Chapter 3

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: This story is AU since DH.

Chapter 3

Fred and Hermione actually hadn't realised the others had come back, so consumed were they by the unexpected heat between them. They didn't even hear Ron opening the door. Nevertheless, they certainly heard him scream.

Immediately, they froze, but before either of them could react any further, Ron had violently grabbed Fred's shoulders and pulled him off the bed.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Ron screamed. However, he didn't wait for a reply before slamming his fist into his brother's face.

Fred stared at his younger brother dumbfoundedly. As Ron moved to hit Fred a second time, Fred instinctively raised his fists and defended himself. Soon the two brothers were locked in a fierce fight.

Now Hermione screamed too.

Ginny, George and Charlie came running into the room. They were shocked to see Fred and Ron beating each other.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, but nobody answered.

George and Charlie immediately went to try and separate their brothers, which proved to be quite difficult. In the end, it took Hermione and Ginny's help, too. They were holding back Fred as George and Charlie forcefully restrained Ron.

At that moment, Harry, who had had some trouble with the stairs, came hobbling into the room.

"What's going on?" he asked, though he had a pretty good idea already.

"Ask him," Ron screamed, still straining against the grip of his brothers. "Ask that bastard what he was doing with Hermione!"

"Look, Ron..." Fred started.

Ron didn't let him finish and screamed further insults at his brother.

There was no need for an explanation anyway, as Fred and Hermione's state of undress, their swollen lips and the bite mark on Hermione's neck spoke volumes. The rest of the Weasleys seemed to be at a loss for words. Fred had stopped struggling though, and the girls released his arms.

"Look, Ron, try to calm down," Harry tried to reason with his friend, but Ron wouldn't listen. He kept trying to break free from Charlie and George, hell bent, it seemed, on killing Fred.

"You bastard, I'll..."

In the end, Charlie and George, with the help of Harry, who had completely forgotten his sprained ankle, dragged Ron out of the room. Being the last to go through the door, George sent an accusing look towards his twin before disappearing. Ginny went after them, not speaking a word, not even looking at the couple, picking up the discarded cooling crème for Harry on her way out.

That left Fred standing in the middle of the room, sporting a black eye, a bleeding nose and several bruises on his upper body. Next to him was Hermione, white as a sheet and shaking.

They stood there for a while, listening to the others dragging Ron downstairs. Ron's cussing could be heard all the way down. Finally, they heard a door close, and they were unable to hear the others any longer.

Fred sighed and let himself fall onto his bed. Hermione quietly started to pick up her clothes and got dressed.

"My brother certainly took it well," Fred remarked, the sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"Did you really have to fight him though?" Hermione asked quietly.

"What did you expect me to do?" Fred sat back up and looked at Hermione. "Just let him beat me to a bloody pulp?"

"You could have..."

"What, Hermione?" Fred asked forcefully. "What could I have done?" He sounded angry now.

Hermione hung her head and fisted her hands into her hair. The room was silent for a while.

"Let's not fight about this. What's done is done," Fred finally said.

Hermione took a deep breath and looked up again. Fred dragged one palm over his broken nose, smearing the blood that had accumulated there. He winced. Taking out her wand, Hermione sat down next to Fred and started to heal his wounds.

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George, Charlie, Ginny and Harry had dragged Ron all the way to the kitchen. Though he seemed to be calming down a bit, he had kept up a steady stream of insults the whole time. It did not take much to see how deeply shaken he had been by seeing Hermione with Fred. In the kitchen, Ron let himself fall on a chair and rested his forehead on the table. He finally stopped swearing.

"I don't believe this." Ginny sat down next to Ron and patted his back consolingly. "Did anyone know about this?" She looked up expectantly at George and Harry. The two guys shook their heads.

"I can't believe Fred didn't tell me." George sat down heavily. He seemed less shocked by the fact that Hermione and Fred had been caught in bed together than by the fact that he hadn't known about it. "We tell each other everything."

"Maybe it's the first time something has happened between them." Charlie, who had stood by the door until then, moved to sit at the table as well.

