New Year's Eve
2002
"Hermione, do we have anything left back in the stockroom?" George called across the shop.
Fred glanced behind him and bit his lip, attempting not to laugh at the threatening look on his girlfriend's face. To her credit, she did not curse his twin into oblivion. She kept her composure and humored George with another stock check, though she may have wrenched the curtains back a bit more violently then she would have on a normal day.
Hermione was up and going with him bright and early that morning, gathering up the last of their meager inventory from the flat and his dad's workshop. They got to the shop at six, opened the doors at seven, and hadn't sat down since. Angelina was working the register for them until the afternoon, and then Ginny would finish out the less busy part of the day. Hermione would be leaving when Ginny arrived, as she had said she had a few last minute things to take care of before the party.
A minute later, Hermione stalked back out to the shop and over to George.
"Aside from a considerable litter of dust bunnies, this is all that is left of your pyrotechnic paraphernalia," she said, thrusting a pack of Wet-Start Sparklers at George.
"I'll take them!" a customer cried. Hermione changed direction and handed them off to the waiting patron, who hurried off with the sparklers like they were gold.
Fred watched as Hermione ducked behind the shelves of a deserted aisle. When she didn't re-emerge, he went to investigate. He found her crouched down, resting against the shelf, with her head leaned back and eyes closed. He smiled and sat down beside her. As soon as his back touched the shelf, Hermione leaned her head against Fred's shoulder.
"So, we have nothing left in the form of fireworks?" Fred asked.
"Not unless you want to dip into your personal stash for this evening and risk a throttling from Lee," Hermione answered.
Fred chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you head out? I'm going to hang a sign that says we're sold out of fireworks and that should significantly cut down on the chaos. It won't be long before Ginny is here."
As if on cue, Angelina's voice floated through the store, "Hey Ginny!"
"Oh good, she's here now," Hermione said. She quickly kissed Fred's cheek and pushed herself back to her feet. Fred slowly stood and followed Hermione to the counter, where his sister was attempting to heave herself onto the stool with a look of utmost determination. Hermione gripped Ginny's elbow, attempting to give her some extra leverage.
"Thanks Min," Ginny breath, clutching her middle.
"Are you still having cramps?" Hermione asked, a worried look plaguing her face as she studied Ginny's face.
"Yeah, off and on," Ginny replied. She waved off Hermione's unspoken advice, saying, "But it's fine. Just more Braxton Hicks driving me insane."
"Maybe we should go to the hospital and make sure," Hermione suggested.
Fred groaned and Ginny gave him an understanding look. The three of them had been to St. Mungos five times in the last two weeks because of these Braxton Hicks contractions. According to the girls, it was false labor and was just Ginny's body practicing for the big day. Whatever it meant, it certainly had Hermione on edge and left them all exhausted.
"Okay," Hermione relented, patting Ginny's hand. "Just remember, you let us know right away-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now, go on. Go get ready for your night." Ginny gave her best friend a playful shove towards the door.
Hermione turned to Fred and asked, "Will you guys be okay if I head out? I don't want to leave you short handed."
"Yes, go do what you have to do and I'll see you back at the flat in a few hours." Fred leaned down and kissed her.
"Enough of that! Back to work," George called as he rushed passed to the stockroom.
"Escape now, while you still can," Fred whispered against Hermione's lips. He kissed her once more and summoned her purse from the back. She gave a quick wave to Ginny and Angelina before hurrying out the front door. Fred turned to Ginny and mimicked Hermione's worried expression. "Are you positive it's just the Braxton Hickey things again?"
"Braxton Hicks, and yes, I'm quite positive," Ginny reassured.
"What percentage positive are we talking about here?" Fred asked, grabbing some parchment and quill to start on his SOLD OUT sign. "One-hundred? High nineties?"
"Shut it and get back to work," Ginny scolded.
After the SOLD OUT sign was posted on the front door, business slowed down almost instantly. Angelina was able to leave in order to start getting ready for the party that evening, allowing the twins to have a rare patch of time alone with their sister. The three sat around joking, reminiscing, and indulging in a stash of sweets from the backroom. As soon as the clock ticked over to six o'clock, George locked the door and turned out the lights.
