Fic: Semper Vigilans (11/20)
Title: Semper Vigilans
Author: Buffybot76 (aka GredMione Fan)
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they are the property of J.K Rowling. I am simply borrowing them for my amusement and non-profit entertainment.
Pairing: Fred/Hermione/George
Rating: M
Summary: The twins had always known that they were different from other children, even those among their own family. It wasn't until they were older that the twins found out just how different they truly were.
Warnings (if applicable): Mild violence
Genre: Romance/Supernatural, eventual crossover
Semper Vigilans
- Chapter 11 -
- Flashback to Monday Night -
Hermione gave yet another irritated huff as she peered out the front window of Flourish & Blotts. The lot was still empty, the last customer having left some time ago. Mr. Wood had also gone, having entrusted her with finishing up closing after she had assured him that she had a ride home. That had been over an hour ago and yet the twins had still not arrived.
Tapping her foot impatiently, Hermione glanced at the wall clock for what felt like the hundredth time. She was extremely nervous about being here, alone at this time of night. She had thought for sure Fred and George would return before closing time and be waiting for her once her job was done. She hadn't counted on being by herself at night, so close to the place where her assault had occurred.
In disbelief, she wondered if she would have to call and remind them. This was a first, normally she could always count on the twins to come through for her. Disappointed, Hermione began fishing around in her bag for her phone when the sound of tapping startled her. Her head shot up, eyes wide in fright before the sight of Oliver Wood's smiling, handsome face registered and relief flooded her system.
"Everything alright there, 'Mione? I figured you would already be gone home." The brown haired man waited for Hermione to open the door and let him inside, despite him possessing a key to the shop, since his grandfather was the owner.
"Well, I would be if my ride had come on time." Hermione tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice but found she couldn't. As she opened the door for Oliver, a thought occurred to her. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at some big game or something?"
Since graduating, the former Rugby captain for Hogwarts Academy had made a name for himself in the sport, much like Victor, Hermione's former boyfriend.
Oliver's boyish smile turned to slight embarrassment as he reached up and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, I seem to have left my roster book in the back." he said sheepishly, "It has the names of teams that my own team are looking at for new talent."
Hermione gave a slight chuckle. "Oh, well, that's a must have then, isn't it?" she said, leading him back to the office where the book most likely was.
"It's an essential, that's for sure." Oliver shared in her humor, glad that he had been able to lift her spirits. By the dejected look on her face when he had first walked up, he had been a bit worried about her. In his opinion, she was far too pretty a girl to have that sort of look on her face and deserves to be kept smiling.
Once Oliver had his ledger, be shot an inquiring look at Hermione. "Well, if you don't want to wait anymore, I can drop you off at your house on my way." he offered.
Hermione started to decline, but one look outside to see the lack of any light blue Ford Anglias changed her mind. "That's really sweet of you, Oliver. Thanks." She smiled. Making sure everything was secure for the night, Hermione and Oliver exited the building, Hermione taking the time to turn off the lights and locking the door behind them. She followed Oliver to his vehicle, a brand new Fire Engine red Toyota 4x4, and he opened the passenger side door for her to allow her to get in. Once she was settled with her seatbelt secured, Oliver closed the door and rounded to the driver's side.
Once they were on their way, Hermione felt herself begin to relax as Oliver engaged her in a bit of friendly banter whilst he drove. Hermione appreciated the distraction, but when his playful words took a more flirtatious tone, she felt herself beginning to blush. She couldn't help but think that it should be Fred and George here, saying such sweet things to her and she felt herself grow annoyed once again. She felt the need to call them if for nothing more than to let them know she didn't need them to come get her anymore.
She scrolled through her Contacts list, then hit the call button beside George's name before bringing the device to her ear. It rang three times before she heard the chipper but panicked voice of one of her best friends.
"Kit! So glad you called! We're running a bit late, you see-" George began, but the sound of his voice hit an already agitated nerve and she cut him off rather abruptly.
"Don't bother, I'm almost home now anyway. I caught a ride." she told him, her voice taking on an icy tone that she had never used on the twins before.
"With who?" Of course, he would want to know with whom she felt comfortable enough to accept a ride from, but George's inquiry inadvertently had Hermione's hackles rising.
"Oliver Wood." she informed him curtly. "You remember him, right? He was a year ahead of you in school, I think. Isn't that right?" She turned to look at Oliver for the latter part of the sentence, purposefully ignoring George for the moment.
"That's right, Hermione. I seem to recall those two being quite the pranksters." Oliver's head bobbed up and down indicating he remember the twins. By now they were just pulling up to her driveway.
"They still are," Hermione replied, giving a warm laugh at his fitting description of the twins. For some reason, she felt the urge to vocally emphasize the fact that them forgetting about her hadn't bothered her, even though, truthfully, it actually had. "Thank you so much for the ride, Oliver, I really appreciate it." she said, as the truck finally pulled to a stop. She knew full well that her phone call with George was still active and he was hearing every word that they were saying.
"Anytime, lass," Oliver said to her as she climbed out of the truck.
She waved goodbye to Oliver before walking up the pathway towards her house. As she walked, she turned her attention back to her phone and injected a chilly tone into her words as she once again addressed George. "Well, I'm home now, so I guess I'll just let you get back to whatever you and Fred were doing. Goodbye."
With that, she hung up the phone with a bit more force than necessary on the screen. Attempting to bring her temper back under control, Hermione let out a long, deep sigh as she finally reached her front door. She rummaged around for her keys within the depths of her bag, finally finding them at the very bottom and withdrawing them with a soft cry of triumph. Within seconds she had unlocked her door and was safely inside.
Tossing her purse and keys upon the little stand nearby, Hermione locked her door before collapsing against it, her back sliding down the surface until she was sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest. She rested her forehead against them as her arms wrapped around her legs. She didn't know why the twins' thoughtlessness had upset her so much, but it had. She could feel the tears stinging the corners of her eyes as they tried to escape. Swiping and arm across her eyes, she concluded why she was angry with the twins.
Maybe it was the fact that she was still slightly unnerved after the attack, or perhaps it was because she had always been able to trust the twins to come through on their word. She was hurt and disappointed in the boys, which was a new combination for her. She had found herself disappointed in the boys quite a few times during school, but never, not even once, could she recall a time that they had ever hurt her in the process.
