Chapter 10

Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, and I don't make any money with this story. The idea of the Marriage Law originated at WIKTT, I believe. I'm just borrowing...

a/n: AU since DH.

Chapter 10

Lessons started the day after the arrival of the pupils who had been at home during Christmas. Every-day life returned to normal at Hogwarts, though it held some changes for Hermione. For one thing, Ron kept ignoring her, and Ginny shot hostile glances at Hermione at every opportunity. Hermione was hurt, but saw little chance of reconciliation. Telling them about the impending Marriage Law was not an option, for she feared detection.

Hermione had given the Law a lot of thought over the past days. It was obvious that even though she had come to care about Fred, she would never rationally consider marrying him, or anyone else for that matter, within the next few weeks. Her immediate instinct was to fight the Law at all costs. However, her options were limited. Hermione felt that she had invested too much of her life in the magical world to quit it altogether. Even if the situation with her parents were less complicated, she could not imagine returning to them and living like a Muggle.

Briefly, Hermione had considered leaving Britain. The Quidditch World Cup had shown that magical communities were scattered throughout the world. In fact, back in November when Professor McGonagall had first told her about the Marriage Law, Hermione had gone to the library to do research on the possibility of emigration. Soon two problems had surfaced. One was that, compared to other countries, the British Ministry of Magic actually adopted a very liberal view on the matter of Muggleborns. Hermione was appalled to learn that there were still countries that did not allow the possession of a wand, if the witch or wizard was unable to prove at least three generations of magical ancestry.

A second problem with the issue of emigration arose from Hermione's personal situation. While she had no doubt that Lord Voldemort's influence stretched far over the borders of the British islands, Hermione was aware that the Ministry of Magic lost its jurisdiction outside their own country. Therefore, they would be unable and unwilling to provide protection for her and her family outside of England. The Order of the Phoenix was in need of more members as it was and could not spare their limited resources to protect her abroad. Hermione did not believe for one second that Voldemort would cease to hunt her just because she had left the country. Emigration was not an option.

Therefore, Hermione arrived at the conclusion that marrying Fred was indeed her best bet. And, as she continuously reminded herself, considering the way they had gotten along during her brief stay at the apartment above WWW, there could be worse things than being Mrs. Fred Weasley. This thought kept her afloat during those first few days at Hogwarts, which turned out to be at least as difficult as expected, if not more.

Lavender and Parvati hadn't given up their hunt for sordid details concerning Hermione and Fred's love-life. They had tried everything from whispered questions before they turned in for the night, to cornering Hermione during the meals at the Great Hall and even sending little notes during lessons, which was perhaps the most bothersome approach in Hermione's eyes as it tampered with her concentration in class.

While Hermione did her best to ignore the silly advances of her dorm mates, Ron in turn completely ignored Hermione. It pained her to see how much she had hurt one of her best friends. Hermione's only relief was that Harry obviously did his best to cheer up Ron. She usually saw the two of them together, going for a fly on their brooms in the brisk winter air, talking Quidditch or doing other things guys did.

As relieved as Hermione was that Harry kept Ron company, it left her quite lonely. Ginny still disapproved of Hermione and Fred's relationship and was very vocal about her opinions. Hermione had taken to avoiding Ginny and her sharp tongue at all costs, which was why she spent most of her time in the library, where she was safe from both Lavander and Parvati's inane questions and Ginny's scathing remarks.

*****

The library was the place where Harry found Hermione late on Saturday morning, two weeks after their arrival at Hogwarts. He had both his and Hermione's winter cloaks draped over one arm and looked at Hermione critically.

"Hermione, don't tell me you plan on staying cooped up in the library all day. It's a Hogsmeade weekend!"

Hermione looked up from the enormous tome she was reading. "Harry, don't be daft. Do you expect me to go with Lavender and Parvati?"

"Of course not. You're coming with me," Harry replied, taking the book from Hermione and closing it with a loud thud, causing Madam Pince to look at them disapprovingly.

"No, Harry," Hermione whispered, looking at Madam Pince apologetically, "You should go with Ron."

"I'll catch up with him later. Don't worry."

Harry grabbed Hermione's hands and pulled her out of her sanctuary, not heading her mumbled protests, which turned considerably louder once they were through the library doors.