"I don't care how dirty this place is or understocked the shelves are, we're out!" George declared. Fred smirked at his brother. Usually it was himself who was trying to put off the tedious process of closing up shop. George caught the look Fred's face and shrugged. "We'll sort it all out when we're back in two days."
The boys made sure Ginny safely flooed to the Burrow before George climbed the stairs to his flat and Fred flooed back to his own. As he stepped out of the hearth, he could hear Hermione singing in the bathroom.
"Sugar, ah honey honey. You are my candy girl, and you've got me wanting you," her voice rang out from behind the door. Fred gave a quick knock on the door and her singing immediately halted, though the music played on. "Fred? Is that you?" Hermione called.
"Yeah, just got home. Any chance I can use the shower soon?"
"Um, yeah, just....just a second." Fred heard some clattering and the music was suddenly shut off. "Before I open the door, I feel I need to warn you. I was a bit impulsive today."
"Okay," Fred said slowly, narrowing his eyes at the door. "That's not at all worrying for your boyfriend to hear. What did you do?"
He could hear Hermione take a deep breath and the doorknob slowly turned. The door creaked open and Hermione stepped into view. She was wrapped up in a towel, but instead of her long, chestnut curls flowing over her shoulders, they came to abrupt stop just below her chin. She was gingerly fingering a shortened ringlet, nervously chewing on her bottom lip.
"I passed the salon, after picking up my dress, and felt the sudden urge for a change," Hermione started explaining. "Once the stylist started snipping, I just sort of let her go. Do you like it? If you think it's too short, I can always put a lengthening charm-"
Fred cut her off with a kiss. She let her hand fall from her hair to his chest. As he broke the kiss, his hands caressed her now bare neck and declared, "You could shave off every strand of hair and charm your skin blue. I'd still think you're the most gorgeous witch on the planet."
Hermione grinned and ran her hand through her shortened curls. "I've never had my hair this short before. I keep feeling like something is missing."
Fred chuckled and kissed her forehead. "It looks marvelous. Now, what's a bloke have to do to get a shower around here?"
"Well, you were on the right track with kisses and flattery," Hermione purred, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting her towel drop to the floor.
"Mmm....I think a certain dirty witch needs a shower too," Fred growled, pulling Hermione towards the tub.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Fred, you soon ready?" Hermione called as she cinched the belt on her coat. She gave her makeup one final inspection in the hallway mirror then went to wait in front of the fireplace. She had banished Fred from her bedroom, making him get ready in his own room so she wasn't distracted as she prepared for the evening.
"Don't get your knickers in a twist, love. I'm coming," Fred called back. A moment later, he sauntered into the living room sporting black denim pants, a dark blue, cashmere sweater, with the collar of a light blue, button-up shirt peeking out. "The party's only just getting started. I like to be fashionably late."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but let a smile sneak across her face as she motioned to the jar of floo powder. Fred grabbed a handful of powder in one hand and pulled Hermione into the fireplace with his other. She squeezed in tight against him as his free hand firmly held her in place. He dropped the floo powder and called out "Lakeside Cottage, Scotland!"
Hermione shut her eyes and clung tight to Fred as they started to spin wildly through the floo network. She hate traveling by floo, even for short distances. The trip north severely tested her motion sickness threshold. It felt like an eternity before they were spat onto a very plush, cream colored carpet. Hermione let go of Fred and doubled over, her hands on her knees. Fred made a move to help her, but Hermione held up her hand and he froze. With eyes closed and her chin tucked down, on her chest, Hermione willed the world to stop spinning.
"I'm fine," Hermione reassured Fred's worried expression. She stood up and took a slow, deep breath. Fred tucked a stray curl behind her ear and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Fred! Hermione!" The couple looked behind them and saw Lee hurrying towards them. "Where's George and Ang?"
"Should be here shortly. They're bringing all the fireworks," Fred answered.
"Great! Well, make yourselves at home. Drinks and food straight through to the kitchen. Finnigan and I will be starting up the music soon. Oh, you grew up with Muggles, right Hermione?" Lee asked, a giddy gleam in his eyes.
"I did," Hermione said slowly, starting to undo her coat. "Why?"
"He's put together an eighties playlist for the evening and is getting a bit huffy because I don't know any of the songs. He'll be thrilled if you know what he's talking about. Here, let me take your coats for ya." Lee held out his hand as Hermione and Fred handed over their jackets. "Go forth and have fun!" he said, giving a wave and hurrying off.