Glancing at the grandfather clock sitting against the foyer wall, Hermione noticed how late it truly was. Exhaustion began to creep in and with a yawn, the young woman decided that she needed to sleep. Yes, a bit of rest and perhaps she would feel more forgiving in the morning.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tuesday Morning - The Twins' Flat
Fred and George were up bright and early, both with only one goal in mind to achieve that day: To grovel until they attained their Kit's forgiveness.
They had taken just enough time to freshen up, dress and grab a bite of toast before they were out the door, in the car and backing out onto the streets of Diagon. Fred was in the driver's seat this time, seeing as George was busy calling Lee to make sure that Hermione's car was going to be ready on time.
Lee answered, verifying that Hermione's car would indeed be ready around noon. As George was disconnecting the call, Fred was pulling the Anglia into Hermione's driveway. George shot his twin an apprehensive look. "You ready for this, Gred?"
Fred turned to his twin with a smile of trepidation. "Sure, who doesn't look forward to being verbally castrated."
George shuddered at the thought. "What say we try and avoid that at all costs?"
"Well, no promises as it is Kit we're talking about. I just really hope she's in a forgiving mood." Fred replied as he opened his side of the car. George exited on his side and the two began the slow walk to what they hoped was not their execution.
When they finally reached the front door, George raised his hand to knock, but before his fist could make contact the door was swiftly opened. Hermione stood before them, her arms crossed and as she pinned them to the spot with the stern expression she wore.
"Kit, love, so the aliens absolutely refused to release us when we demanded! Can you believe what inconsiderate prats they were? Remind us not to visit them anymore, okay, love?" Fred said before the infuriated woman could even open her mouth to yell at them.
At Fred's words, Hermione's mouth did open, but instead of chastising them as she had planned, words failed her and all she could do was gape at them in surprise. George was stunned as well. That was what Fred thought would keep them from getting their proverbial arses handed to them?
"Ready for work. darling?" Fred continued, gesturing toward the car in the drive, looking from his brother's open mouth to Hermione's. "What? Oh, it's okay, the aliens didn't mess with the car. They just refused to release us until Georgie here gave them a striptease. He was being a bit of a prude about it, really. I tried, but they liked him better. To be honest, I don't think they're as intelligent as we thought since I'm obviously the better-looking twin." he replied with a wink.
"Wha-" Hermione began but shook her head instead. "Aliens? Honestly? Is that the best excuse you could come up with?" Her tone did not sound promising to George's ears.
"I don't think joking is going to work this time, Freddie." George nudged his twin, urging him to be serious for once.
Fred's smile dropped from his face to be replaced with a frown. "I believe you're right, Georgie. Kit, what can we do to make it up to you?"
"How about if you started with a truthful explanation," Hermione suggested. She had uncrossed her arms, which was a good sign in George's opinion. It meant she was not as defensive as she had been.
The brothers shared a look. How would she react if they simply told her that they had been so engrossed in a book that they had lost track of time?
'She already knows we got a book, Gred.' George projected to his twin. 'We just can't let her know what it was about.'
'Okay, Forge, yes she might appreciate the fact that we read a book and immersed ourselves in it so much that we forgot to pick her up, but there could be the very fine chance that she will laugh at the fact that it was a children's book. A very informative one, but still a children's book.' Fred projected back.
As the brothers conversed silently, Hermione watched them, her brows beginning to furrow. Whether in annoyance or confusion, she wasn't sure. Ever since she'd known the twins they had done this. Lengths of silence where they would look to one another as if having a silent conversation. It had always been amusing in the past, but at the moment it was starting to get on her nerves.
"That's fine," she exclaimed suddenly, growing tired of waiting for an explanation that was apparently not going to come. "Let me just grab my purse so I can go get my car."
"Wait, wait, wait, Kit. Just hear us out. All joking aside." Fred rushed to stop her from storming back into the house. "On second thought, this might be a conversation for inside."
Hermione didn't even bother to turn around. Instead, she continued on into the living room, the twins following behind her. Once there, she flopped down onto the couch, grabbing one of the small cushions and gripping it to her chest like a child would a teddy bear.
Once again, the twins found themselves pinned by her glare."I'm waiting." was all she said.
Fred sat down on one side of her as George sat on the other. "The truth is Kit. That book we found yesterday that we were so excited about." Fred started. "Well, we kind of really got into the story."
George nodded when Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "It's true. We were so caught up in the story that time just sort of... flew by."
"That must have been some book," Hermione murmured, finding her anger dissipating as the truth was revealed. She couldn't count the number of times she'd gotten so into reading a good story that she had lost track of time. "And that's the only reason you forgot about me?" she asked, trying not to let on that the thought of them forgetting about her had hurt.
"To be clear, love, it wasn't you that we forgot, but rather time." Fred declared.
George nodded in agreement. "That's right, we would never forget about you on purpose, Hermione. Remember what I said the other day?" he added, his eyes pleading with her to recall his words of how much she meant to them.
Hermione did recall, and her heart fluttered at the memory. Knowing that the only reason they hadn't come to get her last night was due to a simple case of distraction and not that they just didn't want to bother doing so, made her feel such a sense of relief and happiness, that Hermione couldn't help but smile brightly at them as she replied. "Given the circumstances, I suppose I'll have to forgive you."
The twins smiled in relief at her words and the both leaned in to wrap her up in their arms in a three-way hug. Hermione melted into their embrace, admitting silently to herself that she'd missed this, the closeness and comfort their touch provided. When they each pressed a kiss to the top of her head, she sighed happily and smiled.
"Well, now that we're past this crisis, let's say we go and get your car from Lee's, yeah?" Fred murmured into her hair and both Hermione and George nodded in agreement.
After they had picked up Hermione's car, spending a few moments to visit with Lee in the process, Hermione was soon on her way to work while the twins headed back to their flat. They wanted to read more of their book and see if they could get any information on how to contact the author. Surely whoever had the knowledge to write such a thing, would be at least familiar with their condition?
As the twins continued poring over their book and searching for the author, Hermione was just starting her day at work, having opened the register to place the appropriate amount of money inside to start the day, when the sound of tinkling bells above the door sounded, indicating it had opened. Looking up, Hermione watched as Oliver Wood entered the store, smiling at her in greeting.
