Disclaimer: I'm too young to be Rowling so there is sadly no way Harry Potter is mine…

Placing:Afterthesecond war.

Challenge: 'Prompt of the day'. Prompt: (event) family dinner. 1863 words. Gryffindor, Hogwarts.

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sSsSsSsSs

CONFESSION TIME

Part IV

sSs

"Clint! Stop shooting arrows at my boyfriend's butt whenever he's outside!"

"Sorry, sis, no can do. I have a promise to keep, after all!"

sSs

"This," Ron told Hermione while they walked away from the home of her parents to find a quiet corner to apparate. "Was the most horrible dinner I had since forever!"

Hermione winced.

"Ron," she said slowly. "My brothers –"

"Are absolutely insane!" Ron exclaimed. "And don't you dare to object me!"

Hermione who had opened her mouth to do just that, closed it again.

She guessed that it might be the wrong time to defend her brothers right now. Ron was far too wound up to even think about listening to her.

"I can't believe that those men are in any way or form related to you!" Ron exclaimed. "They're absolutely nothing like you at all!"

Hermione frowned at Ron.

She couldn't even understand how Ron thought that she had nothing in common with her brothers!

She knew for a fact, that her brothers were just as intelligent as her or even more intelligent than her! They were also as danger-loving as her, or even a lot more than her! In Hermione's eyes she was the perfect blend of her other siblings!

She shook her head and decided that Ron was just angry because of Sherlock's rude words. Her older brother Sherlock, after all, had a talent to wind up people…

"If you think so," she told Ron and patted his arm. "And now, come, Ron. Let's go back to the Burrow."

Ron frowned, but in the end he nodded.

"Let's," he said. "And let's never go back to that damn place ever again."

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"That damn place is my parents' home," she couldn't stop herself from pointing out coolly.

Ron just growled.

"Whatever," he said. "As long as I don't have to meet those nutcases ever again…"

Hermione's eyes narrowed further, but then, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and reminded herself that Ron had been taken apart by Sherlock just a few minutes ago. He would get over it and stop being so antagonistic towards her brothers, she reminded herself. Ron would get over it again!

"Let's go to the Burrow," she repeated with a deep breath.

And together they entered a side-alley and apparated away.

sSs

"If you don't like the arrows, I'm sure William, James or John could help out with some bullets as well…"

"Sherlock!"

sSs

"Tony!" Hermione exclaimed and stared at her brother in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"There's a conference in London and I decided to crash here at Mummy's," Tony replied while carrying up his stuff into the room that he always occupied when he was at his parents.

Hermione's parents had room for all of their children – even if the most of them had to share room with at least one of their siblings.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her brother after hearing that answer.

"And the conference is now – just barely a week after that disastrous dinner at our parents with Ron," she said in disbelief.

Her brother looked up at that from his luggage and frowned at his baby sister.

"Disastrous dinner?" He asked. "What disastrous dinner?"

Hermione frowned at him, clearly not sure how to take the innocent-looking, seemingly unknowing brother of hers.

"Really, Pipsqueak," said Tony. "It's not as if I hadn't had a lot on my plate for the last few weeks – of course the only thing I had to do was to keep updated with your love-life."

Hermione winced at her brother's sarcasm.

He was right, after all, just a short time ago, there had been an alien-attack in New York. Tony clearly had had a lot of other things going on in his life, so maybe, he truly had had no idea about the catastrophe that had been the last family dinner.

In the end she sighed and stepped forward to hug her brother.

"I'm sorry, Tony," she said. "I shouldn't have –"

"Ant!" She was interrupted before she could even end her sentence. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Hermione turned around, just to see two other brothers walking down the drive-way.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Sherrinford," she greeted the one with the dark curly hair before turning her eyes on the dark-blond head of hair. "James."

Her brothers exchanged a glance.

"Hermione," they returned the greeting, before Sherrinford added. "I thought you were at your boyfriend's…"

"I'm just home for some books," Hermione replied with narrowed eyes. "What are you doing here, Sherrinford, James?"

