A/N: Alright, I'm sorry for the long dormancy. This is an entry for the Twin Exchange May Challenge!

Prompt: Mouse

Pairing: Hermione/George

Quote: "Get him!"

Theme: The Battle of Hogwarts

It is a little on the long side. I got carried away, but this one was fun! Please read, review and vote for me in the Twin Exchange challenge, but most of all Enjoy!

Hermione sigh contentedly. She couldn't remember feeling so happy in so long, not to mention guilt free for feeling that way. Above her, the sun peaked out from between a few clouds creating a rippled pattern across the white sand all around her. The waves made a gentle sound against the background as she allowed herself to lean back against the towel she had spread out on a dry patch of sand, bidding her mind to empty completely.

"Hey you," came a husky male voice from her left.

Blinking, Hermione looked around for the source of her interruption. She couldn't help it as a smile spread across her face. "Hey," she said, curling herself into a seated position with her arms draped across her bare legs.

"Thinking about a certain dashingly handsome red head are you?" George smiled as he sat behind her and pulled her head back onto his chest.

"Hmm..." she sighed as he began running his hands through her hair. "Yes, I was. Do remind me to give Ron a call when we get back to the flat. I'm sure he would love to hear I've been dreaming of him on our honeymoon."

George made a dramatic gesture of mock rebuff before dipping his head down and capturing her smiling lips with a gentle chuckle. "Careful, woman," he whispered close enough that his lips tickled her lips as he spoke. "I might just have to punish you for that-"

Knock...Knock...Knock...

Hermione made to close the gap between their lips, her heart soaring...

Knock...Knock...KNOCK...

….and he was gone...

Hermione's eyes shot open only to be stung by the violently bright light flooding into her room. A groan escaped her as she brought her hands up to her eyes, wet with tears of both pain and heartache. Not that she had never had dreams about her George before. He was one of her best friend after all. Plus, any woman in her right mind with a pulse (and some without... she reminded herself thinking of Moaning Myrtle) seemed to dream about George Weasley. That was what made it so hard....

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Alright! Alright, I'm coming!" Irritated, she tossed the covers aside and pulling on a house coat she tossed aside her quilt and walked across the floor of her one room flat. She dodged the piles of books (neatly stacked, thank you very much) and rolls of parchment (not so well kept) and was just about to the door when something small and gray shot right across her feet.

Strong witch though she was, trusted right hand to the man who had defeated the darkest of the dark lords, Hermione did the only thing one can do when confronted by the small claws of a mouse digging into bare feet in the morning- she let out a shriek and jumped onto the nearest chair.

Immediately, a soft pop sounded followed instantly by the appearance of a slightly frazzled looking red headed man, his wand drawn at the ready.

Hermione looked up at George with wide eyes from where she stood, perched on one of her soft squashy chairs. "What are you doing?" she shrieked.

"What am I doing? What are you doing!"

"I was on my way to answer the door!"

"And?"

"And, what?"

"And you screamed like a bloody banshee! I've been knocking at your door for ten minutes with no answer and then I hear a bloody scream! I thought you were being tortured or something!"

Hermione looked at George, wand drawn, a serious look on his face and she couldn't help it- she burst out laughing.

Being one who usually initiated jokes, George dropped his wand and looked at Hermione dumbfounded as she fell back onto the chair and laughing so hard, her face was turning a delightful shade of pink. "What's so funny?"

Gasping, she said between breaths, "You!"

"I know I'm hilarious, but do clue me in on what is so funny so I can know why I'm so brilliant," he said, putting his fists on his hips causing Hermione to laugh even harder.

"You...hic...sounded and looked...hic...just like..." she collapsed into a fit once more.

George continued to stare at her as she hiccuped her way through the sentence.

"You look..."

"Yes?"

"Just like...like...your...MUM!"

Looking down, George noticed his stance and posture as he relived his response in his mind before sagging into a chair. "Bloody hell, I did, didn't I?"

Hermione nodded still trying to control herself as her mind flooded with images of the matronly Weasley matriarch.

"Bloody hell," he said, defeated. "Why'd you scream like that and bring out my inner mum? I had hoped I didn't have one!"

Finally under control, she wiped her eyes. "There was mouse! It ran across my feet!"

It was George's turn to laugh. "All that over a bloody mouse! From you? The woman who helped defeat Ol' Voldy?"

Hermione nodded and shuddered. "They've been coming in since Crookshanks passed. I can't seem to get rid of them, and this one ran across my feet!"

"So that's your weakness? Mice?"

"What? It's not like I'm in here shouting 'Get him!' while crawling up on chairs and dancing about..."

George's eyebrow arched as he eyed her position atop the chair.

"Okay! So I overreacted!" she admitted closing her eyes. "I won't tell about your 'Mum Moment' if you don't tell about my being afraid of a mouse!"

