Updated 10/15/2018

S/O to my Amaze-balls beta riversgirl75! She is absolutely incredible and basically the reason why this is better than before (and dear lord it is better…what was I thinking before?!).

Moving on, hope you all enjoy! R&R

Disclaimer: All characters, some lines, and HP storyline goes to J.K. Rowling. She is bae, she is queen

oOoOoOoOoOo

July 12, 1996

He couldn't take it anymore. It didn't matter that it was extremely early, Fred Weasley had to go pee! He sat up in his bed rubbing his eyes and got up quickly. Seeing the light on in his and George's bathroom, the teen swore under his breath and began a silent ascent to the third level, practically running to the loo down there. Just as he got to the door, someone came out and bumped into his bare chest, their hair tickling his skin. The feeling made his need to go even more intense, and he clenched his eyes shut, taking in deep breaths and willing himself not to pee right there. The person he ran into took a step back and rubbed her head with the back of her hand.

"Fred?" She looked up into the twin's eyes and smiled slightly, yawning as her feet began to shuffle forward. "What'r you doin' up?" The girls' voice slurred slightly in her exhaustion and she yawned once more, stretching her arms out.

Fred, bouncing on his toes in urgency, moved the person aside muttering a small, 'one sec,' before closing the door quickly and going inside to relieve himself.

Once done, he washed his hands as quickly as possible and stepped out to find the person from before leaning against the wall, eyes half open and head bobbing as she went in and out of consciousness. He chuckled at little witch who, at that moment, reminded him of a child fighting away sleep. "Good morning, love. What can I do for a pretty little bird like you?" He walked to stand in front of her, his backside to the banister as he leaned back a bit, slouching and crossing his arms over his chest. He yawned quietly covering his mouth with his hand and then started moving his arms about, doing some morning stretches.

Rolling her eyes at the boy's antics, she too yawned and placed a small hand over her mouth.

"Well, you can start by putting on a shirt." She rubbed her eyes softly. "Like a normal person."

Fred looked down at his bare chest and poked his muscled abdomen a couple of times.

"What, you don't like the view?" He smirked a bit and stood up straight, moving his long hair out of his face. He did a model pose flexing a couple of times and making the girl giggle, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink. "I find that hard to believe." She stepped forward and slapped his chest lightly before turning and going towards the stairs.

"Believe it, Weasley. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make myself a cup of tea."

Fred thought for a split second about going back to his warm, soft bed but sighed and followed the girl down the stairs with a pouty expression on his face.

"I'm hurt, Granger. I could've sworn you were checking me out earlier."

Hermione laughed, turning to look behind her as she neared the end of the stairs. "Well you would be wrong, sir. I never did such a thing."

Even though she said it, Fred swore he saw Hermione blush again and he smirked. "Okay," Fred sighed lightly, following her into the kitchen "Whatever you say." He winked coyly and took a seat at the table, watching the girls' movements closely.

"And what's that supposed to mean, may I ask?' She held up a cup looking back at him and he smiled, nodding.

"Yes please. A little bit of milk, three scoops of sugar, and one –

"Spoon of honey," Hermione finished with him. He smiled slightly and gave her a thumbs up.

Spending time with the twins during the summer had changed her perspective on them. They were no longer just 'Ron's prankster older brothers.' She saw both Fred and George as good friends of hers that would listen to her problems, help her feel better, and laugh with her.

When Hermione first arrived at the Burrow, neither Ginny nor Ron had much extra time on their hands. They were both training for Quidditch tryouts and, while she understood their drive, she was terribly lonely. She had her books and some muggle contraptions to keep her busy, but she missed the human interaction. For Ron and Ginny, their schedules mainly consisted of eat, practice, sleep, repeat. Hermione barely saw them with their busy schedules.