James opened his mouth, but before he could say something, Sherrinford pointed darkly at James' left arm which was in a sling.

"The idiot got hurt," he said with narrowed eyes, clearly unhappy. "And I'm the babysitter."

Hermione blinked, then snorted.

That definitely sounded like James.

She shook her head at herself.

Mycroft had promised not to send the twins or anybody else after Hermione's boyfriend – and Hermione believed that her eldest brother wouldn't lie to her about that. He would circumvent his promise if he could, but he wouldn't break it.

"Alright," she said. "Have fun – and don't drive Mummy and Daddy mad, will you?"

"Sure thing, sis," Tony assured her grinning before gesturing James and Sherrinford in. "Let's go inside and unpack before my bodyguard and his shadow arrives!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Tony.

"Don't forget that Daddy hates strangers in our home," she reminded him. "Especially if those people aren't friends but solely employees."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tony said. "But I need a bodyguard or two – especially after New York."

Hermione couldn't object to that – she had seen what had happened in New York, and she could fully understand how that had just raised not only her brother's popularity but also the number of his enemies.

"Well – I just hope you have informed Daddy about –"

"Daddy knows my bodyguards personally," Tony assured him. "I have ensured that he's fully aware and fully agreeable when it comes to them."

Hermione nodded.

"Well," she said. "I guess then I'm leaving you to your conference and your babysitting."

With that, she hugged each of her brothers good-bye, went up the stairs to fetch her books and left just a few minutes later.

The moment she was gone, Tony turned to Sherrinford.

"Do you have your lap-top with you?" He asked.

"Sure thing," Sherrinford said, smiling evilly. "Let's go upstairs and hook it up. I guess with the two of us working on this, it shouldn't take long until we find that boyfriend of our little sister's…"

The two exchanged an evil smile.

James raised an eyebrow.

"And what do I do while you're playing with your computers?" He asked.

Tony shrugged.

"How about you sit down and actually rest?" Sherrinford said with narrowed eyes. "You are hurt, after all."

James looked at Sherrinford in betrayal.

"I thought you're here for Hermione's boyfriend and not actually as my babysitter," he pointed out unhappily.

Sherrinford shrugged.

"I'm sure I can do both," he said. "So behave, James – or I'll ensure that you will!"

With that, he and Tony vanished up into their room while James sat down pouting – not that he would ever admit that – in the living room to watch some telly. Thankfully, just an hour or two later, Tony's bodyguard arrived to distract him…

sSs

"I could ask Natasha to do it if you'd prefer knives…"

"Clint!"

sSs

"Hermione!"

Hermione looked up from her book.

"Ron?" She asked, a bit confused at the sniping sound of her boyfriend's voice.

Ron glared at her, while waddling up to her in an odd kind of walk.

"Ron?" Hermione repeated. "Are you alright?"

Ron glowered at her.

"Am I alright?" He asked unhappily. "Am I alright?"

He glowered at her again.

"Of course I'm not alright!" He exclaimed, his face red with embarrassment. "I've got a stick stuck in my buttocks! I'm anything but alright!"

Hermione blinked at her boyfriend in confusion.

"A stick in your butt –"

Ron turned around to show her what he meant.

For a minute or two, Hermione just stared at her boyfriend's backside in total disbelief. Then she shook her head and closed her eyes.

The "stick" in her boyfriend's buttock was an arrow.

An arrow with a black shaft and purple fletching.

Hermione knew that arrow.

She knew it as well as her other brothers' weapons.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Clint," she growled and Ron turned around to look at her in confusion.

"What?" He asked confused.

Hermione just stared at him blankly, her mind on someone else entirely.

"Nothing," she said finally before looking at the arrow in her boyfriend's butt. "I'll go and talk to the one who did it."