"Deal..." Smiling George held out his hand to shake hers, helping her down from the chair. "Glad Fred wasn't here to see. He'd take the mickey out me for years..."

Hermione looked up at him and smiled letting the comfort of George's presence wash over her. It was after the fourth year of the remembrance when she and Ron had called it quits that she and George had begun getting together. At first it was out of mutual loneliness, but soon it turned into a sort of therapy for both of them as they grew closer to one another, drawing comfort from the effortless human contact. George had learned to laugh again with the Help of Hermione and Hermione had simply learned to laugh.

Hermione pulled George a tight hug, feeling warmth flood into her soul at the contact. "How's this year?" she asked, drawing back, but not out of the embrace. Something flickered across his blue eyes before vanishing as fast as it had come.

"Better," he whispered, his hands still on her sides. "You?"

"Not bad..."

George pulled back and walked over to her small kitchen area, pointing his wand at several different cupboards. Immediately, the building blocks of tea began whirling around the kitchen.

Hermione watched her old friend with curiosity. His movements were sharper, almost nervous. "George?" she said, rubbing her arms, trying to recapture some of the warmth that had left her when he had stepped away.

"Hmm?"

"I know that today is...well...today, but you seem a more than a little off..."

"Off?"

"Yes, is everything alright?"

George stopped moving for a moment, as if frozen in space seeming to take a few deep breaths before he turned to look at her over the tiny island in the kitchen. "Actually, I wanted to tell you something..."

Hermione frowned at the seriousness on his face. "Alright..."

"See, there's this woman..."

Heart sinking a little, Hermione swallowed. "Yeah?"

"And we've been friends for years, known each other for longer and I want to take things to the next level, but she used to date my brother."

Hermione's mind flashed to long buried memories of Fred twirling Angelina Johnson around the floor of the Yule Ball. She should have seen it coming, she told herself, hating the disappointment that was starting to bloom in her chest. Hermione and he were just friends- had always been just friends. Get a hold of yourself, Hermione! she thought, shaking herself mentally and forcing a strained smile on her face. The anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts was not the day to throw herself a pity party over something she had never had in the first place. Unfortunately, even with the mental pep talk, Hermione simply couldn't think of anything more intelligent the say than a questioning, "Oh?"

A grin quirked at the corners of George's mouth as he continued, "I wanted to ask her if she would accompany me to the dinner and the ball tonight as more than a friend, but I don't know if she is over my brother."

"Well that was years ago, wasn't it?" she said, unable to keep the slight aftertaste of depression out of her voice.

George handed her a steaming mug of tea and sat down on a squashy chair across from her. All previous signs of nervous behavior were gone and- if Hermione wasn't mistaken- he had a gleam in his eye that she hadn't seen since before Fred had passed. "It was, but I don't want to step on my brother's toes. I mean, dating his ex and all..."

"George," Hermione started, calling to mind years of practice as the girl who would never really be more than a best friend. "If you look at it rationally, I don't think that the statutes for betrayal really matter in this case. I think you should do what makes you happy and what you think will make her happy. I mean isn't that what today is all about? Celebrating the fact that, despite the losses, we have all been given a chance to be happy?"

Jumping suddenly to his feet with a wide smile, George was halfway to the door before Hermione even had a chance to look stunned. "Brilliant, 'Mione!"

"Wait!" Hermione said, catching him just before he disapparated at the door to her flat.

He paused, grin still plastered on his face.

"Do I get to know who she is?"

George's smile widened and he gave her a hug. "Tell you what. Meet me by the Memorial Fountain in the ministry before the Anniversary starts and you'll see. That is, if I can convince her. I just know you'll like her." With that, he gave her a brilliant Weasley twin wink and disappeared with a soft pop.

Hermione looked up at herself in the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her with slightly red still puffy eyes despite all her effort to cover up the tears she had shed earlier that day. It had taken her all the courage she could muster to put on the navy silk dress she had purchased for the Anniversary and brew the potion that was the only thing that could tame her hair. I have to be there, she tried to rationalize. George has finally found someone he can be happy with and he is one of my best friends! I need to be supportive even if it's not me. He deserves this.

She had to bite her lip to keep tears from falling once more as she thanked Merlin for the waterproof spell on her makeup even if it didn't completely hide her red nose and eyes. With one last look in the mirror and and another check of the mirror, she apparated to the Ministry to face the music.

The Entrance hall to the Ministry of Magic was already packed with people by the time George arrived in a finely cut set of black robes. He smoothed down his hair once more covering the gaping hole that had once been his ear, shifted a small box into one of the robe's many pockets, and, with a deep breath, soldiered on his way to giant fountain memorial in the center of the hall, politely nodding and talking to people who still greeted him with sad eyes as he walked.