"Hermione, you've been shutting yourself off for two weeks now. It's not good. Now you're going with me to Hogsmeade, whether you come voluntarily or I have to hex you is up to you." Harry thrust a cloak at the outraged girl and started pushing her towards the castles entrance doors.

Realising that there was no arguing with him, Hermione grudgingly allowed Harry to pull her out of the castle and down the path to Hogsmeade. They had to fight their way through several inches of snow, which had fallen during the night, and by the time Harry and Hermione reached Hogsmeade, they were both red-nosed and shivering.

"Aren't you glad you came?" Harry asked Hermione with a grin when he noticed her disgruntled expression. By the looks of it, Hermione was already planning her escape, probably wanting to return to the warmth of the Hogwarts library as quickly as possible.

"I don't know why I let you talk me into it," Hermione spat back. She was trudging beside Harry with little appreciation for the snow-covered and picturesque Main Street of Hogsmeade or the enticing shop windows.

"Aw, little Hermione is a spoilsport," came a teasing and very familiar voice from behind Harry and Hermione. Hermione spun on her heel just to come face to face with Fred Weasley.

"Fred!" Hermione exclaimed, surprised, and hugged the redhead. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just happen to be scouting for new premises for the joke shop. George and I might consider branching out to Hogsmeade," Fred answered. "Looks like you have a Hogsmeade visit today. What a coincidence," he added with fake surprise, winking at Harry over Hermione's head.

Hermione turned her head towards Harry without letting go of Fred.

"You knew," she accused.

"Me?" Harry asked in an attempted to sound innocent and failing dreadfully. "Never."

"You did," Hermione said. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked Fred.

"Because," he replied, adopting his best teaching voice, which had an uncanny resemblance to Professor Snape, "it would hardly have been a surprise then. I'm not sure whether you are aware of this, little Hermione, but in order to be surprised, the victim has to not know about the surprise beforehand."

"Oh, you..." Hermione scoffed and finally let go of Fred in order to be able to punch him in the arm. Lightly, of course. Fred just laughed.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it then," Harry said with an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Have fun." Seeing that his two friends were paying little to no attention to him, Harry shook his head, grinning, and made for the Three Broomsticks to catch up with Ron and the others.

Fred took Hermione's hand and pulled her along with him. They left the busy Main Street and turned to a quieter and smaller road. Hermione looked around. She had never been in that part of the village.

"Where are we going?"

"Do I have to explain the meaning of surprise to you again?" Fred asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Realising that she wouldn't get a straight answer out of him, Hermione let Fred pull her along. Looking around, she realised that they had left the part of the village with all the shops and stores that excited the Hogwarts pupils so much. The small street they were in was mostly dominated by small townhouses, which were obviously designed for living.

Fred stopped at one of the houses and walked down a flight of stairs to the outside entrance of the house's basement.

Before Hermione had the opportunity to ask again where they where going, Fred had opened the door and stepped inside. Following him, Hermione found herself in a small restaurant. Her nose was immediately bombarded with mouth-watering smells and, once Hermione's eyes had adjusted to the somewhat dimmed light of the restaurant, she could see the dozen tables that were arranged in the small room. Altogether, the restaurant had a rather cosy atmosphere.

"I thought we'd go to lunch," Fred explained. "After all, you have agreed to go on a date with me."

Hermione smiled at the grinning Weasley in front of her and let him lead her to one of the few unoccupied tables. Surprisingly, considering its unobtrusive location, the restaurant was quite full.

Once Hermione and Fred had sat down, a wizard named Byron descended upon them. As Fred explained when he made the introductions, Byron was the owner of the restaurant which was simply called Cratch. The excited owner jumped up and down in front of their table, surprisingly agile for a man who obviously liked to sample his own food too much. After enquiring which twin exactly was gracing him with his presence, he exclaimed, "Fred, m'boy, you haven't been here in ages. I'm hurt."

Fred unsuccessfully tried to explain that he had to run a business in London and couldn't just pop in for lunch whenever he wanted to because he was working fulltime.

"Nonsense," Byron shouted. "You used to go to school fulltime, too, and that didn't stop you or your brother from coming by regularly."

"Really?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow at Fred. He was saved from answering by Byron, who at this point had directed his attention towards Hermione.

"M'dear, I'm simply delighted to welcome a new guest to my little Cratch. And such a beautiful guest at that."