She would definitely talk to her brother about that…

"The one who did it?" Ron repeated and turned his upper body to look at her in disbelief. "You know who -?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"My brother," she said. "Arrows means that the chance that it's anybody else is nearly nil."

Ron's eyes nearly bugged out.

"Your brother?" He screeched. "Your brother did that to me?!"

"I'll talk to him," Hermione ensured her boyfriend. "Don't worry about it. It will be the first and last time that something like that happened."

Sadly enough, Mycroft would deny that he called the twins in any way or form and Hermione was stumped on how the twins had not only found out about the dinner but also about the living environment and habits of her boyfriend…

Two days after her talk with Mycroft, Ron would end up with a second arrow in his buttocks.

sSs

"Or Ethan if you don't want it to be family. He's still owing me for Croatia."

"Will!"

sSs

Hermione stormed into the room of her older brothers.

On the left side of the room, one blond-haired, grey-eyed man was polishing his knives.

On the right side of the room, one blond-haired, grey-eyed man was surveying something on the screen of one of his computers.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at both of them.

"What are you doing here?" She asked them suspiciously.

The brothers looked up, met her gaze with their own and then exchanged a glance in between themselves.

"Holiday," the right man said.

"Bodyguard for Tony," the left man said and returned to polishing of his knives.

Hermione stared at them, disbelief clearly visible in his eyes.

"Uhuh," she said. "Of course – and that's the only reason you're here…"

"Of course," the left twin said, eyes huge and innocent. "It's not as if I had time for more. Looking after Tony is a full-time job, after all!"

Hermione snorted, clearly not believing him even if what he said was true.

The right twin meanwhile waved it off.

"Naw," he said. "I'm also here to keep an eye on Clint. I know what he gets up to without me near him, after all!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her brothers at that.

"Like shooting arrows at my boyfriend?" She asked suspiciously.

The left twin looked at her innocently.

"I would never think about shooting arrows at the boyfriend of my baby sister!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide and as innocent as a baby's.

Hermione stared at her brother in disbelief.

"You know that I don't believe that legend that Robin Hood came out of his story and stole some of your arrows to shoot at my boyfriend!" She told them darkly.

The twins exchanged a look.

"Why not?" Clint said innocently. "It seems somewhat reasonable to me, doesn't it?"

The other twin nodded.

"You're right, Clint," he said. "Sounds reasonable."

Hermione groaned.

"Just," she said with a sigh. "Stop it – both of you!"

The twins looked at her innocently.

"We're not doing anything, baby sis," Clint said and smiled. "But if you don't like arrows, I could ask Natasha to do it if you'd prefer knives…"

"Clint!"

The other twin grinned.

"Or Ethan," he added, smiling as innocently as his brother. "If you don't want it to be family. He's still owing me for Croatia."

"Will!"

The twins exchanged a smirk.

"Oh, c'mon, sis," Clint said.

"It's not as if we'd ever do something to our beloved sister's boyfriend," Will added.

Hermione just narrowed her eyes at them.

"Just. Stop it!" She said slowly and clearly before leaving the room of her youngest older brothers.

The twins looked at each other.

Then Will held out his open and empty hand.

"Arrow," he said to Clint and Clint pulled out of his quiver one of his arrows.

Will took it and looked it over before turning around to his computer.

"Let's see how much that boy'll like a bit more electricity in his butt," he said.

Clint smiled.

"Left or right buttock?" He asked amused.

Will grinned.

"I guess we need a penny to determine that one," he said and Clint returned his evil grin with an evil one of his own.

sSs

"Or me. Then you wouldn't have to worry about your boyfriend ever again…"

"Antony Edward Stark! Don't you dare -!"

"Oops…"

sSs

Ron was standing in the living room of the Burrow scowling.

Harry, Ginny and Neville looked at him in confused.

"Are you alright, Ron?" Harry asked.

"Yes, are you alright, Ronniekins?" George added with a grin while aiding Fred down the stairs, who still had trouble to walk alone after surviving his internal injuries and breaking a lot of bones when he was buried by the wall coming down on him in the last fight of the war at Hogwarts.