"Mornin', Lass. I see you got your car back from the garage." he noted in his warm, Scottish brogue.
"Yes, Fred and George took me early this morning to get it." She replied as she closed the register drawer before moving around the counter to begin straightening the shelves. She moved a few of the misplaced tomes into their right places, alphabetizing them as she went.
Oliver smiled as he thought of how angry she had been at the wonder twins last night. "So, did they have to endure your wrath of forgetting you yesterday? What was their reasoning for doing such a thing? I would have never forgotten such a lovely lass."
Hermione smiled at the sweet comment but felt the need to defend the twins, now that she knew the reason behind their tardiness. "Actually, it's quite funny, now that I know why they didn't show. Apparently, they were so wrapped up in a book they bought yesterday, they lost track of time." she said as she moved on to the next isle, Oliver trailing behind her. "I can actually relate since I have done the same thing on occasion."
Oliver gave a slight laugh, "I don't ever remember seeing the twins reading a book in school." He said.
"That's because they never did, not willingly anyway." she chuckled. "It was rather surprising, honestly. But also rather sweet." She didn't realize her voice taking on a dreamy tone as her thoughts began drifting to her two red heads.
"Well, I'm sure those two are full of surprises as always" Oliver commented as he watched Hermione started to drift off into her own thoughts and memories. Determined to bring the pretty brunette's attention back to him, Oliver cleared his throat rather loudly before posing his next statement.
"So, do you have anything planned for next Saturday?"
Hermione looked startled by his question. Was Oliver Wood about to ask her out? Before she could think of a response, preferably a polite way to turn him down, the jingling sound of the store's door being opened heralded the arrival of the bookstore's first customer of the day.
Taking this for the distraction it was, Hermione excused herself politely. "I'm so sorry, Oliver, but I need to take care of this customer. Perhaps we can talk later today." She offered a bright smile and slipped by the brown haired Scot before he could say anything more.
She walked over to the older lady who had unknowingly been her saving grace and began chatting with her, asking what sort of books she was interested in and how she could assist. From the corner of her eye, she saw when Oliver slipped out of the shop and a mixture of relief and guilt assaulted her. She was flattered that he was actually showing interest in her, but her feelings for the twins was something she just could not deny. The last thing she wanted to do was to lead Ollie on.
Shaking it off, Hermione turned back to the woman. "What you're looking for will be right over in this direction, ma'am." she said, leading the way to the romance section.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The Twins' Flat - Tuesday Afternoon
Fred sat back on the couch as he allowed his brother to fire up the laptop. They had finished the book just a few moments prior and now they were preparing to look for any information, preferably of the contact kind, on the author. As George brought up the browser, Fred reflected on the tale they had read and pondered all of the similarities between the powers they possessed and the subject of their book: Youko Kurama.
Could it be true, that there were such things as Kitsune, as the book had called his species? Were he and George not human at all? It left him feeling a bit torn. On one hand, they at least had somewhat of an idea of what they were. But on the other, the revelation led him to wonder what sort of creatures they were. Could they be a danger to other? His response yesterday to the idea of Oliver Wood being after Hermione had kind of scared him if he were honest. He'd been literally ready to go hunt Oliver down. What he had planned to do with Wood once he'd found him, Fred didn't know. And he wasn't quite sure he wanted to find out.
The sound of George's cry of triumph brought Fred back from his musings and he looked over to the page that his twin had brought up.
"I found him. Shuichi Minamino. Says here he's a professor at a local University in Tokyo, Japan." George was crowing at his success. "And look, it even has a number to contact his office!"
Fred felt a grin stretch across his face. Finally, it seemed they were catching a break. "Well, what are you waiting for, Georgie? Grab the mobile and give the bloke a ring."
George did just that, grabbing his cell and punching in the telephone number that was listed on the page for one Professor Shuichi Minamino. Putting it on the loudspeaker, the twins impatiently waited while the phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times.
And then the bloody thing went to voice mail.
They about threw their hands up in the air in frustration when this happened, but managed to restrain themselves. Instead, George focused on forming a coherent and attention catching message. The last thing they wanted was for this Minamino bloke to not take it seriously and not return their call.
"Yes, Mr. Minamino." George began as the man's voice mail clicked on.
"Oi, don't forget to tell him your name." Fred chimed in from behind George, much to his twin's annoyance.
Rolling his eyes, George replied, "I bloody well knew that Fred," before trying once more. "Mr. Minamino, this is George Weasley. You don't know me-"
"Oh! Let him know that we urgently need to speak with him." Fred called out once again, garnering a rather murderous look from his brother.
"Do you want to talk to the machine?" George practically growled as he thrust the phone towards Fred.
His twin shook his head in response, waving him off. "No, no, you go ahead." He responded, earning himself a definite growl this time.
"Okay, then, will you please let me speak?" George managed to say through gritted teeth.
"So-rry." Fred muttered, a bit put out that his twin seemed upset with him. 'Fine.' he thought bitterly. 'See if I try and help again.'
George sighed deeply as he finally turned back to - hopefully - finish recording his message. "Mr. Minamino, sorry about that, but there is a matter of great importance that I really need to discuss with you. It involves Akio, you see, and that book that you wrote awhile back. If there's any way that you could get back in touch with me ASAP then I would much appreciate it. My number is 44 8800 5555. Feel free to call collect if necessary, just please do call. Thank you."
Hanging up the phone, George looked sharply at his brother. "Was that to your liking or should I call back and try again?" he asked sarcastically.
Fred, once again ignoring his brother's sarcasm, nodded, "It's fine. We'll simply give him a couple days to call back, and if we don't hear anything, then we'll try again."
George stared at Fred a moment. He truly was the smarter twin, wasn't he? Shaking his head, George placed the cell down on the table as he leaned back onto the couch in thought. "You know, I'm curious, Freddie." he said after a moment. "You think he might have written any other books? Ones that might apply to us and our condition?" He looked over at Fred who was shutting down the laptop to put it back in its case.
Fred shrugged. "We can always go up to the book shop and look around. We could say hello to Kit while we're there." he suggested.
"Yeah," George agreed."If we're lucky, we'll catch her on her lunch break."
