He's My Best Friend's Brother

Staying with Fred and George meant my new home would be right above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Work wasn't far from home, home wasn't far from work. Somehow this seemed suffocating to me, but being around two of my favorite people was sure to make everything okay.

During all the running Harry and I did I swore to myself that I would get far away once the war was over; that I would make sure my commute to work and back home was long, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Oh, how far off I had been with that.

'Stop talking to yourself,' I yelled in my own head. These days I felt like I was losing my mind more often than not. After stretching out to wake up a bit more I grabbed a pair of leggings and a nice, oversized jumper. It was still early, and the shop wasn't open so I cast a silencing charm so as not to wake up the twins.

Once I stepped into the bathroom and got the shower running there was a strange calmness that instantly washed over me. Warm water and steam engulfed my body and lulled me into peace I hadn't felt much lately. And then I heard the door knob turning.

Of course I would forget to lock the door. "Occupied!" I screamed out, and a flustered George muttered an apology as he turned back to the hall. At least I was in the shower and not drying off or doing something weird to my mane of hair. After quickly scrubbing myself with a nice sugar potion I'd cooked up and giving my hair a nice wash, I quickly dried off and blew out my hair with one swift flick of my wand.

Before I even got three steps out the door I could smell delicious something cooking, probably bacon among many things. "Tea?" George asked, raising a glass my way. "Sorry about earlier," he said as I nodded. "Assumed you were Fred."

That of course earned a laugh from me. "Ah could you imagine?" I smiled as my tea floated over to me and took a sip, making sure to blow the steam. "Should've locked the door, don't worry." Debating on snatching the entire pile of bacon was cut short as a plate piled with waffles, eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon, and fruit appeared in front of me. "This looks absolutely mouthwatering..." A proper meal.

"How are you two up so bloody early?" Fred plopped down next to me and began magically piling food on a plate in front of him, snatching random bits from the air as they floated over.

I waved my silverware in his face, laughing. "Haven't you ever heard of these things called forks?"

"Course I've heard of them!" George was now sitting across from us, eating in a similar fashion. "Though that doesn't mean I listen."

"Why would I ever think you to follow rules?" Both of the twins erupted into a fit of laughter, stuffing more food in their faces. "Animals, you are." My eating was slightly better, but still severely unattractive as I shoveled my food in like a chipmunk. At one point or another a small groan escaped my lips - a reminder that I had longed for full meals much too long.

Once I finished up I placed my mug and plate in the sink along with all the pans George had used, and set everything to wash itself. "Well boys, I think I'm going to pick up a few things. Parchment, books, etcetera." With that I grabbed my purse and slipped out of the flat.

---

"Hey 'Mione, wait up!" Fred called as he jogged to catch up with me. "Mind if I join ya?" He looked so cheery that I couldn't bring myself to say no; to say that I wanted to be alone for once. We fell into step with one another despite him following my lead just slightly. It was nice, peaceful, comfortable.

We passed Flourish and Blott's, mostly because I didn't want to subject Fred to hours of waiting on me to choose which books my shelf called for the most. "Is there anywhere you'd like to stop?" I questioned, looking at him through the corners of my eyes. We were just nearing Quality Quidditch Supplies, and it was no secret that all of the Weasleys took Quidditch quite seriously despite Ginny being the only one pursuing a professional career.

"Actually, I was wondering if you might like to stop at Rosa Lee's for a bit?" His smile was warm; how could I say no?

I rolled my eyes, "Sure. But you're paying then."

We walked the rest of the way to the tea shop in silence. I suddenly became aware of his hand on my back as he held the door open and guided me through. It felt oddly normal despite my being hyper-aware to it. Other than Harry's brotherly tendencies, Ron had been the only one to do anything similar. He never held doors for me, but his hand on my back was somewhat a sign of affection. Obviously, this isn't something I need to be giving much thought to.

"What do you think you'll be getting?" I asked, trying to take my mind off the feeling of his hand.

Rosa Lee Teabag was written in a fine script above the counter, below it sat the menu which was likely spelled to change with the day's specials. No one in the Wizarding world would spend that much time chalking in a whole menu. It was a nice touch, though. I started to study Fred while he studied the menu. He looked so calm and content.

Since the war, I found myself worrying about everyone around me; noticing who smiled and when, what seemed to cause people to silence themselves. Fred and George and I had never been close friends, but I cared about them as much as anyone else. The war had taken its toll on them, and yet they seemed so unaffected. It made me wonder what they were like behind closed doors.

Before I could look away he turned back to me, smiling when he noticed I'd been staring. I looked down as I blushed. "I'll just have an Earl Grey I suppose..." my mumbling was heard, luckily, and he ordered for the both of us before leading me to a small table in the back.

"I never knew I was so handsome that I could cause you to stare," he laughed. I shook my head, but couldn't help laughing at his smirk.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night Weasley." Our tea floated over and I fanned the steam to cool it down. Fred, who had frowned at my comment, was still pulling a face. "So, so handsome Freddy. How can I not stare?" The corners of my lips twitched with a smile as one lit up his face. Was this just a joke, or did he actually care if I found him handsome? Suddenly there were butterflies in my bloodstream, or maybe it was just my magic reacting to my thoughts.

Our tea continued effortlessly. We talked about plans for the shop, ways to help aid in the rebuilding of Hogwarts, new ways to get our friends all together and dinners we could all have. It wasn't heavy like it could have been - it was hopeful. As we left and headed over to look at Second-Hand Bookshop I couldn't help but feel that I'd settle in quite nicely.