Soon after she'd arrived, the twins had their mishap in the shop and came back to the Burrow, needing a place to stay. Being in dire need of companionship, Hermione went to the George and Fred's room, asking if they needed help with any products. She was never a big fan of them selling at school, and she hated that they tested their experiments on first years, but times had changed. The twins had a store, they weren't using unsuspecting first years, and with her charms and potions knowledge, she was an asset to them. The witch spent all day and all night with the boys - at first, just working on products, but eventually sharing secrets and stories, talking about anything and everything. She grew to know their likes, dislikes, personality-specific traits, and even what they each in his tea. The brunette found herself laughing more than ever when in their presence, and she didn't feel like she had to tiptoe around any subjects. Neither twin was as hot-headed as Ron, and both were more school smart than either Ron or Harry. They could understand when she spoke about complicated ideas, and they could actually hold up a conversation about the complex matters. It was an open change and their friendship was something she was proud of; the fact that they moved past previous disagreements and were so close made her happy.

"Correct, Miss Granger, and what I mean is that I don't believe you when you said you didn't check me and my glorious abs out."

"What?" she chuckled pouring hot water into the two mugs. "Why, exactly, would you think I would want to check you – of all people – out?"

He lifted his hands into the air and flicked his wrists down, pointing to his chest, "Let's be real here, Mione." He nodded his head, closing his eyes and smoldering. When he re-opened his eyes, a giggling Hermione stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

"You really do think quite highly of yourself, don't you?" She pulled the tea bags out of the cups and threw them away looking back at Fred for a second awaiting his answer.

"Hey, don't ask me about it, you were the one obviously checking me out."

Hermione's mouth opened in shock and she laughed.

"I mean, I was just kidding." He leaned back and put his arms behind his head. "But yes, I do think highly of myself. Confidence is attractive."

Fred grinned cheekily as Hermione shook her head but smirked, bringing over the steaming tea. He sipped it, being careful not to burn himself, and sighed in contentment. Hermione always made the best tea in his opinion. His mums was always too hot, George's too 'inventive' with weird ingredients, and Ron's too plain.

"So, what were you doing on the third floor? Why didn't you use the fifth-floor bathroom next to Ginny's room?"

"Ginny fell asleep on the toilet… or died." She sipped at her cup, furrowing her brows thoughtfully. "Either that or she just takes a lifetime to use the john."

Fred laughed and looked outside the window next to him. Today will be a good day, he thought, drinking more of his tea. The sun was just starting to rise up over the Burrow's vast yard and there was a nice breeze coming in through the window. The sky was very calming as clouds drifted above in the sky making swirling magical shapes and illusions. That, coupled with the vibrant blues, purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows of the sunrise made the morning sky appear magical – as though it were taken from a painting and colored by the artist himself.

The auburn-haired boy turned and saw Hermione had pulled her legs up to her chest and was sitting, looking out the window drinking her tea slowly, gazing upon the world around her. The atmosphere that surrounded them was calm, peaceful, and quiet. Something you pretty much never got while in the Weasley home.

Fred was just about to comment on it when a bustling woman came into the kitchen. The plump lady had her hair in curlers and was wearing a night robe with and a pair of old slippers. She was startled to see the two teens sitting at the table and jumped when she realized she wasn't the only one downstairs. Placing a hand over her heart, Molly Weasley pushed up her thin, brown, spectacles to the top of her nose to see who could be awake at the early hour.

"George? Hermione?! What are you two doing up right now?"

"Mum, I'm Fred, and we were just chatting while having a cup of tea."

"Yes, yes dear," she said starting to move and bustle around the kitchen. "Sorry, Fred. Why are you up this early to 'chat' though? I can barely get you and your brothers up by 9:00 and that's if I'm lucky and happen to have food cooking. So, what on earth are you doing in my kitchen at 7:30 in the morning?" Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes at her son and pointed a spoon in his direction. "What are you up to young man?" Fred's eyes widened and he put a hand on his heart in mock hurt.

"Moi? Up to something?"

"Yes you. If you planted one of those wretched pranks of yours again, so help me –

"I didn't do anything, Mum, honest." He looked towards Hermione who nodded her head vigorously supporting his claim. Mrs. Weasley didn't look quite convinced, but nevertheless went back to her cooking. "Thank you," Fred said looking over at Hermione. She just nodded a bit and smiled.

