Broken Bits

15. More Letters

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows as Fred stared at her. His mouth was hanging open, and he looked to be unable to form any coherent sentence.

"Could you please say something Fred?" Hermione finally asked, reaching forward to take the forms but Fred griped them tight in his hand forcing Hermione to lay her hand over his.

"Will this make you happy?" Fred finally asked, clearing his throat slightly as it had gone dry from leaving it hanging open.

"I think so yes, it's something new." Hermione moved her eyes to wander over the lake. "Ron was right, I am drowning at my current job. Stuck in the same loop of fighting for the care of magical creatures, I was working an ungodly like amount of hours." Hermione took a deep breath, and turned to him.

"I don't want to make the same mistake like I did with him. Theo already assured me that the hours are reasonable, and more often than not I can work from home." Hermione turned back to Fred to find him grinning at her.

Fred dropped his grin as a thought crossed his mind. "Theo isn't doing this to get closer to you is he?" Fred asked, breaking his gaze with Hermione to look back down at her name, attached to his.

"What are you on about?" Hermione asked, looking at Fred confused.

"Well...I saw the way he greeted you this morning, and you were talking to him last night at dinner. Draco told me some rumors that have been floating-" Fred was cut off as Hermione exploded into laughter next to him.

She leaned backwards, clutching her stomach as she laughed. She nearly toppled over the log, before righting herself and sitting back up straight. She reached over laying a hand on Fred's shoulder, using the other to wipe at the tears of laughter that had slipped from her eyes.

"Theo is with Draco, Fred." Hermione wheezed out, laughing again as Fred's face twisted into a shocked expression of surprise.

"Their together!?" Fred asked shocked, looking at Hermione in alarm. How had he not known this? Granted, if he really thought about it, it made an awful lot of sense. Draco never had an arm around another girl, and come to think of it, Theo was always hovering nearby when Fred talked to Draco.

"Yes, so no, Theo is not trying to get closer to me." Hermione laughed again, nudging Fred's side. "Pansy told me the rumors to." Hermione shuttered at the mere thought, making Fred laugh gently.

"Anyway, I don't want to do this if it makes you uncomfortable." Hermione cleared her throat, sobering herself up to continue their conversation.

"Why would it make me uncomfortable?" Fred asked confused, leaning towards Hermione slightly.

"By the time I start I'll be Hermione Weasley,' Hermione shifted next to Fred, squashing their shoulders together as she flushed a shade of pink. 'And I don't want to bring disgrace to your name if you don't want me to." Hermione shrugged, as if this made all the sense in the world.

Fred turned to her laughing, "George and I have been bringing disgrace to the Weasley name for years Granger." Fred chuckled, wrapping an arm around Hermione to bring her closer to his side just as they had been on the bus.

"Between not making prefects, or Head Boy. Dropping out of school early, failing nearly all our exams and starting a business in the smack dab of Diagon Alley selling creations that are illegal in most common places, I think you working with Magical Law will be alright." Fred chuckled as Hermione leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Suppose your right." She laughed, she tucked the letter back in the envelope, shoving it under her leg. She gestured to the red envelope sticking out of Fred's back pocket.