Putting his cell phone in his pocket in case they got "the call" while away from the flat, the brothers headed towards Flourish and Blotts book store.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Flourish and Blotts - Tuesday Afternoon
Hermione paid no mind the jingling sound that indicated another customer had entered the store. It had sounded enough times throughout the day that the impulse to look up every time had ebbed. She had just come back from lunch and was doing inventory when an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She stiffened slightly, but when another arm wrapped around her waist from the other side, she instantly relaxed.
"Hello, boys." she smiled, looking back into Fred and George's grinning faces.
"Hello, pet," George, whose arm was around her shoulders, said as he squeezed her slightly in greeting.
"Fancy meeting you here," Fred's arm around her waist also gave her a squeeze, pulling her into his side in the process.
Hermione shook her head in amusement. "Shocking, I know. What are you guys doing here?" she asked curiously. "Looking for another book to buy?" She hadn't been serious when asking the last question but was surprised when they both nodded their heads yes.
"We were actually hoping we could find anything else by the author of the book we got the other day," Fred said, sounding hopeful. "Think you could help us, Kit?"
"I'll sure try," Hermione began, but just then another customer approached her, asking to be checked out. "Of course, sir, I'll be right with you," Hermione said, gesturing for him to go ahead to the register. She turned back to the twins. "What's the last name of the author?" she asked. "I can't at least point you in the right direction."
"Minamino," George informed her.
Hermione grabbed hold of an arm each and steered them over a couple of aisles, releasing them once they'd reached the right isle. "Everything's alphabetized, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding something by that author." she told them. "Let me take care of this customer and I'll see if I can help you look."
She was surprised when both of them protested. "No, no!" they said in unison.
"Wouldn't want to take you away from your post," George said, giving her a wink.
"I'm sure we can manage," Fred assured her. "You just go take care of that gentleman by the register. He looks like he's getting impatient."
Hermione turned to look, and sure enough, the man waiting to be checked out was looking pointedly at his watch. "Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, hurrying over and leaving the twins to browse the section marked "M".
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oliver slipped back into the book shop using the key his Gramps had given him to the back door leading into the store room. He stealthily made his way through the stacks until he had an unobstructed view of the woman who had recently caught his eye. He watched Hermione ring up another customer before going back to the stack of papers she was working through, his hazel eyes taking in her petite form.
Her feminine curves had developed nicely since the last time he had seen her his final year at Hogwarts. They were accented well in the silky blouse and pencil skirt she wore, clinging in just the right way it made his hands itch to caress them. He appreciated the chestnut curls that fell down her back in silky waves, a vast difference to the bushy mess he remembered her possessing in school. Yes, Hermione Granger had grown into a bonnie fine lass if he didn't say so himself.
He recalled the way she had looked at him earlier when he had been about to ask her out but had been interrupted before she could respond. It almost appeared like she was about to turn him down, but that couldn't be right. Oliver Wood had never been turned down by anyone of the female persuasion before.
He was positive all she needed was a taste of what would be in store for her when she accepted his offer and went out with him. A smug smirk crossed his full lips as he began to make his way toward his distracted target.
Yes, all she needed was a little taste.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione sighed in satisfaction. She had just finished up the inventory sheets for the incoming new books and had them neatly filed away in their folder. She had just placed the folder in the filing cabinet beside the front desk when she felt an arm slip around her waist and immediately assumed it was one of the twins. She was surprised, however, when the arm pulled her up against a firm chest and she glanced up, finding herself staring into the boyishly handsome face of her boss' grandson, Oliver Wood.
"Ollie? What are you-"
Her words were cut off when Oliver swooped down and captured her lips with his. For a moment, she just stood there, frozen in shock as all around them customers of the bookstore stared. Then the silence was broken by two animalistic snarls.
Before Hermione had gathered her wits enough to shove Oliver away, the former rugby captain was being viciously yanked away as another pair of strong, familiar arms gathered her close.
Hermione looked up into a pair of vaguely familiar eyes. Vaguely familiar due to the fact that the usual jovial blue that George's eyes normally possessed, was now mixed with a foreign sheen of amber. George's altered eyes held hers for a brief moment before darting to the left and Hermione turned her head to see what had captured his attention. She gasped at the sight that she beheld a short distance away.
Fred had a struggling Oliver Wood pinned against a wall of the book store. The few customers that had been present had suddenly vanished, having quickly exited the building once the twins had effectively separated the kissing couple.
Fred had the urge to wrap his fingers around the brown haired man's neck and squeeze relentlessly, but he reigned it in. Instead, he settled for pressing his forearm firmly to the bastard's throat while he growled menacingly into his face.
"Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Hermione!" Fred sneered.
The Other tried to protest, but Fred simply applied more pressure to the throat, nearly, but not quite, cutting off the air supply.
He could smell The Other's fear wafting off in waves, like a delectable aroma that appeases the nose. Something inside Fred stirred and suddenly, he wasn't quite himself anymore as a sinister smile stretched across his lips. He leaned in close, so close he could feel The Other's trembling, and placed his mouth scant inches away from an ear.
"If you ever touch what is ours again, it will truly be the last thing you do." The threat carried on the whisper like a promise and he felt The Other's feeble nod, the only response viable.
His gold-tinged eyes locked with terrified hazel ones and for a moment the urge to rip out a throat emerged before a sweet, tender voice calling his name broke through the haze clouding his mind.
"Fred... Fred, let him go," A gentle hand gripped the bicep of the arm held across Oliver's throat. "Please, Fred."
The golden sheen that had crept into his eyes began to abate as Fred released his hold on Oliver. The young athlete slid to the ground gasping for air as the realization of how out of control he had suddenly become dawned on the redhead. When Hermione crouched down beside Oliver to check on him, throwing a slightly scared look toward Fred in the process, it was driven home all the more. What had he done?
He glanced towards George, and shame washed over him when he saw the wary look his twin was sporting. Drawing away from the man he had basically just assaulted, Fred diverted his gaze from all present, murmuring an apology before darting for the door. Once outside, he slipped into the nearby wooded area and took to the trees, using the mysterious agility he possessed.
'Fred, come back!' He heard George's mental call but chose not to heed it. Instead, he sent a mental message back to his twin before blocking his side of the link entirely.
'I need to be alone for a bit. Don't follow me.'