Ron just scowled even more.

"How was your dinner, Ronniekins?" Fred added grinning. "I don't remember you talking about it at all after it happened!"

The answer was a dark look, before Ron finally opened his mouth to say his opinion.

"'Mione's family is insane," he said unhappily. "When we marry, we won't invite anyone of her side to it!"

Harry frowned.

"Is that what Hermione wants as well?" He asked.

Ron just scowled again.

"I don't care," he declared. "Those muggles shouldn't be invited! They're… they're…"

He rubbed his backside with his left hand and his face's expression darkened even further.

Neville and the twins followed his gesture with confused interest while Harry winced sympathetically.

"You're telling me those arrows -?" Harry started to say before thinking better of it and stopping. Ginny's eyes widened and she winced as well when she finally caught on.

Ron sent a dark look at his best friend.

"The worst part is, that Hermione tells me there's nothing she can do," he said unhappily. "It's as if she doesn't care about me at all!"

The twins looked at each other.

"What arrows?" They chorused.

Ron pressed his lips together, clearly intending to say no more. Harry just shrugged helplessly.

"Hermione said that Ron was rude and that her siblings didn't take too well to that behaviour and are now extracting their revenge by shooting at Ron with arrows," he explained.

The twins looked at each other in surprise.

"Arrows?" They asked simultaneously.

"They're bloody muggles," Ron said unhappily. "It's not as if they have another option but those pointy things. They can't use proper spells, after all."

Fred and George exchanged a glance accompanied by a raised eyebrow.

"Is that what you told them as well?" Fred asked when turning back to Ron.

Ron glowered.

"I said nothing of that sort," he said unhappily. "I was perfectly polite!"

Ginny snorted and the twins looked at him in disbelief.

"Ron," Neville said hesitatingly. "You don't know what's polite even if it hit you on the nose…"

Ron frowned at Neville.

"Of course I know how to be polite!" He exclaimed unhappily. "It's Hermione's bloody insane family who doesn't! They're not normal! They all should be in St. Mungo's!"

Neville's eyes darkened at that.

"I can't believe –"

"Oh, no, Neville!" Ron exclaimed. "You can't convince me of something different in that case! Those men are insane! I mean, what kind of family is this? Joking about death! Believing that two muggle pranksters are too much for me to handle! Telling lies about me and believing that Hermione will believe them! They're insane, the lot of them!"

In that moment, Hermione stepped into the living room, clearly having heard at least part of the last sentence, because she was looking disapprovingly at Ron.

"Who's insane?" She demanded to know snidely.

Harry, Neville and Ginny winced at her tone of voice and even the twins took a step back to get out of the immediate sight of the soon-to-be irritated witch.

Ron instead clearly didn't catch on onto the danger-warning Hermione was emitting.

"You're entire bloody family," he said, clearly still annoyed at how he had been treated by Hermione's siblings. "I mean, they're actually shooting arrows at me! Arrows! Sparked with ekelictriy, or whatever!"

"Electricity!" Hermione corrected sharply and now clearly about to get angry. "Electricity, Ron! I've told you a thousand times before that it's 'electricity'!"

Ron waved it off with a huff.

"Whatever," he said. "It's not as if I'll ever need that muggle thingy anyway…"

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe," she said slowly. "You deserve an arrow or more in your buttocks."

Ron frowned at her.

"Don't tell me you'll actually listen to that insane muggle and stop being with me just because he said so," he said with a frown.

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"My brother," she emphasised the word unhappily. "Sherlock, is not insane!"

"He told us our war wasn't that bad!" Ron said. "He's looking down on us!"

"He just said that we were lucky and it could have been worse!" Hermione countered unhappily.

"He admitted he and the rest are insane!" Ron said scowling.

"They're brilliant, not insane even if people call them such!" Hermione replied heatedly.

"Your brothers insulted me!" Ron said indignantly.

Hermione glared.