"Wow." Hermione turned back at the sound of Fred's voice and found him staring down at her. "Now that's a dress." He took her hand and slowly spun her around.
Hermione blushed slightly as he eyed up her strapless, silver dress. It was a bit more form fitting than what she would usually go for, but she figured for New Year's Eve she'd spice up her wardrobe a bit. She completed the outfit with a pair of black pumps, adding every comfort and cushioning charm she knew to them.
"Where exactly does one hide a wand with a dress like that?" Fred joked, leading her towards the kitchen.
"If you're lucky, maybe I'll show you later tonight." Hermione said, winking as Fred arched his eyebrows.
"I think we've been a corrupting influence on you since Ron and Harry left," Fred laughed, passing a glass of wine to Hermione and snagging a beer for himself.
"Yes, because I was so sweet and innocent up until then." As she took a sip of wine, she could hear George calling out a greeting to Lee. "Why don't you go finalize your big finale for the evening. I'm going to go mingle. I noticed a few familiar faces that I haven't talked to in awhile," she said, kissing Fred's cheek. "I'll come find you in a few."
Fred kissed her head and strode off to join his brother and Lee. Hermione moved into the large sitting room and instantly saw how the home had gotten its name. Ceiling high windows allowed for a breathtaking view of the moonlit, star studded sky, casting beautiful shadows over a vast lake. She'd hardly call the dwelling a cottage though; more like a manor or maybe a villa. In the corner of the room, she saw her old classmate, Seamus Finnigan, fiddling with stereo equipment at the designated DJ table.
"I heard you're looking for a fellow Muggle music enthusiast," Hermione said, slipping behind the table and looking over Seamus' setup.
Seamus looked up from his iPod and his face of concentration lightened to surprise. "Hermione! Lee didn't say you'd be here!" He dropped the mp3 player and pulled Hermione in for a hug. "Who did you come with? Potter?"
"No, him and Ron are unfortunately still away on their mission," Hermione answered with a frown.
"Bugger," Seamus commiserated. "That's gotta be hard on Gin. I felt so bad for her when I got the letter saying they had to postpone the wedding. How's she holding up?"
"About as well as she can given everything. You know she's expecting a baby any day now, right?"
Seamus' eyes bulged. "No! Blimey, Potter sure has shite timing, doesn't he?" Hermione laughed as Seamus shook his head. "So, who are you here with then?"
"Fred," Hermione answered, pointing across the room to where her boyfriend was listening to George and Lee. He caught her pointing and waved.
"You and Fred? Wouldn't have expected that pairing." Seamus picked up his iPod and and started scrolling through a playlist. "Then again, I dated Pansy Parkinson for a bit last year, so who am I to talk about odd pairings?"
"You and Pansy?" Hermione cried in disbelief.
"It wasn't a high point of my life, but yeah. Anyway, what should we start this uneducated hoard off with?" Hermione glanced over her friend's shoulder and after a moment pointed to a song. "Oooh, Joan Jett. What a woman..." He hit play and the sounds of 'I Love Rock N' Roll' filled the room. "I perfected an energy charm for the battery that should allow it to last well into the morning," Seamus said, holding up the music player with an accomplished smile.
"And how many of those things did you blow up before you got it right?" Hermione teased.
"Two, maybe three? Only had to regrow my eyebrows once though. Personal best, that is."
Hermione laughed and bid Seamus farewell to go say hello to a few other classmates she had spotted arriving. Most of the guests were a few years older than her and, while she recognized them, was at a loss to their names. But she chatted for a bit with Cho Chang, who had come with another former Ravenclaw, Roger Davies. A fellow Gryffindor, Alicia Spinnet, was gushing over Angelina's story of her and George's elopement. The most surprising guest came in the form of Luna Lovegood, accompanying Dean Thomas.They both insisted that they had just become good friends since their Hogwarts days, but Hermione caught Dean sneaking longing glances at the starry eyed blond.
Making her way back to the kitchen, Hermione swapped out her empty glass for a new glass of wine and went in search of her own date. She finally found Fred sat on an oversized couch, talking to one of the classmates she recognized, but couldn't label. She sat down on Fred's other side and got introduced to Alexander Masters.