"No way," Ginny immediately said. "There is no way Hermione would just jump into bed with a guy without being seriously involved."

"It's not like they were having sex," George inserted. "I mean they were still half dressed."

"You didn't see them," Ron said angrily, raising his head from the table. "They were all over each other when I came into the room. They didn't even hear me enter at first. How could they do this?"

Harry hadn't said a single word since he had entered the kitchen. He feared that he would give himself away if he were to speak. He pitied Ron; it was obvious that he was heartbroken. Harry shifted uncomfortably, feeling guilty because he had known about Fred and Hermione's plan.

Charlie took out his wand and healed Ron's injuries from the fight with Fred. Ron didn't seem to notice. He kept staring at the surface of the table in front of him, his expression a mixture of utter disbelief, anger and hurt. In any case, his physical injuries weren't nearly as bad as Fred's. No one had noticed, of course, given the uproar in the bedroom, but Fred had mostly refrained from attacking his younger brother and restricted his hits to defend himself only.

Seeing Ron's injuries fade reminded Harry forcefully about his own injured foot. He was presently standing up, leaning against the sink, keeping a bit of distance from the Weasleys sitting around the kitchen table. All his weight rested on his left and uninjured foot. Adrenalin had kept him going so far, but by now Harry was feeling the effects of dragging Ron downstairs while walking with a hurt foot. Once again Harry was not in the mood to delight in the excellent results of his own spell. He resolved to seriously work on his acting abilities so as to avoid having to injure himself ever again in order to pretend to be hurt.

The pain increased by the second, and Harry finally relented and sat down at the table with the others. Ginny noticed his discomfort and silently handed him the cooling crème. Harry rubbed it on his foot and felt instantly relieved even though the pain didn't leave completely.

While he tended to his foot, Charlie and Ginny continued to comfort Ron. George stared pensively into the air.

"I wonder for how long this has been going on," he questioned.

As if it were possible, Ron blanched even more, and Ginny shot George an angry look.

"Shut the hell up."

The kitchen fell silent again.

********************************

Up in the bedroom, Hermione had finished healing Fred's wounds, and he had put his clothes back on as well.

"What do you think we should do now?" she asked him.

Fred shrugged his shoulders. Their actions after being caught making out had depended on the reaction of the others. Therefore, it hadn't made much sense to plan further ahead. They would have to improvise from now on.

"Should we go down and try and talk to them?"

"I guess," Fred said reluctantly. "We can't hide in my bedroom forever."

Together they left the room and walked down the stairs. At the bottom, Hermione halted Fred. She was chewing on her bottom lip and looking rather anxious.

"Do you think we should hold hands or something?" she asked Fred in a low voice so nobody could accidentally overhear. "They have to believe we're a couple."

"That might not be the best idea. Ron's probably still pissed and we shouldn't upset him any further."

Hermione nodded and they kept walking. Checking the living room and finding it empty, the pair went into the kitchen.

Everybody in the kitchen looked up as they entered. Ron made to get up from his chair, but was pushed back down by Charlie's firm hand on his shoulder.

"Hi," Hermione tried, having no idea what else to say.

"Hi? That's all you have to say? How about you start explaining what happened up there," Ginny spat, gesturing roughly in the direction of the twins' bedroom.

The hostile attitude of the girl, whom Hermione had for a long time now considered a very good friend, temporarily blocked her ability to speak. Luckily, Fred was more composed than Hermione.

"Look, guys, we're sorry. We know we should have told you earlier. But..."

"So you are a couple?" Ron interrupted.

"Yes," Fred admitted, and Hermione nodded her head.

"Since when?" Ron asked in an eerily calm voice.

"Since this summer, when we stayed at Grimmauld Place, but..."

Ron interrupted his brother once more. Looking directly at Hermione, he stated, "So you tell me at Bill's wedding that it would be better not to be together because of everything that is going on, and three weeks later you get together with my brother."

"I thought we both agreed that we shouldn't be together," Hermione said, not looking at Ron or Fred, but staring at her shoes instead.