Hermione blushed and Byron continued, "I hope you brought a healthy appetite. I think, I know just the thing a lovely lady such as yourself would like to eat. You like ham do you?"

Hermione nodded, but wasn't able to get a word in. Byron babbled on, "I love ham. Only when it's prepared right of course. I prefer seasoning it with..."

A loud crash from another room interrupted Byron's monologue on the best way to prepare ham.

"I must run. There are no limits to the damage my house-elves can do to the kitchen when I'm not there to watch them. Kylie will bring you your drinks," Byron said, gesticulating to a worn out looking waiter, who was currently busy taking the bill to another couple. Shouting after the departing couple that they better be back within the next week or else, Byron scurried through a small door in the back, which presumably led to the kitchens.

"We don't get to order our food?" Hermione asked Fred once Byron had left.

"No, we don't. Byron prides himself at being able to pick the best food for his guests. But don't worry, everything he serves is delicious. We do get to chose what we want to drink, though," Fred explained and waved for the waiter.

Hermione and Fred left their orders for the drinks with Kylie and talked while they waited for Byron to cook whatever he thought they would like to eat.

After about half an hour, Byron himself served their food. Hermione looked at her plate not entirely sure what was in front of her, but at the very least it smelled delicious. For what it was exactly, Hermione drew a blank, though it looked somewhat like a mix between shepherd's pie and porridge, and obviously contained ham.

"Go on, m'dear, just try it," Byron, who had remained standing by their table, encouraged. Hermione shot Fred a look, who just grinned at her.

"He won't go until he knows you like your food," Fred explained, smiling, and Byron vigorously nodded his head in agreement.

"Okay then..." Hermione picked up her fork and carefully tried whatever it was that lay on her plate. To her utter amazement, it tasted even better than it smelled. Her approval must have been evident on her face, since Byron shouted, "I knew you'd like it!" loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear, though the other guest didn't pay them any mind, obviously used to Byron's outbursts. After assuring himself that Fred approved of the food as well, Byron hurried back into the kitchen, leaving his guests to eat in peace.

"He's quite a character," Hermione noted between two bites.

"That he is," Fred agreed. "But he's also the best cook in Hogsmeade."

They enjoyed their food and each other's company. Byron came back once they finished and all but forced them to order dessert. The pudding he served was delicious as well. Once they were finished, Hermione felt as stuffed as after a Hogwarts feast, and when Fred suggested they go for a walk, she readily agreed.

After paying and saying good-bye to Byron, who tearfully made Fred promise to not wait too long until he returned with his beautiful lady friend, they walked around Hogsmeade for a while, talking about everything and nothing. Fred seemed to know Hogsmeade just as well as Hogwarts, and when Hermione asked, he told her how George and he used to explore the village during their third and fourth year at Hogwarts. They had found the Cratch by accident. Its existence was a carefully guarded secret of the Hogsmeade citizens, and only insiders knew of its location.

"We should probably warm up in the Three Broomsticks," Fred remarked when both he and Hermione where shivering from the cold. Hermione looked less then thrilled.

"Keep up appearances, you know," Fred added.

"We probably should," Hermione agreed reluctantly, although she sounded little enthusiastic.

"Is it really as bad as you wrote?" Fred asked, referring to the reactions of the pupils and especially that of his siblings, which Hermione had described to him in her letters.

"You'll see," Hermione replied darkly and stepped into the pub.

The moment Fred and Hermione entered the Three Broomsticks, they realized that the better part of the upper years were gathered in the pub. Also, the majority of those assembled seemed to have a keen interest in the newly arrived couple. What's more, Ron and Harry were sitting with Neville, Dean and Seamus at a table right at the entrance.

Determined to avoid yet another scene, Fred quickly grabbed Hermione's hand and hastily pulled her past the boys. Ron, thankfully, maintained the same tactics he had employed since their return to Hogwarts and feigned ignorance. Harry sent a small nod towards them, but stayed beside Ron.

Fred and Hermione bought two Butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta and then turned to look for a table in the packed pub. On their way to find a place to sit, Hermione was careful to avoid Lavender and Parvati, who were occupying a large table with a bunch of girls from their year. She didn't know what she was more afraid of: Parvati and Lavender asking one of their scandalous questions in front of Fred or Fred actually answering them. Hermione decided to save herself the embarrassment and resolutely walked towards an empty table on the far side from Lavender and Parvati's group.