Once he reached his destination, he looked up at the gaudy memorial with new appreciation. Sure at first, he hadn't liked it at all. It didn't look all that special at first glance. It was simply a thirty foot high rectangle shaped object covered with tiny jagged mirrors that shot sunlight in different directions throughout the day in a shimmering pattern as water flowed over it's surface from it's top. In fact, the first time he had seen the thing, he hadn't even noticed that the names of every person who had died in the War were inscribed between the mirrors like cracks in what should have been one smooth surface. Nor did he notice the large inscription that ran around it beneath the water in the pool that said, "In memorial of those who gave their lives for a the dream of a future with a clear reflection of peace." Actually, George hadn't noticed any of this until years later when he had come to the Ministry to meet Hermione for lunch.

He smiled at the memory catching a glimpse of himself in the fissured surface. With his hair down, he could almost fool himself into thinking that it was his twin staring back at him—a ten year older twin, that is, but his twin nonetheless. "So what do you think, Fred?" he asked his reflection. "You think she suspects?"

To his surprise, of it's own accord, his reflection gave him a grin and a large wink. George laughed and brought his hand to his mouth. Does this mean I've found her? he thought to himself, happy and saddened by his vision.

The reflection that wasn't a reflection simply nodded with a smile and seemed to look over George's shoulder. In the rippled reflection, he could see Hermione approaching through the crowd. Taking a deep breath he whispered "Thank you" to the mirrors and turned to greet a rather sad looking Hermione.

"Hey now!" he said taking her into a hug. "Why the long face?"

Squeezing him tightly, she dropped the hug a little to quickly and backed up a few paces. "Oh, nothing!" she said trying to perk herself up. "Where's your mystery woman?" She made a show of looking around the area.

George put an arm around her shoulders a pulled her so she had her back to the crowd and was facing the rippled surface of the memorial. "Well, see, I haven't quite convinced her yet and I was wondering if you could help." He felt Hermione's shoulders sag under his arm as he kept his face perfectly trained.

"Sure!" she said with false brightness.

"Brilliant, now she's right over there." He pointed to the mirrored surface and smiled.

Searching the millions of tiny surfaces, her brow furrowed in concentration as she searched the reflection the room behind them. "I don't see her,"she said morosely.

"Are you sure?" George said, clearly smiling. "She's right, there!" He pointed again.

"George, I-"

"Wait, I don't think we are close enough." Casting two quick impervious charms on their feet, he picked her up without warning and set her down in the cool water of the fountain.

"George!" she shrieked, trying to fight her way out of the fountain. "What are you doing! We can't do this!" Indeed people around them were beginning to stare at the two war heroes standing in the middle of the memorial fountain.

"Relax!" he said, tugging her towards the center piece. "I just need to show you!"

Hermione allowed herself to be dragged splashing towards the gentle cascade her face red with embarrassment.

Once they reached the center, George pointed once more at the mirror's reflective surface. "There," he said. "Can you convince her?"

Hermione stared at her rippled reflection for a few moments, dumfounded before turning to face George. "I don't understand..." she said, feeling tears sting in her eyes.

George smiled brighty and placed his hands on either side of her waist and looked down at her with a serious expression. "I'm in love with you, Hermione Jean Granger," he said confidently. "Will you be my date to this Anniversary and maybe my wife at the next?" Reaching into his robes pocket he pulled out the small velvety box and opened it, getting down on one knee to reveal a shining diamond ring with three stones.

Tears poured down Hermione's face as she stood shocked, taking the ring in her hands for a few moments before finally flinging herself a George and nearly knocking him into the water that surrounded them. "I will- I mean I do- I mean yes!"

George laughed into her shoulder. Somewhere behind them, he heard Ron's voice ring out, "Finally!" followed by cat calls from Harry and a very pregnant Ginny, all of whom must have witnessed the whole thing.

Hermione chuckled into his George's neck before straightening up with a smile on her face. Then, without warning, she stepped forward and pushed him back into the water with all the force she could muster. "Don't you ever do that to me again, George Gideon Weasley, or I swear I'll-"

Before she could finish, however, George reached up and pulled her down into the water with him. She sputtered in shock as he laughed. "You'll what?" he said, pulling so close that he hear her breath catch above the noise around them.

Without answering, she closed the distance between them with a searing kiss. Cheers went up all around them as flash bulbs went off, photographing their first kiss for the next morning's Prophet.

After a long moment, Hermione broke the kiss and looked up into George's sparkling blue eyes feeling more happy than she had ever felt in her life.

"I told you to ask her out, mate, not ask her to marry you!" Harry shouted from the edge of the pool. "You're lucky she didn't hex you into next week."

George smiled and pulled Hermione up out of the water, not letting go of her even after she was steady. "That I am, mate," he said, not looking away from his new fiance. "I'm very lucky..."

THE END

A/N: A little cliche, I know, but fun! Don't forget to vote!