"Why were you up, though?" Hermione asked, looking at him.

"I went to the loo; you saw. Well, I mean, you didn't 'see' see, but ah, bloody hell, you know what I mean."

"Language young man!" Mrs. Weasley shouted to Fred who immediately held his hands up in surrender and apologized.

"No, I know you went to the loo, I'm not daft, but why so early? I almost always go to the bathroom then and I've never seen or heard you up before."

"Oh, I had a very large water before bed," said Fred chuckling slightly. "I tried out one of our new products and it sort of dried me out, so I drank too much and then didn't go to the loo before bed." He smiled sheepishly at her while she shook her head slowly tutting at him like he was a child.

It was about 8:15 when Molly finished making breakfast. Amazing smells wafted into the living room where Hermione sat reading on a couch, her legs sprawled out and her feet on Fred's lap. He sat back listening to something Hermione called a CD player. It was a small device that somehow played music through a pair of little speakers that went over your ears. Hermione had put a slim disc into the player and Fred sat back, enjoying the lovely sounds coming from the muggle contraption.

Hermione looked up from her book when she heard pounding footsteps on the stairs and a flash of red hair fly past her. "Hey, Ginny. How're you this morning?"

"Never better." The red headed girl said giving her friend a smile. She started moving things around and surveying the room. "Actually; have you seen my jumper?"

"Which one?" Hermione asked putting a bookmark into her story and closing it. "You only have, what, a million of them?"

"Oh har, har," the youngest Weasley said, getting on all fours and looking behind a couch. "It's Harry's blue one. It's got a pocket in the front and he let me borrow it over the summer."

"Already lost it have you then?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I have," Ginny replied irritably, giving Hermione a fierce glare. "Now, are you going to sit on your arse all day or are you going to help me?" Hermione sighed and went to get up but couldn't move.

"Fred. Let go of my feet."

"No."

"Fred, please? This is Ginny we're talking about."

"So?"

"Do you really want to be on the receiving end of one of her bat bogey hexes? She can't do anything now, but don't underestimate the power of that girl's memory." The prankster let go of her feet immediately and she stood up, chuckling at how afraid he was of his 15-year-old sister.

"Okay, Gin, where's the last you had that blasted jumper?"

"I think in my room."

"Why are you down here then?" Hermione asked, giving her a confused look.

"That's a good question… Hmmm… I don't know. I guess I thought it might have just maybe happened to get down here."

"Yes, Gin, great thinking," Hermione said sarcastically, grabbing the red head's hand and running upstairs.

As they bounded up the wooden staircase, the brunette couldn't help but think about her morning. Yes, she'd grown closer to Fred, spending loads of time with both him and George, but he seemed to be acting more flirty than usual. Hermione bit her bottom lip, feeling self-conscious. He was acting so cheeky earlier and I was… flirting back? Her face flushed at the thought.

The teen was used to Fred's charming ways. He always acted flirty towards the girls he talked to, it was just his personality, but she didn't usually reciprocate. She wrinkled her brow in thought. It was as though her reactions to him were just natural. She'd always been so awkward where boys were concerned (except when it came to Harry and Ron of course) so why was Fred different?

The slamming of a door pulled Hermione out of her thoughts. She turned around to see Ginny leaning back on her door, an eyebrow raised and a smirk adorning her lips. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me!" Throwing her hair over her shoulder, the ginger laughed and shook her head. "I mean, we all expected you and Ron, but you and Fred?! Well, I doubt even the great oracle Delphi would have been able to predict that one."

Hermione's eyes widened at the accusation and her mouth opened in shock. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about," she stuttered out.

Ginny's brown eyes glinted with excitement and she shook her head with disbelief. "Hermione Granger, you shady lady!" She walked closer

"Nothing happened! Nothing is happening, I swear."

"Oh please, Mione. You two have been getting closer all summer."

"Ginny-" Hermione struggled to find any words, instead running a hand through her long curls in frustration.

"When you arrived, you spent almost every waking moment with the twins! Ever since they asked for your help with their products, it's like you've become an odd little trio. Playing games of that thing you call 'Scramble', or whatever -

"Scrabble."