~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Boy, oh boy here comes the angst I was telling you about.
Author: Buffybot76 (aka GredMione Fan)
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they are the property of J.K Rowling. I am simply borrowing them for my amusement and non-profit entertainment.
Pairing: Fred/Hermione/George
Rating: M
Summary: The twins had always known that they were different from other children, even those among their own family. It wasn't until they were older that the twins found out just how different they truly were.
Warnings (if applicable): Mild violence
Genre: Romance/Supernatural, eventual crossover
Semper Vigilans
- Chapter 11 -
- Flashback to Monday Night -
Hermione gave yet another irritated huff as she peered out the front window of Flourish & Blotts. The lot was still empty, the last customer having left some time ago. Mr. Wood had also gone, having entrusted her with finishing up closing after she had assured him that she had a ride home. That had been over an hour ago and yet the twins had still not arrived.
Tapping her foot impatiently, Hermione glanced at the wall clock for what felt like the hundredth time. She was extremely nervous about being here, alone at this time of night. She had thought for sure Fred and George would return before closing time and be waiting for her once her job was done. She hadn't counted on being by herself at night, so close to the place where her assault had occurred.
In disbelief, she wondered if she would have to call and remind them. This was a first, normally she could always count on the twins to come through for her. Disappointed, Hermione began fishing around in her bag for her phone when the sound of tapping startled her. Her head shot up, eyes wide in fright before the sight of Oliver Wood's smiling, handsome face registered and relief flooded her system.
"Everything alright there, 'Mione? I figured you would already be gone home." The brown haired man waited for Hermione to open the door and let him inside, despite him possessing a key to the shop, since his grandfather was the owner.
"Well, I would be if my ride had come on time." Hermione tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice but found she couldn't. As she opened the door for Oliver, a thought occurred to her. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at some big game or something?"
Since graduating, the former Rugby captain for Hogwarts Academy had made a name for himself in the sport, much like Victor, Hermione's former boyfriend.
Oliver's boyish smile turned to slight embarrassment as he reached up and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, I seem to have left my roster book in the back." he said sheepishly, "It has the names of teams that my own team are looking at for new talent."
Hermione gave a slight chuckle. "Oh, well, that's a must have then, isn't it?" she said, leading him back to the office where the book most likely was.
"It's an essential, that's for sure." Oliver shared in her humor, glad that he had been able to lift her spirits. By the dejected look on her face when he had first walked up, he had been a bit worried about her. In his opinion, she was far too pretty a girl to have that sort of look on her face and deserves to be kept smiling.
Once Oliver had his ledger, be shot an inquiring look at Hermione. "Well, if you don't want to wait anymore, I can drop you off at your house on my way." he offered.
Hermione started to decline, but one look outside to see the lack of any light blue Ford Anglias changed her mind. "That's really sweet of you, Oliver. Thanks." She smiled. Making sure everything was secure for the night, Hermione and Oliver exited the building, Hermione taking the time to turn off the lights and locking the door behind them. She followed Oliver to his vehicle, a brand new Fire Engine red Toyota 4x4, and he opened the passenger side door for her to allow her to get in. Once she was settled with her seatbelt secured, Oliver closed the door and rounded to the driver's side.
Once they were on their way, Hermione felt herself begin to relax as Oliver engaged her in a bit of friendly banter whilst he drove. Hermione appreciated the distraction, but when his playful words took a more flirtatious tone, she felt herself beginning to blush. She couldn't help but think that it should be Fred and George here, saying such sweet things to her and she felt herself grow annoyed once again. She felt the need to call them if for nothing more than to let them know she didn't need them to come get her anymore.
She scrolled through her Contacts list, then hit the call button beside George's name before bringing the device to her ear. It rang three times before she heard the chipper but panicked voice of one of her best friends.
"Kit! So glad you called! We're running a bit late, you see-" George began, but the sound of his voice hit an already agitated nerve and she cut him off rather abruptly.
"Don't bother, I'm almost home now anyway. I caught a ride." she told him, her voice taking on an icy tone that she had never used on the twins before.
"With who?" Of course, he would want to know with whom she felt comfortable enough to accept a ride from, but George's inquiry inadvertently had Hermione's hackles rising.
"Oliver Wood." she informed him curtly. "You remember him, right? He was a year ahead of you in school, I think. Isn't that right?" She turned to look at Oliver for the latter part of the sentence, purposefully ignoring George for the moment.
"That's right, Hermione. I seem to recall those two being quite the pranksters." Oliver's head bobbed up and down indicating he remember the twins. By now they were just pulling up to her driveway.
"They still are," Hermione replied, giving a warm laugh at his fitting description of the twins. For some reason, she felt the urge to vocally emphasize the fact that them forgetting about her hadn't bothered her, even though, truthfully, it actually had. "Thank you so much for the ride, Oliver, I really appreciate it." she said, as the truck finally pulled to a stop. She knew full well that her phone call with George was still active and he was hearing every word that they were saying.
"Anytime, lass," Oliver said to her as she climbed out of the truck.
She waved goodbye to Oliver before walking up the pathway towards her house. As she walked, she turned her attention back to her phone and injected a chilly tone into her words as she once again addressed George. "Well, I'm home now, so I guess I'll just let you get back to whatever you and Fred were doing. Goodbye."
With that, she hung up the phone with a bit more force than necessary on the screen. Attempting to bring her temper back under control, Hermione let out a long, deep sigh as she finally reached her front door. She rummaged around for her keys within the depths of her bag, finally finding them at the very bottom and withdrawing them with a soft cry of triumph. Within seconds she had unlocked her door and was safely inside.
Tossing her purse and keys upon the little stand nearby, Hermione locked her door before collapsing against it, her back sliding down the surface until she was sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest. She rested her forehead against them as her arms wrapped around her legs. She didn't know why the twins' thoughtlessness had upset her so much, but it had. She could feel the tears stinging the corners of her eyes as they tried to escape. Swiping and arm across her eyes, she concluded why she was angry with the twins.
Maybe it was the fact that she was still slightly unnerved after the attack, or perhaps it was because she had always been able to trust the twins to come through on their word. She was hurt and disappointed in the boys, which was a new combination for her. She had found herself disappointed in the boys quite a few times during school, but never, not even once, could she recall a time that they had ever hurt her in the process.