Once Alexander had left, Hermione asked, "So, is this going to be like Egypt and I'm going to have to wait all night for you to ask me to dance?"
"Will I have to wait at the back of an endless line of Quidditch players?" Fred joked.
"I only have my eye on one Quidditch player tonight," Hermione said, pulling him to his feet.
"You've been checking out Oliver Wood too? Here I thought I was the only one."
Hermione giggled and gave his arm a playful smack before striding over to Seamus' DJ table and requesting a song. As she finished off her glass of wine, Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time started playing and she beckoned Fred to the dance floor.
"What is this song?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"A classic," Hermione answered, leaning against his chest and easing into his swaying rhythm. "Takes me back to when I was in my Muggle school and we had all those awkward, pre-teen dances."
Hermione's explanation of what Muggle school was like took them into a second dance. She was in the middle of telling him about all the excuses she used in order to get out of her Physical Education classes when George appeared beside them. Hermione narrowed her eyes in suspicion when she saw an eager look in his.
"Come on you two. Lee's opened a bottle of Firewhiskey and talked a group of us into playing Never Have I Ever!" George said, jerking his thumb towards the dining room.
Hermione snorted a laugh. "Aren't we a little old to play such silly drinking games?"
"Bah, you just don't want to reveal your dark side," George provoked.
"More like I don't envy the hangover that comes with that game."
"Ah hah! So you admit that there is a dark side! Let's go!"
"Just remember, anything said at the table can't be Obliviated," Hermione warned as she made her way to the dining room, followed closely by a sniggering Fred. She took the empty seat next to Angelina and asked, "They talked you into this childishness too?"
"I'm reluctantly sitting in to make sure my husband doesn't get drunk and start going into specifics," Angelina muttered in Hermione's ear. "What made you join in?"
"If you can't beat em, join em," Hermione said with a shrug.
Within the half hour, she had admitted to having a one night stand, getting intimate in the outdoors, and refusing a date simply because the wizard wasn't good looking.
"My turn!" Angelina said, grinning at George. "Never have I ever had sex end in an injury."
"Evil woman," George hissed, downing a shot, along with Lee and Dean.
Hermione groaned and downed her own shot, resulting in a questioning look from Fred. "I fell off the bed once and dislocated my shoulder," she explained. The two glasses of wine and four shots were doing wonders for her comfort level. "What'd you do?" she asked George.
"Ang attempted to impale me with her elbow and gave me a black eye," he said, shooting daggers at Angelina.
"Hermione!"
She jumped at the sound of her name and spun around to find Seamus behind her.
"Do you know how to do the Electric Slide?" he asked, eagerly.
"I don't think I'm drunk enough for that...." Hermione started.
"Never have I ever snogged Fred," George called out.
"Cheap shot, Weasley," Hermione grumbled, downing one last shot of Firewhiskey. She couldn't help but chuckle when Angelina took one too. George pursed his lips and cocked an eyebrow.
"What? It was during sixth year, at the Yule Ball!" Angelina huffed.
"You never told me that!" George cried.
"You never asked," Angelina and Fred said simultaneously.
"Come on!" Seamus urged, giving Hermione's arm a tug. The sudden change from sitting to standing instantly doubled the impact of the alcohol and Hermione gripped the table for support. Attempting to appear half sober, she put all her effort into a purposeful walk and followed Seamus into the sitting room where he had cleared a decent amount of space for the dance. "This enough room?"
"Yep," Hermione said, giving him a thumbs up. She made her way to the center and tried to quickly remember the steps her best friend from primary school had taught her. Somehow, even in a drunken haze, she could clearly see herself and Amelia dancing in her bedroom, trying to perfect the routine. She glanced down at her feet and saw that at some point she had taken off her shoes and she had no clue when or where. The realization sent her into a fit of giggles.
"You okay there, love?" Fred asked, taking his place among the other guests that had gathered around her.
"My shoes disappeared," Hermione whispered, trying to catch her breath. She grinned madly, pointing at her feet.
"I almost forgot how fun drunk Hermione is," George laughed.
"Hey! Sober Hermione is fun too!" Hermione pouted.
"Focus, Granger!" Seamus yelled.