"Don't interrupt!" The brunette couldn't help but grin at her friend's annoyed demeanor. "I can't count the number of nights you've spent with those two, solving problems, talking, laughing. Hermione let's both be honest, you've fallen for Fred's charms, haven't you?"

"NO! No, I swear I haven't." Hermione was flustered and her face grew steadily redder. "We're just friends, good friends, like Harry or Ron. Ginny, nothing has happened between Fred and me."

"Yet."

"Ginevra Weasley!" The older girl balled her fists at her sides and shook with silent anger. "You aren't listening to me. Nothing happened. I know that Fred is like that with every girl, I'm no exception. Just leave it."

"Hermione -

"Leave. It."

Turning on her heel, the brunette left the bedroom, throwing open the door and walking out - all thoughts of Ginny's lost jumper gone from her mind.

oOoOoOoOoOo

When they didn't come back, Fred got bored and ran up to his room to get ready for the day and wake everyone else up.

When he walked into his room, George was once again asleep, his arms and legs sprawled (literally) everywhere. He was snoring loudly and mumbling indistinguishable words. Fred knelt next to his twin.

"George," he said lowly, slapping his brother lightly on the face a couple of times. "Oi, Georgie!" He was louder then, giving the other boy a harder slap. "Time to rise and shine brother-o-mine."

George moved his twin's hand away and waved his own, indicating for Fred to leave. "Too early."

"Don't be an arse, Georgie. I'll pour water on your head if you don't get up." The half-asleep twin threw up a middle finger to his brother and turned the other way. "Suit yourself." Fred mumbled quietly. "Aguamenti." Water poured from his wand and soaked his now very awake brother.

"Aye, Gred! What the bloody hell was that for, you slimy git?!"

"I told you that I'd soak you if you didn't get up, Forge. Now be a big boy and put on some trousers. Breakfast is ready and waiting." Fred left his twin and quickly changed into some jeans and a tee shirt, not bothering to do his hair.

"I'm going to get you for this," said George, standing up and dripping with water.

"Come get me," taunted Fred with a large smirk, "but if I were you, I'd be careful about anyone seeing you in those white, now transparent boxers." George looked down at his soaked underwear and got even more upset, his face turning a deep shade of magenta.

"Why you little –

He lunged out to get Fred, but with a wink and the twirl of his wand, George's twin had apparated downstairs.

Not two seconds later, Ron opened the door and saw George soaked head to toe in nothing but his boxers.

"Oi! What the bloody hell happened to you?" The youngest male Weasley looked up and down at his older brother with a curious and distasteful expression on his face.

"Fred," George growled.

"Well you might want to put on some pants, dear brother." George's angry frown got deeper. "Those are a bit see-through, don't ya think?" Ron smiled big and gave him a sarcastic thumbs up.

"Oh, sod off, Ron!" The older redhead slammed the door shut in his brother's face, fuming, and the laughter of Ron could be heard from the sixth floor (where the twins' room was) all the way to the kitchen, where everyone but Fred was wondering what was going on.

July 13, 1996

Harry felt a pulling at his belly-button and thought that he was going to be sick. He landed on solid ground and fell in a heap on the wild grass that surrounded the Burrow. After taking a few moments to breathe and get re-oriented, Harry looked up at his smiling professor.

"Ah, apparition, it brings even the best of us to our knees." Dumbledore gave an apologetic look. "Well, let's go on Harry."

The raven-haired boy shook his head and glared at the old man. Looking up through his fringe, Harry smiled, seeing what was the closest thing he had to a home besides Hogwarts. Smiling, he began walking towards the Burrow.

Dumbledore and the green-eyed teen made it to the back door of the tilted home and the elder wizard knocked on the door softly. A light came on suddenly and Harry jumped slightly in fright. He heard the voice of Molly Weasley through the door and smiled, recognizing her protective motherly tone.

"Who's there?" she asked warily. "Declare yourself!"