Glancing at the grandfather clock sitting against the foyer wall, Hermione noticed how late it truly was. Exhaustion began to creep in and with a yawn, the young woman decided that she needed to sleep. Yes, a bit of rest and perhaps she would feel more forgiving in the morning.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tuesday Morning - The Twins' Flat
Fred and George were up bright and early, both with only one goal in mind to achieve that day: To grovel until they attained their Kit's forgiveness.
They had taken just enough time to freshen up, dress and grab a bite of toast before they were out the door, in the car and backing out onto the streets of Diagon. Fred was in the driver's seat this time, seeing as George was busy calling Lee to make sure that Hermione's car was going to be ready on time.
Lee answered, verifying that Hermione's car would indeed be ready around noon. As George was disconnecting the call, Fred was pulling the Anglia into Hermione's driveway. George shot his twin an apprehensive look. "You ready for this, Gred?"
Fred turned to his twin with a smile of trepidation. "Sure, who doesn't look forward to being verbally castrated."
George shuddered at the thought. "What say we try and avoid that at all costs?"
"Well, no promises as it is Kit we're talking about. I just really hope she's in a forgiving mood." Fred replied as he opened his side of the car. George exited on his side and the two began the slow walk to what they hoped was not their execution.
When they finally reached the front door, George raised his hand to knock, but before his fist could make contact the door was swiftly opened. Hermione stood before them, her arms crossed and as she pinned them to the spot with the stern expression she wore.
"Kit, love, so the aliens absolutely refused to release us when we demanded! Can you believe what inconsiderate prats they were? Remind us not to visit them anymore, okay, love?" Fred said before the infuriated woman could even open her mouth to yell at them.
At Fred's words, Hermione's mouth did open, but instead of chastising them as she had planned, words failed her and all she could do was gape at them in surprise. George was stunned as well. That was what Fred thought would keep them from getting their proverbial arses handed to them?
"Ready for work. darling?" Fred continued, gesturing toward the car in the drive, looking from his brother's open mouth to Hermione's. "What? Oh, it's okay, the aliens didn't mess with the car. They just refused to release us until Georgie here gave them a striptease. He was being a bit of a prude about it, really. I tried, but they liked him better. To be honest, I don't think they're as intelligent as we thought since I'm obviously the better-looking twin." he replied with a wink.
"Wha-" Hermione began but shook her head instead. "Aliens? Honestly? Is that the best excuse you could come up with?" Her tone did not sound promising to George's ears.
"I don't think joking is going to work this time, Freddie." George nudged his twin, urging him to be serious for once.
Fred's smile dropped from his face to be replaced with a frown. "I believe you're right, Georgie. Kit, what can we do to make it up to you?"
"How about if you started with a truthful explanation," Hermione suggested. She had uncrossed her arms, which was a good sign in George's opinion. It meant she was not as defensive as she had been.
The brothers shared a look. How would she react if they simply told her that they had been so engrossed in a book that they had lost track of time?
'She already knows we got a book, Gred.' George projected to his twin. 'We just can't let her know what it was about.'
'Okay, Forge, yes she might appreciate the fact that we read a book and immersed ourselves in it so much that we forgot to pick her up, but there could be the very fine chance that she will laugh at the fact that it was a children's book. A very informative one, but still a children's book.' Fred projected back.
As the brothers conversed silently, Hermione watched them, her brows beginning to furrow. Whether in annoyance or confusion, she wasn't sure. Ever since she'd known the twins they had done this. Lengths of silence where they would look to one another as if having a silent conversation. It had always been amusing in the past, but at the moment it was starting to get on her nerves.
"That's fine," she exclaimed suddenly, growing tired of waiting for an explanation that was apparently not going to come. "Let me just grab my purse so I can go get my car."
"Wait, wait, wait, Kit. Just hear us out. All joking aside." Fred rushed to stop her from storming back into the house. "On second thought, this might be a conversation for inside."
Hermione didn't even bother to turn around. Instead, she continued on into the living room, the twins following behind her. Once there, she flopped down onto the couch, grabbing one of the small cushions and gripping it to her chest like a child would a teddy bear.
Once again, the twins found themselves pinned by her glare."I'm waiting." was all she said.
Fred sat down on one side of her as George sat on the other. "The truth is Kit. That book we found yesterday that we were so excited about." Fred started. "Well, we kind of really got into the story."
George nodded when Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "It's true. We were so caught up in the story that time just sort of... flew by."
"That must have been some book," Hermione murmured, finding her anger dissipating as the truth was revealed. She couldn't count the number of times she'd gotten so into reading a good story that she had lost track of time. "And that's the only reason you forgot about me?" she asked, trying not to let on that the thought of them forgetting about her had hurt.
"To be clear, love, it wasn't you that we forgot, but rather time." Fred declared.
George nodded in agreement. "That's right, we would never forget about you on purpose, Hermione. Remember what I said the other day?" he added, his eyes pleading with her to recall his words of how much she meant to them.
Hermione did recall, and her heart fluttered at the memory. Knowing that the only reason they hadn't come to get her last night was due to a simple case of distraction and not that they just didn't want to bother doing so, made her feel such a sense of relief and happiness, that Hermione couldn't help but smile brightly at them as she replied. "Given the circumstances, I suppose I'll have to forgive you."
The twins smiled in relief at her words and the both leaned in to wrap her up in their arms in a three-way hug. Hermione melted into their embrace, admitting silently to herself that she'd missed this, the closeness and comfort their touch provided. When they each pressed a kiss to the top of her head, she sighed happily and smiled.
"Well, now that we're past this crisis, let's say we go and get your car from Lee's, yeah?" Fred murmured into her hair and both Hermione and George nodded in agreement.
After they had picked up Hermione's car, spending a few moments to visit with Lee in the process, Hermione was soon on her way to work while the twins headed back to their flat. They wanted to read more of their book and see if they could get any information on how to contact the author. Surely whoever had the knowledge to write such a thing, would be at least familiar with their condition?
As the twins continued poring over their book and searching for the author, Hermione was just starting her day at work, having opened the register to place the appropriate amount of money inside to start the day, when the sound of tinkling bells above the door sounded, indicating it had opened. Looking up, Hermione watched as Oliver Wood entered the store, smiling at her in greeting.
