Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own Potterverse... the plot, however, is mine!

Chapter Five

Hermione woke to the sound of an owl tapping on the window. Drowsily, she dragged herself out of bed and to the window, throwing it open and letting the disgruntled bird in. Attached to the large barn owl's leg was a thick roll of parchment. Rolling her eyes, she could just guess where that had come from; there was only one person she knew that would have written that much and sent it to her that early in the morning - Molly Weasley.

Slowly ripping open the seal with one hand, she pulled a few owl treats from a box on her desk. "Here you go, girl." She placed them on the windowsill so the bird would feel free to leave when she was finished. Hermione unrolled the parchment and began reading.

Dear Hermione,

But let us forget this small minute detail…

And so it went on, singing both Ron's and her praises, until it suddenly changed tack.

Of course, if you feel one of my other sons is better suited to you, I will fully understand; I know Ron can be a little… moody at times, and this can take a lot of getting used to.

And of course I wouldn't want anything to ruin your friendship, especially as it may make Harry feel a little left out, even if he and Ginny are making their own plans. I can see that another of my sons would help avoid this.

"What?" Hermione couldn't help it, her jaw dropped a little. "You have got to be kidding me." She continued reading, her eyes widening with each new word.

I have set up a meeting for you with my eldest two. I hope you'll keep it between us my reasons why… I felt the twins would be too childish for you, as I know how serious you can be, and Percy is just the opposite. I know you like your fun, dear. Bill and Charlie will be meeting you in Diagon Alley at 2pm, I've only given them a few of the details… but be sure to dress up. Bill is still talking about marrying this Fleur girl, and I don't approve at all. In that way, I wish for you to choose him, if only to keep him away from that stuck up… sorry, I shouldn't say such things, much less write them.

Molly Weasley

"Oh! Oh no… oh no, no, no!" Hermione crumpled the letter in her hand as she looked desperately around her room as if it could give her some sort of excuse of how to get out of her meeting. "I can't believe she brought them all this way… I just… urgh!"

Sighing in defeat, Hermione grabbed some toiletries and walked into the bathroom to get ready for the day and her meeting.

***

All the anger had left her body, and all that was left was nervousness. She wasn't sure exactly what Bill and Charlie had been told about her situation, if anything. And it was that which was scaring her. If all Molly had told them was that she was in some kind of trouble, she was going to have to tell them everything about her embarrassing situation.

Sighing, she sat down outside of a small café and settled in to wait for the boys, men really, to meet her. Hermione had arrived early in an attempt to calm her nerves, and it seemed to be working. That was, until she saw the two of them striding down the street towards her. She gave a weak wave to make sure they saw her and waited for them to reach her.

"Hey, Mione." Bill smiled cheerily and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Charlie followed suit before they both sat down. "So what's up?"

"Yeah, Mum said it was urgent that we get here to meet you." Charlie looked at her with a concerned expression on his face. "What's going on?"

Hermione scowled and rubbed at her face. "So she didn't tell you anything at all?"

"Nope. Just that we had to meet you." Bill pulled his chair closer to Hermione. "It's nothing bad though, is it?"

"Great." Rolling her eyes, Hermione set about telling them everything, what she wanted, what she needed, and what had happened so far. The most reaction she got out of them was when she was retelling them her stay with Snape, but they didn't comment, only glanced at each other knowingly.

"So what do you want us to do?" Bill leant back in his chair, his earring swinging. "I mean, I've got Fleur."

"I know. I'm not expecting anything; I didn't even ask for you. It was your mother."

"Ahhh, another Weasley meddling in the works." Charlie grinned and took one of Hermione's hands. "If it helps, I'm not in a serious relationship. Unless you count my dragons… I'd never be able to leave the reserve except to go to another."

"I know, Charlie, I'd never ask you to leave what you love. Moreover, Bill, don't worry about it. If I had the choice, I'd ignore it all and hope it would go away, but that's not going to happen." With a huff, she copied the boys and leant back in her chair. "But I really don't think it would have worked with either of you. I love you too much as brothers."

Both Charlie and Bill grinned at that, and then simultaneously, they reached over and ruffled her hair, causing her to squeak. "Well, sis, guess you'll have to put up with us being all over-protective with whoever you choose."

The three of them decided to order some lunch, and over it, they discussed Hermione's options again. She was starting to enjoy seeing everyone’s different perspectives on her situation; it helped her think more clearly on her own opinion.

The two men escorted her home before making a hasty retreat from the country to avoid Molly Weasley's wrath at their inability to convince Hermione to marry one of them. But none of this concerned Hermione, the boys had helped her understand that this was much bigger than Molly's feelings. Even bigger than hers. It was about building a future, and being happy.

***

AN: Thank you to everyone for the reviews! They're great!