
"Fred?"
"Who else?" He chuckled. George still frowned as he glanced around the room. Hermione laughed as she sat down in her chair and held up the phone.
"George, I'm on the phone with him. Want to talk to him while I feed Oco?"
"Alright." George looked insecure at the phone and back to Hermione.
"Just hold it to you ear like that." She guided the phone to his good ear. "And talk, you don't need to shout." She grinned at him, remembering Mr. Weasley attempt at calling Harry.
"Fred?"
"Ello, twin of mine."
"Wow, this is really amazing. We should work on something like this for the shop. I actually came up with a couple of ideas staying here."
"Really? Like what?"
They talked about George's ideas for the shop and how to get started on the products. Fred laughing hard at the apron Hermione made for Charlie.
"So... what's an Oco?"
"Oco?" George asked. "Oh, it's a baby dragon Hermione is taking care of. She does more than work as a healer for the wizards and witches here. She has the night shift. So, I thought I would keep her company. Of course, I didn't know you were already keeping her company." He grinned and winked at Hermione who tried to hide her blush as she looked back down at Oco.
"Yeah, and now I have been replaced by my own twin." He said with mock shock. "Don't do anything I would do with Hermione."
"Fred! I heard that." Hermione called over laughing.
"Sorry, love." He yelled through the phone which made George almost drop it. "George, can you give the phone to Hermione for a sec?"
"Sure." He smiled and looked at Hermione. "He wants to talk to you. I guess I'm not good enough."
"George, I will see you tomorrow! It will take longer for me to see Hermione so give the phone to her."
"Alright, alright don't get your knickers in a twist." He laughed as he handed over the phone.
"Here, George why don't you sit down, you could finish feeding Oco."
"Are- are you sure?" He asked unsure.
"Yes." She smiled at him. "Oco here is a sweetheart. He won't do anything. I'm right here if you need me." She said as she sat right next to him. George took the bottle; the little dragon wrapped his mouth around it eagerly. Hermione took George's camera and took a quick picture of George and Oco before picking up the phone. "I'm back."
"So, George is really bottle feeding a dragon?" Fred asked shocked. "I wish I could see that."
"I just took a picture so you can see it when he gets back."
"Brilliant. I would like a picture of you too."
"Smooth brother." George chuckled next to her.
"Whatever. So, where were we before my dear brother interrupted?"
Hermione laughed at the twins. "Talking about you visiting."
"Right, when can I come?" He asked excited.
"That's the problem. We are going to be really busy the next few weeks. We have at least four rescue parties organized and a couple of eggs that are ready to hatch. The earliest will be in a month."
"A month." Fred sighed. "Alright, then I just have to make do by calling you every day."
Hermione chuckled. "I guess I would be okay with that."
"Ooooooh!" George grinned wide next to her. "How adorable."
"Shut up, George!" They called in unison.
George didn't stop grinning as he looked down at Oco, who fell asleep on his lap after his bottle.
"Fred, I would love to keep talking but you have to open the shop tomorrow and you need your sleep."
"But-"
"No, go to bed Fred or else you will be no use for Verity in the morning." George called over. "You can call your girlfriend tomorrow."
Hermione's eyes grew big as she looked at George, even Fred grew quiet on the phone. Hermione shook her head and focused back on Fred. "Now, go to bed. You will see your annoying brother-"
"Hey!" George hissed as he put Oco back into his crate.
"Tomorrow." She finished laughing.
"Fine. Goodnight, love."
"Goodnight, Freddie." She hung up the phone before picking up an empty bottle and threw it at George's head.
She and George stayed up all night talking and taking turns feeding Oco. George kept teasing her about Fred while she kept chucking things at his head. They walked back to the cabin after Nicolae turned up, the sun was slowly rising. They walked in silence both tired after the long night.
"Hermione?"
"Hmm?" She looked up at him.
"I'm really happy you and Fred are talking again."
"Me too." She said with a small smile.
"I really think you two would be good together."
"Really?" Hermione asked surprised.
"Yeah. You've been great friends for years. You're both supporting of each other, you make each other laugh, you guys tell each other almost everything. I guess now looking back, I wonder how none of us saw that you two would be perfect for each other. But I think most of us thought you saw each other like family."