"It is I, Dumbledore." He looked at Harry, his eyes twinkling as he smiled. "Bringing a young wizard, I believe you know. Mr. Harry Potter."

The door opened quickly and Harry was immediately engulfed in a large bear hug. When the elderly woman pulled back, Harry couldn't help but laugh at her unexpected appearance. Her hair was up in tight curlers, she had a large old bathrobe wrapped around her, her glasses made her eyes look like big dinner plates, and she carried a wilted broom in her hands.

"Harry, oh dear, it's so good to see you!" She smiled brightly at the boy and he found himself unable to not grin back. Molly then looked to Dumbledore and frowned. "You told us it wouldn't be till later tomorrow."

"Ah!" he replied, scratching his silvery beard thoughtfully. "Well, we got lucky. Horace was as weak to Harry's charms as I believed he would be." The old man smiled at Harry knowingly as they were ushered inside. Molly made to close the door, looking around the garden with nervous, darting eyes, before shutting and locking it tightly.

Looking around the familiar threshold, Harry felt immediate nostalgia. He had so many good memories that involved the Burrow. He'd been adopted into a family in the home; had spent hours talking to Hermione and Ron and playing quidditch on the small field that made up a portion of the Weasley's property. His lips twitched upwards at the memories and he was snapped back to reality, noticing that, despite the timing of his unexpected arrival, someone else was in the Weasley's kitchen. He didn't recognize her until she turned around, looking sick, troubled, and not like her usually bubbly self. "Hiya Harry. Professor." She nodded to Dumbledore who nodded back, a sad look passing over his face.

"Hi Tonks." Harry replied, giving her a good look-over. She was obviously unwell, despite the small smile tugging at her lips, and Harry noticed she looked less colorful than usual, having mousy brown hair instead of her go-to bubblegum pink locks. Her skin looked pale and thin in the dim light of the kitchen and she appeared much skinnier than Harry remembered, her bones slightly poking out in some places. "What're you -

"I should really get going though," she said standing up and grabbing her jacket. "Thank you for everything Molly."

"How about you come over for dinner tomorrow-

"No thank you." She interrupted, shoving past the older witch. "I think it's best not too." Tonks stopped by Harry, gave him an apologetic look, but then hastened out the door and apparated away.

"Yes, I should be off too. See you at school Harry." Dumbledore followed where the young witch had just been moments before, and apparated, too.

Harry turned uneasily to see Molly smiling widely at him. "My how you've grown," she said, walking over and taking a good look at him. "You and Ron both. He's grown four inches just this summer!" At the green-eyed boy's surprised expression, she chuckled, ruffling his already messy hair in a motherly way. Mrs. Weasley took his face in her hands, moving it back and forth, inspecting his gaunt cheeks and hollowed out eyes, fatigued with sleep deprivation.

Tsking at his state, she said, "Now this won't do at all. What have those wretched people been doing? Starving you?" Harry shrugged and she let go, walking farther into the kitchen. "Let's get some food in you, dear."

While Mrs. Weasley preparing food, she updated him on all the happenings of late. They discussed Horace Slughorn and Arthur's new promotion before going into a comfortable silence. Harry looked around the home, still as awed as the first time he'd seen it. In the corner of the room, above the fireplace mantle, were pictures. Shaking his head, the boy traveled over to examine the memories. The largest picture, with the most intricate frame, held the whole Weasley family. Harry recognized it as the picture from the Daily Prophet article that spoke on the Weasley's vacation to Egypt. The whole family smiled at him, waving fondly. He smiled too, looking particularly at the longest-haired Weasley. She was only twelve in the picture, her freckles prominent and an excited expression on her face.

Moving on from that frame, the black-haired boy looked at the next moving photographs, seeing more recent ones. In a black frame, Harry saw himself, looking at Ginny, a laugh etched on his features. They were standing in front of the Hogwarts express with Ron and Hermione, and everyone had an arm wrapped around each other. He remembered getting ready to take the picture at the end of their fifth year (Ginny's fourth). Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had just purchased a camera and were anxious to try it out. Right as the picture was snapped, Ginny had said, "Merlins balls! Crabbe and Goyle are having trouble finding their trunks again. I swear, they're like overstuffed babies and Malfoy is their mum." She'd said it in a huff of annoyance, but right after it came out, Hermione started giggling like crazy. Ron couldn't help but join, the brunette's giggling infectious, and the others followed shortly after, making the picture a very memorable and fond one.