"Mornin', Lass. I see you got your car back from the garage." he noted in his warm, Scottish brogue.
"Yes, Fred and George took me early this morning to get it." She replied as she closed the register drawer before moving around the counter to begin straightening the shelves. She moved a few of the misplaced tomes into their right places, alphabetizing them as she went.
Oliver smiled as he thought of how angry she had been at the wonder twins last night. "So, did they have to endure your wrath of forgetting you yesterday? What was their reasoning for doing such a thing? I would have never forgotten such a lovely lass."
Hermione smiled at the sweet comment but felt the need to defend the twins, now that she knew the reason behind their tardiness. "Actually, it's quite funny, now that I know why they didn't show. Apparently, they were so wrapped up in a book they bought yesterday, they lost track of time." she said as she moved on to the next isle, Oliver trailing behind her. "I can actually relate since I have done the same thing on occasion."
Oliver gave a slight laugh, "I don't ever remember seeing the twins reading a book in school." He said.
"That's because they never did, not willingly anyway." she chuckled. "It was rather surprising, honestly. But also rather sweet." She didn't realize her voice taking on a dreamy tone as her thoughts began drifting to her two red heads.
"Well, I'm sure those two are full of surprises as always" Oliver commented as he watched Hermione started to drift off into her own thoughts and memories. Determined to bring the pretty brunette's attention back to him, Oliver cleared his throat rather loudly before posing his next statement.
"So, do you have anything planned for next Saturday?"
Hermione looked startled by his question. Was Oliver Wood about to ask her out? Before she could think of a response, preferably a polite way to turn him down, the jingling sound of the store's door being opened heralded the arrival of the bookstore's first customer of the day.
Taking this for the distraction it was, Hermione excused herself politely. "I'm so sorry, Oliver, but I need to take care of this customer. Perhaps we can talk later today." She offered a bright smile and slipped by the brown haired Scot before he could say anything more.
She walked over to the older lady who had unknowingly been her saving grace and began chatting with her, asking what sort of books she was interested in and how she could assist. From the corner of her eye, she saw when Oliver slipped out of the shop and a mixture of relief and guilt assaulted her. She was flattered that he was actually showing interest in her, but her feelings for the twins was something she just could not deny. The last thing she wanted to do was to lead Ollie on.
Shaking it off, Hermione turned back to the woman. "What you're looking for will be right over in this direction, ma'am." she said, leading the way to the romance section.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The Twins' Flat - Tuesday Afternoon
Fred sat back on the couch as he allowed his brother to fire up the laptop. They had finished the book just a few moments prior and now they were preparing to look for any information, preferably of the contact kind, on the author. As George brought up the browser, Fred reflected on the tale they had read and pondered all of the similarities between the powers they possessed and the subject of their book: Youko Kurama.
Could it be true, that there were such things as Kitsune, as the book had called his species? Were he and George not human at all? It left him feeling a bit torn. On one hand, they at least had somewhat of an idea of what they were. But on the other, the revelation led him to wonder what sort of creatures they were. Could they be a danger to other? His response yesterday to the idea of Oliver Wood being after Hermione had kind of scared him if he were honest. He'd been literally ready to go hunt Oliver down. What he had planned to do with Wood once he'd found him, Fred didn't know. And he wasn't quite sure he wanted to find out.
The sound of George's cry of triumph brought Fred back from his musings and he looked over to the page that his twin had brought up.
"I found him. Shuichi Minamino. Says here he's a professor at a local University in Tokyo, Japan." George was crowing at his success. "And look, it even has a number to contact his office!"
Fred felt a grin stretch across his face. Finally, it seemed they were catching a break. "Well, what are you waiting for, Georgie? Grab the mobile and give the bloke a ring."
George did just that, grabbing his cell and punching in the telephone number that was listed on the page for one Professor Shuichi Minamino. Putting it on the loudspeaker, the twins impatiently waited while the phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times.
And then the bloody thing went to voice mail.
They about threw their hands up in the air in frustration when this happened, but managed to restrain themselves. Instead, George focused on forming a coherent and attention catching message. The last thing they wanted was for this Minamino bloke to not take it seriously and not return their call.
"Yes, Mr. Minamino." George began as the man's voice mail clicked on.
"Oi, don't forget to tell him your name." Fred chimed in from behind George, much to his twin's annoyance.
Rolling his eyes, George replied, "I bloody well knew that Fred," before trying once more. "Mr. Minamino, this is George Weasley. You don't know me-"
"Oh! Let him know that we urgently need to speak with him." Fred called out once again, garnering a rather murderous look from his brother.
"Do you want to talk to the machine?" George practically growled as he thrust the phone towards Fred.
His twin shook his head in response, waving him off. "No, no, you go ahead." He responded, earning himself a definite growl this time.
"Okay, then, will you please let me speak?" George managed to say through gritted teeth.
"So-rry." Fred muttered, a bit put out that his twin seemed upset with him. 'Fine.' he thought bitterly. 'See if I try and help again.'
George sighed deeply as he finally turned back to - hopefully - finish recording his message. "Mr. Minamino, sorry about that, but there is a matter of great importance that I really need to discuss with you. It involves Akio, you see, and that book that you wrote awhile back. If there's any way that you could get back in touch with me ASAP then I would much appreciate it. My number is 44 8800 5555. Feel free to call collect if necessary, just please do call. Thank you."
Hanging up the phone, George looked sharply at his brother. "Was that to your liking or should I call back and try again?" he asked sarcastically.
Fred, once again ignoring his brother's sarcasm, nodded, "It's fine. We'll simply give him a couple days to call back, and if we don't hear anything, then we'll try again."
George stared at Fred a moment. He truly was the smarter twin, wasn't he? Shaking his head, George placed the cell down on the table as he leaned back onto the couch in thought. "You know, I'm curious, Freddie." he said after a moment. "You think he might have written any other books? Ones that might apply to us and our condition?" He looked over at Fred who was shutting down the laptop to put it back in its case.
Fred shrugged. "We can always go up to the book shop and look around. We could say hello to Kit while we're there." he suggested.
"Yeah," George agreed."If we're lucky, we'll catch her on her lunch break."