Unfortunately, this table was relatively close to where Ginny was sitting with her friends. Ginny saw the couple immediately, and although Fred and Hermione were unable to understand what she was saying to the girl sitting next to her, Ginny's hateful look towards them gave them an unmistakable message.

Once they reached a small, empty table Fred sat heavily down in his chair.

"I know why Ron is acting the way he is. Can't exactly blame him; he's been in love with you for ages. But I really didn't expect Ginny to behave like such a bitch," he complained.

"She's just upset," Hermione explained, sitting down as well.

"About what? After all, I'm her brother, too. Why does she have to side with Ron?"

"This isn't about you and me," Hermione assured soothingly, since Fred actually looked hurt.

"It's not?" Fred looked perplexed. "Then what the hell is she so upset about?"

"Harry," Hermione replied simply.

"She is upset about Harry because you and I are dating?" Fred asked, confused.

"In a manner of speaking." Seeing Fred's baffled face, she added, "I didn't want to be with Ron because I didn't want a relationship during such dangerous times. It was basically the same reason Harry gave Ginny when he broke it off with her. Now I found someone else and, I think, Ginny is subconsciously afraid that Harry will do the same. That's why she is feeling so angry on Ron's behalf."

"Why can't she just be angry at Harry then?" Fred asked, looking among Harry, Ginny and Hermione, mystified.

"It doesn't work that way."

"Witches!" Fred mumbled into his Butterbeer, but the look he sent his sister was less resentful.

Hermione and Fred sipped their drinks, trying to ignore the attention they were receiving from the young witches and wizards around them. They resumed their easy talk from earlier, and with time the interest of mostly everyone drifted back to their own conversations. Ginny kept glancing disdainfully at them once in a while, and Hermione noticed that Ron seemed to have somehow deflated and obviously lost all the interest in the talk around him. But other than that, Fred and Hermione were able to enjoy the rest of their time together.

All too soon, the day came to an end, and the pupils of Hogwarts left the Three Broomsticks in droves.

"I should probably go, too," Hermione finally said when most of the students had already left.

"Yeah, probably," Fred agreed reluctantly, and both of them got up from the table, donned their winter wear and walked out of the pub. Outside, the temperature had dropped considerably since the sun had already begun to set. Fred looked up to the semi-dark sky.

"You probably shouldn't go back alone," Fred said worriedly.

Hermione was all set to give him the 'I'm a big girl and can take care of myself'-speech, but her common sense prevailed. It really wouldn't be smart to traipse around in the dark alone during times like these.

"I'll find Lavender or Parvati and go up with them," she said instead, but her scrunched up nose showed clearly how much she was looking forward to a walk with the girls.

However, she was saved from that particular pleasure, as Harry was standing not far from the Three Broomsticks, clearly waiting to accompany her back. Hermione sent him a thankful smile and turned to Fred to say goodbye.

Fred immediately pulled Hermione towards him and kissed her thoroughly. Neither one of them noticed the remaining pupils staring at them, and saying that this kiss was just for show would be an outright lie. It was for their benefit alone. When they came up for air, they stayed close together just looking at each other. However, Fred and Hermione weren't willing to admit yet that they had stopped merely pretending to be a couple sometime ago, and anyway, it wasn't the place to have this conversation.

So Fred kissed Hermione briefly on the lips once more and gave her a wry smile.

"You better go. Harry's waiting. Wouldn't want him to freeze off vital body parts. The-boy-who-lived-to-lose-his... hand-to-frostbite just doesn't have the same ring."

Hermione gave a short laugh, hugged Fred one last time, and shaking her head, walked over to Harry. Fred watched the two of them leave before Apparating back to London.

Hermione trudged alongside Harry back to the castle. In her mind, she replayed the afternoon she had spent with Fred, a goofy smile on her face.

"Oh, boy," Harry suddenly said. Hermione turned to her best friend and saw him grinning at her.

"What?" she asked accusingly and stopped walking.

"You've got it bad." Harry grinned even more and continued his way to Hogwarts.

Hermione looked at him perplexed for a few seconds, then hurried to catch up.

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Harry just kept grinning.

tbc

a/n: I hope you liked the chapter. Reviews are love.

As always, thanks go to my two awesome betas, Joey and Katia.