The last was one of just the Weasley children. Ron stood with his hands in his pockets, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else and next to him were the twins, arms around each other wearing matching mischievous grins. His eyes travelled to Ginny, who was being held up on the shoulders of Bill and Charlie. The green-eyed boy couldn't help but notice how beautiful Ginny was. Her long hair was whipping around in the wind and she had a brilliant smile on her face that reached her eyes and made them shine with mirth. The boy couldn't help but notice that Percy wasn't present in the picture. Along with everyone looking slightly older, it's how Harry knew the picture was more recent.

Turning from the mantle, Harry came face to face with the family's magical clock and noticed all of the faces were pointed to 'Mortal Danger.' Sensing that Mrs. Weasley was looking at him, he pivoted on his heel and gave her a questioning glance.

She sighed and placed a bowl of soup, a slice of bread, and a glass of pumpkin juice on the table. "It's been like that for a while now. Ever since You-Know-Who –

The woman trailed off as one of the hands started moving. Mr. Weasley's face shifted to 'Traveling' and Molly got up, fleeing to the door.

Harry dug into the food while the older witch answered the door the same way she had when he'd arrived.

"What is it that I call you when we're in the confines of our room?" Harry saw Arthur raise his eyebrows suggestively and give Molly a wink. She, on the other hand, went as bright as a tomato and mumbled, 'Mollywobbles'. Horrified, Harry gagged on the onion soup he had been spooning into his mouth and coughed, sputtering as the hot broth went down the wrong pipe.

As Arthur was let inside, he gave Molly a large kiss on the lips, to which she returned with a harsh slap, gesturing to the raven-haired boy sitting at their dinner table.

"Ah, Harry! I didn't think you would be here until tomorrow." The Weasley patriarch didn't seem distressed at all by what the teen had overheard. Instead, he looked positively happy to see the young lad.

"Dumbledore." Molly explained with a smile, not needing to say more.

"Well, all the same. We're mighty glad to have you."

The three talked for a bit longer about politics, the order, and of course, you-know-who. The serious discussion only stopped when Molly noticed Harry starting to fall asleep at the table. "Here, Harry." He woke, startled, and gave her an apologetic look. "It's no worry dear. Now, your things are currently in the twins' room, which you will soon have to yourself, but tonight you'll be sharing a room with Ronald. Is that okay?" He nodded gratefully, turning to look at her quickly.

"Where will the twins be though?"

"They'll be in Diagon Alley of course," she stated with a laugh. "The twins have a flat above their shop that they would be staying in," she rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "But they have cleaners there at the moment because an experiment went terribly wrong." Harry laughed. Of course, that is what happened. "So, they'll be here for a few more nights with us. Just till they get everything cleared out." Harry nodded in understanding and began to make his way upstairs.

"Goodnight Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley."

"Oh, goodnight dear." She smiled and left, going back to the kitchen.

Harry made his way up to the sixth floor and was hit, almost immediately, with the snores of his best friend. Smiling and chuckling at the red head spewed across his bed, Harry made his way over to the second bed and immediately flopped down. He sighed in relief, sinking into the duvet, and feeling safe. He was at the Weasley's now. He didn't have to worry about the Dursley's or being lonely anymore. He was with his friends for the rest of the summer. He thought of playing Quidditch with the boys, talking to Hermione and laughing as she explained all the new things she had learned over the summer, and actually eating a good helping of food whenever he wanted. He fell asleep almost instantaneously and, for once that summer, had no nightmares.

oOoOoOoOoOo

(A/N) Hope y'all liked it. Stay tuned for chapter 2. Like this one, it's updated and much, much better. Woot woot. Anyway, here we goooooo…

Bye. R&R

~thehumanlibrary