"I never really thought about that. I know you're my family. And I see you as a brother, like the rest of your brothers. But with Fred I never really put a label on it. Don't know why, before that night I never saw him like that. I had my own relationships, he had his... you know." She chuckled.
"Yeah, I'm glad that that's over." They both laughed as they reached the cabin.
"George? Can I ask you not to tell anyone else? We both don't know where this is all going to lead. With me being here and all."
"Of course, Mione. When everything works out you can choose whether or not you tell the rest. Now let's get some sleep, I'm beat."
"Yeah." She scribbled down a note for Charlie and Ginny. Before heading to her bedroom.
"Goodnight, George." She kissed him on the cheek before tiptoeing into her room.
"I don't want to leave." Ginny whined as Charlie dropped her bag next to her. It was Friday night and Ginny and George had packed their bags to go back to England.
"I know Ginny, but you have to start training again. Your first match will be up soon. And you have a match here in a couple of weeks. We -" she pointed at herself and Charlie. "- will make sure we get time of to come watch."
"Really? I'm going to miss you!" She pulled Hermione in a tight hug.
"Oi! What about me?" Charlie huffed behind them.
"I'm going to miss you too, Charlie. But I am used to you being gone, I've seen Hermione on a constant basis for the last what is it? Almost ten years?"
George walked in the room at dropped his bag next to the fireplace. "Come on!" George beckoned them over, they all looked at his confused. "Let's get a picture before we leave."
They followed him into the garden, he placed them, so they had the mountains as a background. George wrapped his arm around Hermione, while Charlie did the same with Ginny. George flicked his wand and the camera hoovered in front of them.
"Now, everyone say cheese!"
"Cheese?" Charlie asked grinning.
"It's a muggle thing." Hermione laughed.
"Oh, alright."
"Cheese!" They all called out and a flash blinded their sight for a moment.
"Get us a copy will you." Charlie asked.
"Right-O."
They walked back inside; George pulled Hermione into a hug. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm going to miss you, big brother." She joked and she felt George shake with laughter.
"I'm going to miss you too, sis." He grinned as he pulled back. "Mind if I use Fred phone to call you?"
"Never, I mean if Fred will let you."
"Yeah, that might be a problem." They looked at each other and they fell into a fit of laughter.
"Can you give something for me to Fred."
He nodded holding out his hand. She ignored his hand and stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Well okay. I don't know how much he is going to like it that you kissed me or that I'm going to kiss him."
"Ha-ha let me know how he reacts." She smiled as they strode to the fireplace. Ginny and George stepped in with their bags. Hermione had tears in her eyes at the sight of them leaving and not knowing when she would see them again. Charlie saw her tears and wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders. They smiled at each other before George dropped the floo powder and cried out: "Weasley's Wizards Wheezes!"
After the flames died down Charlie led them to the couch and sat down.
"So, Ginny told me all about her and Harry. Now tell me what about you and Fred."
Hermione looked a bit shocked at his direct question but smiled and she started telling him everything.
George and Ginny stumbled out of the fireplace at the backroom of the shop. It was 8 at night and the shop was dead quiet. George dropped down his bag and looked around the room. Two desks stood there, one on George's left and one on his right, facing each other.
He looked over at his twins' desk and just as he expected, Fred was sitting there going over some papers. He didn't even hear them arrive. George placed his finger on his lips, telling his sister to be quiet as he slowly walked up to his brother. When he was standing right next to him, he whispered. "Whatcha doing?"
Fred shot up with his wand raised. "Bloody hell George! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"It's not my fault you didn't hear us come in." He smirked at his twin. "Oh, and Hermione told me to give you something."
"Oh, really wha-" He was stopped mid-sentence as his twin gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Gross, what was that for?" Fred asked while wiping his cheek with his sleeve.
"Not the reaction Hermione was hoping for. She asked me to tell her how you would react." He laughed at Fred's shocked face. "But to be honest Hermione's kiss may have been not so sloppy.
"You're a git! Wait! She kissed you?"
"Calm down twin-o-mine. She's like my sister."