"You did that first," she said before adding like an afterthought. "And Sherlock insults everyone."

"They said you should have been with Krum!" Ron countered as heatedly as Hermione.

"Well – at least he had manners!" Hermione shot back.

"Or with Harry!" Ron pointed out and stabbed his finger towards his best friend.

Harry looked like a deer caught in headlight.

"Woah," he said. "What?"

The twins exchanged a startled look with Neville and Ginny stared at Ron as if he was the insane one.

"Well," Hermione conceded. "It's not as if they know that many boys from my school, so of course they'd mention – even if just because I mentioned him before!"

"They said he was the better choice!" Ron growled.

"Yeah, well – they were a bit biased after having seen you behave while just having heard about Harry," Hermione pointed out unhappily.

"They should have given me a chance before judging me!" Ron exclaimed angrily.

"I'm pretty sure they did and you blew it the moment you openly looked down on muggles!" Hermione screamed.

Ron glowered.

"I never looked down –"

"You said that you didn't care about muggle culture!"

"Yeah, well, I don't!" Ron countered with gritted teeth. "It's not as if it's in any way important to us wizards!"

"It's part of my culture!" Hermione countered and Ron shrugged.

"You're a witch, so it isn't," he replied.

Hermione shot him a betrayed look.

"I'm born to muggles!" She pointed out heatedly.

"But you are a witch!" Ron countered. "Anyway, even if I'd be interested in that bloody idiotic muggle culture, I definitely would've stopped being interested after meeting those nutcases you call your family!"

Hermione's eyes widened, then narrowed in something akin to fury.

"Fine," she said icily. "If that's what you think, then there's just one thing I can say to you: It's over, Ron!"

Ron opened his mouth to reply, just to stare at her stumped.

"Wha – huh? Over?" He asked, uncomprehendingly.

Hermione sneered.

"Yes," she said icily. "Over. We're done, Ron. If that's how you think about my family and my culture, then that's it! I'm not willing to stay with someone who doesn't respect me at all!"

Ron growled.

"So you go and listen to that arrogant bastard just because he's related to –"

Hermione slapped him.

"No," she said harshly. "I ended it because you're a biased ass and because my brother was right. You're not good for me."

With that she turned around and stormed out – just to stop in the door and look at the others.

"If you excuse me," she said. "I think I need some distance."

With that, she left.

Harry, Neville, the twins and Ginny exchanged a look.

"I guess," Harry said slowly. "You've finally taken it too far, Ron. You will have to grovel, if you want to have her back…"

Ginny and Neville nodded.

Fred just shrugged.

"If he ever manages it," he said with an amused sigh. "It's not as if he didn't put one foot after another in his mouth…"

Ron scowled and then turned around to leave as well.

"I'll get her back," he told them, sureness in his voice. "She'll come back when she has stopped being furious."

Harry and the others looked at him dubiously.

Not one of them thought that it would be as easy as Ron believed…

But then – not one of them had any idea what Hermione's brothers had planned now that Hermione had finally gotten rid of Ron…

sSs

"Hey, Ant," Clint said slowly. "What do we do now that Hermione has given up on that idiot?"

"We're going out and search her a better boyfriend, obviously," Sherlock replied immediately.

"Sherlock!"

"What? John, he's right! If we don't find someone else, she might go back to him!"

"Sherrinford!"

"Or she might find someone worse!"

"William!"

"Ah – don't worry. I know exactly what to look for in a good boyfriend…"

"No, James, you don't –"

"And I'll help!"

"Ant, you –"

"What exactly is going on here?"

"Mycroft! Stop them before they go out and search for a boyfriend for our baby sister!"

"Maybe… that might be the best solution…"

"Not you, too!"

Yes, Hermione's male acquaintances had no idea what Hermione's brothers had planned for their future now that Hermione had finally gotten rid of Ron…

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The end of this story. I've some idea about the boyfriend search, but still no idea about the winner…

Hope you liked it

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