"Yeah, I agreed with you. Because I knew you didn't want to be in a relationship while we're fighting against Voldemort," Ron spat. "Did I miss his defeat then? Because you obviously feel you are able to have a relationship now."

Ron shrugged off Charlie's hand, which still rested on his shoulders, and left the kitchen through the backdoor. Charlie got up and followed him. Harry hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do. But remembering that he had agreed with Hermione that whatever happened he would not speak immediately on her behalf so he would not look suspicious, he decided that there was nothing gained from him staying. He went after Ron, determined to at least try and help one of his best friends.

Harry had barely left the kitchen when Ginny rounded on Hermione and Fred.

"I can't believe the two of you. I never thought you would be so selfish and hurt Ron just so you can have a romp in the sheets. And let Ron catch you? Can you get any stupider?"

"What is this all about?" Mrs. Weasley's voice could be heard from the backdoor that Harry had left open. She entered the kitchen, followed by her husband. "What are you fighting about, and why are you lot back so early? I thought you wanted to go hiking?"

Both Weasley twins were shaking their heads and gesticulating to their sister to be quiet. This should stay among them. But Ginny was far too angry on her brother's behalf (and if she were honest, on her own behalf as well; after all, Harry had broken up with her for very similar reasons as Hermione had with Ron).

"We had to come home because Harry had tripped. We found those two," Ginny pointed towards Fred and Hermione, a nasty look on her face, "... in bed together."

"What?" Mrs. Weasley thundered.

"Fred, is this true?" Arthur Weasley asked his son, alarmed.

Fred had no choice but to nod.

"George, Ginny, leave the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley ordered. George immediately got up, pulling his still angry sister behind him. Once again he shot a look at his twin before he left through the door. This time it was sympathetic.

"This is appalling. Such inexcusable and irresponsible behaviour. I am ashamed of both of you," Mrs. Weasley shouted. She looked at her son.

"I expected more of you, Fred. You were raised better than that." Fred was grinding his teeth and refused to look at his mother.

"We're old enough to make our own decisions," he told his parents.

"Not as long as you are staying under our roof," his mother screamed back at him. Fred did not answer.

Hermione looked at Fred and noticed how his fists were clenched at his sides. He obviously was controlling himself only with difficulty.

"And Hermione, I am very much disappointed in you, too," Mrs. Weasley started on Hermione when her own son stopped arguing. "I was willing to believe that article three years ago was entirely made up by Rita Skeeter, but now I have to assume that there was obviously some truth to it!"

"Mum!" Fred looked at his mother in shock. Obviously he couldn't believe that his mother had just said that. Hermione recoiled from Mrs. Weasley's words like they had physically harmed her. She stood shaking with her back pressed tightly against the kitchen wall.

"Molly, I think that's enough," Arthur Weasley said calmly. To Hermione and Fred he said, "You have to understand that there are certain rules in this house, and as long as you stay here, you are expected to follow them. I know both of you are of age, and we can't control what you do outside this house; though I certainly expected more of you two. You should have at least some regard for the feelings of the people around you."

Mr. Weasley looked at his son and Hermione, disappointment evident in his features.

"Now, I think, we have to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. You will have to promise..."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be going back to my parents," Hermione interrupted his lecture. She felt sick to her stomach and desperately wished to get out of this house. Without even looking at Fred, Hermione turned and left the kitchen hurriedly.

She could not believe the Weasleys' reactions. Hermione had known that Ron would get hurt by her behaviour, and even though there was nothing she could have possibly done about it, Hermione despised herself for harming him.

However, she had not counted on the hostile behaviour of the other Weasleys. With tears streaming down her face, she ran upstairs. She hurried inside Ginny's room and slammed the door shut behind her. Luckily, her trunk was still mostly packed; after all, she had only arrived at the Burrow a few hours ago. Hermione threw the few odd items that she had taken out back into the trunk. The tears were running freely down her face.

A knock at the door made her freeze in mid-movement. Hermione was sure that she could not stand another argument. She stayed silent, hoping that whoever it was would just go away.

