A Wisp of Love and Laughter (Hermione/George)

A Truth

"Still I'm here just holdin' on,
Confess my heart and forgive my wrongs."
                           ~ Scene Two - Roger Rabbit
                              Sleeping with Sirens

*~*~*~
It was quiet late by the time the festivities were over and she had joined in on helping clean-up.

She was giving her goodbyes when Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley insisted she stay the night.

"We've missed you, Hermione," the older woman had told her, her hands grasping her in a motherly hold. "Stay, if only so I can cook you a hearty breakfast. You need some more meat on your bones!"

The two had always treated her like a surrogate daughter. A simple request to stay the night, no matter how uncomfortable it was to be in constant close proximity to Ron, was a small way to repay their kindness.

She also was hoping to sneak a couple more moments with George as well.

So it was easy for her to agree to their request, with an offer of Ginny's old bedroom for the night. After sending her parents an owl to ease any worries of her absence for the night, she settled on the living room couch to try and decompress before bed. Everyone else had already said their goodnights.

She closed her eyes for a moment, scolding herself for feeling hurt that George had apparently gone to bed without a word to her. When she opened her eyes, she noticed Ron perched against the wall watching her.

"What?" She snapped before she could calm herself.

He glared at her. "I came to say goodnight," he slurred. She could smell the alcohol on him from across the room.

"Yeah, well, goodnight," she muttered dismissively. He took a step towards her.

"Aw, Hermione, don't be like that," he begged as he swayed on his feet. "You and I used to have a real good thing between us. Don't you remember?"

She snorted harshly. "Before or after you banged a bunch of slags behind my back?"

His eyes flashed with a familiar, unmissed fury. She unconsciously shrank back. "If you wouldn't have left me alone," he accused wildly.

She felt her own anger boil. "If I wouldn't have- I was finishing up my schooling, you twat!"

He pouted. "And ignoring my needs. It was all your fault, really."

Counting backwards from ten, she forced herself to not take the bait. She knew they were seconds away from a verbal altercation and she didn't want to wake the household.

A scowl took over his face. "And now you pop up after ages of being gone- only to start going behind MY back with MY BROTHER!"

She lost it at the mention of George. "What are you talking about?! We're just friends!"

He laughed sarcastically. "Oh, friends, huh? The kind of friends I claimed me and those girls were, I'm sure." Ron was so vicious and hateful when he got drunk like this. It made her question how she had ever cared for him before.

"You're a jealous loon!" She shouted, getting up in his face. "It's perfectly okay for you to have cheated on me, but I talk- talk!- to your brother when you and I haven't been dating for over a year and that's unacceptable?!"

Their shouting had awoken the tenants of the Burrow and she cringed as the sleepy family stumbled down the stairs to investigate the noise.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Weasley looked between them, noticing Ron's drunkenness and Hermione's fury. "Ron? Hermione?"