"I know, I know. Come let's get some drinks upstairs and you can tell me all about your trip" Fred wrapped his arm around his sister as he took her bag from her and made their way up the stairs.
While Ginny told all about their trip George immediately started to work on the photos, chiming in every once in a while, if Ginny forgot something. Ginny and Fred sat on the sofa while George was at the dinner table working on his camera. Fred listened intently hoping to find a glimpse of someone who could be a problem for Hermione and him. And that happened at the name Nicolae. A young man who Ginny thought was handsome.
"Nicolae, hé?"
"No need to worry Fred." George called back from the table as he held up a photograph with his wand.
"So, he's not interested in her?"
"Didn't say that." George told him honestly. "But Hermione has only eyes for one person and his hair isn't brown." George chuckled at Fred's red ears. Fred stood up and made his way to the dining table.
"Merlin George!" Ginny cried out as she stepped next to Fred. "How many pictures did you take?"
"I got a little carried away." He said with a sheepish smile.
"A little? That's like Ginny saying she got a little carried away during shopping. Auch!" Fred rubbed his arm where his sister just punched him, hard. Ginny's eyes glanced over the photo's
"George, you are really good. These are amazing." She picked up a photo of Nixi.
"Thanks, here. I really like this one of you." He held out a picture of Ginny who was sitting on the grass at the base in Charlie's garden, she was surrounded by trees and the creek was running down at her feet.
"Wow." That was the only thing Ginny could get out. Her eyes fell back on the table and saw a picture of her and Hermione at the hospital.
"George, Ginny is right, these are all amazing! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I just started doing it the past year. Never really showed my photographs to other people."
"You should, you really should."
"What are you looking at anyway?" George asked with his eyebrows up and a sneaky grin. From the moment Fred walked up to the table his eyes fell on one picture and once he picked it up, he didn't look anywhere else.
"Oh." Fred's face was turning red, his siblings were grinning at him. "Just a picture of Hermione."
He showed them the picture. It was Hermione sitting on a tree stump laughing. The sunshine made her face light up even more. She was wearing a dark jeans, a V-neck pastel blue top and a leather jacket over it. She looked like she could be on the cover of a magazine.
"That is a beautiful picture of her. I really love her jacket. She got it as an early birthday gift from the guys at the reserve."
"Yeah, it looks really good on her. Even I have to say she looks hot!" George said purposely to rouse a reaction from his twin. Fred looked angry at his brother as he turned the picture away from George. "I'm kidding Freddie. Like I told you Hermione is my baby sister. Merlin, if you react like that with me how are you going to react to other guys."
"Don't remind me." Fred sighed and he dropped his head in his hands as he sat down at the dining table. "It's just... she all the way up there and I can't see her."
"I know it's hard Fred, but you can trust Hermione."
"And if anyone tries something, you know Hermione could hold her own. They don't want to risk that." Ginny chuckled as she sat down next to Fred. George continued with his photographs while Ginny and Fred looked at each and every one of them.
"Ok, that was the last one. Now we need to see which one I need to make a copy of."
"I'm guessing every photo that has Charlie or Hermione in it, so we can send it to them."
George nodded as he collected all the pictures with them in it and put it on a pile. Fred's eyes fell on a photo of George in a rocking chair sitting stiffly with a baby dragon on his lap.
"This is precious! I want a copy!" Fred said excited as he waved the picture.
George took copies from the pictures of Hermione, Charlie and their favorite dragons and put them in an envelope. He then copied a couple of photos for themselves.
Ginny wanted a copy of their group photo, the one of her in the garden, the one with Hermione and a couple more from her, George and the others. She ended with 20 copies to take with her.
Fred wanted the photo of George in the rocking chair (of course), the group photo, three photographs of Hermione: the one where she was laughing wearing her leather jacket, one where she was in the rocking chair feeding the baby dragon (he saw the cell phone next to her on the chair which made him smile) and one where she was working in the hospital. The last photo he took was one of Hermione and George standing in front of an enclosure. George's arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist.
"I can't wait to visit! It looks so beautiful!"
"Do you mean the landscape or Hermione." George chuckled as Fred threw a pillow at him which he conjured with his wand.