Putting his cell phone in his pocket in case they got "the call" while away from the flat, the brothers headed towards Flourish and Blotts book store.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Flourish and Blotts - Tuesday Afternoon
Hermione paid no mind the jingling sound that indicated another customer had entered the store. It had sounded enough times throughout the day that the impulse to look up every time had ebbed. She had just come back from lunch and was doing inventory when an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She stiffened slightly, but when another arm wrapped around her waist from the other side, she instantly relaxed.
"Hello, boys." she smiled, looking back into Fred and George's grinning faces.
"Hello, pet," George, whose arm was around her shoulders, said as he squeezed her slightly in greeting.
"Fancy meeting you here," Fred's arm around her waist also gave her a squeeze, pulling her into his side in the process.
Hermione shook her head in amusement. "Shocking, I know. What are you guys doing here?" she asked curiously. "Looking for another book to buy?" She hadn't been serious when asking the last question but was surprised when they both nodded their heads yes.
"We were actually hoping we could find anything else by the author of the book we got the other day," Fred said, sounding hopeful. "Think you could help us, Kit?"
"I'll sure try," Hermione began, but just then another customer approached her, asking to be checked out. "Of course, sir, I'll be right with you," Hermione said, gesturing for him to go ahead to the register. She turned back to the twins. "What's the last name of the author?" she asked. "I can't at least point you in the right direction."
"Minamino," George informed her.
Hermione grabbed hold of an arm each and steered them over a couple of aisles, releasing them once they'd reached the right isle. "Everything's alphabetized, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding something by that author." she told them. "Let me take care of this customer and I'll see if I can help you look."
She was surprised when both of them protested. "No, no!" they said in unison.
"Wouldn't want to take you away from your post," George said, giving her a wink.
"I'm sure we can manage," Fred assured her. "You just go take care of that gentleman by the register. He looks like he's getting impatient."
Hermione turned to look, and sure enough, the man waiting to be checked out was looking pointedly at his watch. "Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, hurrying over and leaving the twins to browse the section marked "M".
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oliver slipped back into the book shop using the key his Gramps had given him to the back door leading into the store room. He stealthily made his way through the stacks until he had an unobstructed view of the woman who had recently caught his eye. He watched Hermione ring up another customer before going back to the stack of papers she was working through, his hazel eyes taking in her petite form.
Her feminine curves had developed nicely since the last time he had seen her his final year at Hogwarts. They were accented well in the silky blouse and pencil skirt she wore, clinging in just the right way it made his hands itch to caress them. He appreciated the chestnut curls that fell down her back in silky waves, a vast difference to the bushy mess he remembered her possessing in school. Yes, Hermione Granger had grown into a bonnie fine lass if he didn't say so himself.
He recalled the way she had looked at him earlier when he had been about to ask her out but had been interrupted before she could respond. It almost appeared like she was about to turn him down, but that couldn't be right. Oliver Wood had never been turned down by anyone of the female persuasion before.
He was positive all she needed was a taste of what would be in store for her when she accepted his offer and went out with him. A smug smirk crossed his full lips as he began to make his way toward his distracted target.
Yes, all she needed was a little taste.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione sighed in satisfaction. She had just finished up the inventory sheets for the incoming new books and had them neatly filed away in their folder. She had just placed the folder in the filing cabinet beside the front desk when she felt an arm slip around her waist and immediately assumed it was one of the twins. She was surprised, however, when the arm pulled her up against a firm chest and she glanced up, finding herself staring into the boyishly handsome face of her boss' grandson, Oliver Wood.
"Ollie? What are you-"
Her words were cut off when Oliver swooped down and captured her lips with his. For a moment, she just stood there, frozen in shock as all around them customers of the bookstore stared. Then the silence was broken by two animalistic snarls.
Before Hermione had gathered her wits enough to shove Oliver away, the former rugby captain was being viciously yanked away as another pair of strong, familiar arms gathered her close.
Hermione looked up into a pair of vaguely familiar eyes. Vaguely familiar due to the fact that the usual jovial blue that George's eyes normally possessed, was now mixed with a foreign sheen of amber. George's altered eyes held hers for a brief moment before darting to the left and Hermione turned her head to see what had captured his attention. She gasped at the sight that she beheld a short distance away.
Fred had a struggling Oliver Wood pinned against a wall of the book store. The few customers that had been present had suddenly vanished, having quickly exited the building once the twins had effectively separated the kissing couple.
Fred had the urge to wrap his fingers around the brown haired man's neck and squeeze relentlessly, but he reigned it in. Instead, he settled for pressing his forearm firmly to the bastard's throat while he growled menacingly into his face.
"Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Hermione!" Fred sneered.
The Other tried to protest, but Fred simply applied more pressure to the throat, nearly, but not quite, cutting off the air supply.
He could smell The Other's fear wafting off in waves, like a delectable aroma that appeases the nose. Something inside Fred stirred and suddenly, he wasn't quite himself anymore as a sinister smile stretched across his lips. He leaned in close, so close he could feel The Other's trembling, and placed his mouth scant inches away from an ear.
"If you ever touch what is ours again, it will truly be the last thing you do." The threat carried on the whisper like a promise and he felt The Other's feeble nod, the only response viable.
His gold-tinged eyes locked with terrified hazel ones and for a moment the urge to rip out a throat emerged before a sweet, tender voice calling his name broke through the haze clouding his mind.
"Fred... Fred, let him go," A gentle hand gripped the bicep of the arm held across Oliver's throat. "Please, Fred."
The golden sheen that had crept into his eyes began to abate as Fred released his hold on Oliver. The young athlete slid to the ground gasping for air as the realization of how out of control he had suddenly become dawned on the redhead. When Hermione crouched down beside Oliver to check on him, throwing a slightly scared look toward Fred in the process, it was driven home all the more. What had he done?
He glanced towards George, and shame washed over him when he saw the wary look his twin was sporting. Drawing away from the man he had basically just assaulted, Fred diverted his gaze from all present, murmuring an apology before darting for the door. Once outside, he slipped into the nearby wooded area and took to the trees, using the mysterious agility he possessed.
'Fred, come back!' He heard George's mental call but chose not to heed it. Instead, he sent a mental message back to his twin before blocking his side of the link entirely.
'I need to be alone for a bit. Don't follow me.'
~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Boy, oh boy here comes the angst I was telling you about.