"Hermione, it's me," Fred's voice could be heard through the thin wood of the door. "Can I come in?"

Hermione went to open the door and Fred slipped inside quickly. It seemed like he wanted to escape the rest of the house, too.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, noticing her tears immediately.

Hermione nodded her head, though it was glaringly obvious that the opposite was the case.

"I never thought they would react like this." Fred's voice clearly betrayed his shock.

"Me neither."

"Are you going to be okay back at your parents'?"

"Yeah, it definitely beats staying here."

"I know what you mean. I'll be going back to the shop once you're gone."

Hermione had finished packing while they were talking and closed her trunk. They looked at each other for a while, both of them unsure what to do. Fred dragged a hand over his face, his expression unreadable. Hermione was forcefully reminded that she didn't know him that well after all. No matter what they had done in his bedroom and despite the letters they had written to each other during the last months, she still barely knew Fred. And now they were somewhat connected, allies in this insane scheme. Hermione very much hated the Ministry and its stupid laws at that moment.

Fred sighed and offered to take her trunk. Hermione accepted and, taking a deep breath, followed him out of the room.

They made it down the stairs and through the living-room without meeting anyone. Hermione suspected that Harry had convinced the others to leave them alone for now. Once more, she felt gratitude towards her best friend.

At the front door, they ran out of luck. Mrs. Weasley was waiting for them.

"I'll be writing to your parents about this."

"If you must," Hermione answered curtly and with a stony face. The initial hurt was blotted out by anger. She wanted to get out of this house and didn't care what she had to say in order to achieve it.

Mrs. Weasley seemed even more aggravated by her tone of voice and opened her mouth, no doubt, to give her another lecture.

"Leave it be, Mum," Fred said, his voice strained. He walked around his mother, still carrying Hermione's trunk, and left his childhood home. Hermione followed quickly, not sparing Mrs. Weasley another glance.

They walked next to each other at a brisk pace. The three-mile Anti-Apparition radius prevented Hermione from Apparating directly, and she had been unable to use the Floo because, naturally, the Grangers weren't connected.

Hermione didn't know for how long they had walked, but when they reached the outskirts of Ottery St.Catchpole, she could feel a faint tingling when they stepped outside the reach of the wards. She stopped and looked up at Fred, who had ceased walking as well.

"You should be okay to Apparate here." He gave the trunk to her.

"Okay."

She was about to leave when Fred asked, "Why didn't you tell me that it was you who broke up with Ron? I thought the decision was mutual."

"Would it have made a difference?"

"I guess not."

Fred looked at her with a sombre expression on his face. All of a sudden Hermione thought how rare it was not to see him at least smiling. She felt guilty. It was because of her that Fred wasn't laughing.

Not knowing what else to say, Hermione took out her wand.

"Bye then."

"Bye."

Hermione vanished and instantly reappeared in a quiet corner of the street where her parents lived. She took her trunk and dragged it behind herself. A few short minutes later, she stood before the front door and rang the bell.

Her mother opened the door and was quite surprised to see her daughter so soon after her departure.

"Hermione, what happened? I thought you were going to stay with the Weasleys."

"Nothing, mother."

"I'm sure it isn't nothing. We didn't expect you back until the summer."

"Can we please talk about it tomorrow? I'm tired."

Hermione walked around her perplexed mother and inside the house. She saw her father in the living-room, but did not stop to say hello. The emotional rollercoaster ride that had been this day had left Hermione drained, and she was positive that she couldn't possibly relive the day for her parents. Not when everything still was so fresh in her mind.

Not caring about the muscles in her arms that strained underneath the heavy weight, Hermione lifted up her trunk and walked up the stairs as quickly as possible. Once in her room, she locked herself in. Shrugging off her clothes, she got underneath the covers of her bed. With her head buried underneath the sheets, Hermione allowed herself to cry again. It took hours until the tears finally subsided, and she fell into a fitful slumber.

tbc

a/n: Hopefully, you guys like my story so far. Please be so kind and review. Happy Easter!