The music started and Hermione mentally counted her beats and then launched into her grapevines. After only two sets, Luna flounced over to Hermione's side and joined in, picking up the steps surprisingly quick. By the end, all of the girls had joined in and dragged some of the men along with them. As the music faded out, Hermione was laughing and telling Luna how impressed she was with her moves.
"Do you know the Macarena?" Seamus called across the room, after the last note had died.
"That's not from the eighties!" Hermione protested.
"That's not what I asked," Seamus laughed.
"She knows it! Hit it Finnigan!" Fred called.
The Latin beat started and almost involuntarily, Hermione started swishing her hips and going through the sultry motions. The others caught onto that dance much quicker and it wasn't long before she was surrounded by wriggling bodies and clapping hands.
The song ended and Hermione instantly latched onto Fred's arm for support. "I think I need a drink," she breathed.
"Let's go find you some coffee. And maybe some food, you lush," Fred chuckled, leading her to the kitchen. He helped her climb onto a stool, at the bar, and instructed, "Sit tight. I'll be right back."
Hermione nodded. She rested her elbows on the counter and let her head fall into her hands.
"Quite the performance out there, Granger."
Slowly looking back up, Hermione was met with cool, grey eyes and blindingly blond hair. "Draco Malfoy. How did you swing an invite to this party?" she asked, looking him up and down. She had to admit he didn't look half bad, clad all in black, save for a hunter green tie.
"I work with Lee, in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, remember?" Draco said slowly, giving her a confused look.
Hermione's brow furrowed as she tried to place his face within the Ministry of Magic. "Oh, yeah. You do, don't you?"
Draco shook his head and gave her a bit of a wicked smile. "You look good, Granger. I'm liking the tight dress and short hair. You here with anyone?"
Hermione nodded, saying, "Fred Weasley."
"Weasley," Draco muttered. "You certainly have a type, don't you?"
"You're not looking too shabby yourself, Malfoy. I certainly wouldn't kick you out of bed these days," Hermione said, with a smirk and a wink. Draco looked like he was about to come back with another shameless flirt, but was interrupted when an owl swooped in and dropped a letter on Hermione's head. She unfolded the parchment and read the few words out loud, "Baby, now..." She flipped the parchment over, looking for more, but there was nothing. "Baby, now?" she asked, holding up the parchment to show Draco.
"You and Weasley have an odd way of communicating when you're both under the same roof."
"Baby, now," Hermione muttered. All at once the words cut through her drunken stupor and she cried, "Ginny! Baby! Now! She's having the baby! Fred!" She pushed herself off the stool and immediately fell face first onto the floor.
"Good Lord, Granger!" Draco quickly grabbed her under the armpits and pulled her back to standing.
"What's going on?" Fred yelled, hurrying over as Hermione tried to regain her balance with Draco's hands firmly placed on her bare shoulders.
"Baby, now!" Hermione insisted.
Fred grinned, placing a scone and mug of coffee on the counter. "It's a big house. I'm sure we can find an empty room."
"Not that!" Hermione smacked his arm and held up the letter. "You're sister is having the baby! Now!"
"Oh, fuck! All right, let's go let George know," Fred said, grabbing Hermione's hand.
"Good luck with this one, Weasley," Draco said, releasing his grip on Hermione.
"Thanks," Fred laughed, trying to steady his swaying girlfriend.
"Sod it." Hermione gave up trying to stand on her own volition and clumsily clamored onto Fred's back.
"Careful darlin'. Everyone's gonna see your knickers."
"Just go find your brother! Ginny's already going to be hacked off at me for being drunk. I don't even want to think about what she'll do to me if I'm not there at all!"
Fred weaved through the crowd, shouting for his twin. They found George and Angelina talking with a group of their former classmates, hinting at what they had planned for the midnight fireworks display. Fred let him know about Ginny and promised to keep them informed on her progress, before weaving his way back through the crowd, to the fireplace.
"Careful how you're curling those toes, sweetheart," Fred warned. "We're dangerously close to having to find an empty room."
"Oh, shit! My shoes!" Hermione cried. She pulled her wand from between her cleavage and said, "Accio my shoes!"
"Min, no!" Fred shouted as black blurs zoomed towards them, causing several guests to quickly duck. Fred threw up his hands and caught the pumps, as Hermione clung to his shoulders. "I hope Mum has a sobering potion. I don't think you're in any fit state to be in a delivery room."