Chapter 17: A Weight Lifted

"The soul would have no rainbow, if the eyes had no tears." –Native America Proverb

He watched as the balloons rise and lower as they twirled themselves around their owner. It was when the balloons made high enough to make out the face of the shops proprietor, that George dropped his wand.

"Y…You? You did all this?" he asked in a whisper.

"Hello, Red." The owner gently smiled and lifted a hand towards him. "Come, we have much to talk about."

George watched as the light of the balloons created a warm glow around her.

Hermione's hair suddenly became a comforting blaze of fire with the gold and reds shining through her dark curls. She was wearing a simple black halter dress with a white flower print that easily flowed against her figure. The light allowed the dress to sparkle in way he never knew an outfit could. She looked radiant, strong, a distinguished lady of magic.

"…I…I don't understand." George said as he made his way through the balloons to stand closer. "How is this possible, I would have known."

"I will admit, there were times I thought that you had finally caught on. But, how could someone like the Hermione Granger, possibly open a shop like this." Hermione laughed. "I've been told I can be quite 'stuffy.' Sit down George, you look like you're ready to faint."

Hermione pointed to a black and white striped armchair in the corner. George placed himself where she directed with the wheels still turning in his head. Hermione stood before him with a light smile on her face. Allowing him a moment to process all the things that have happened over the last few months. When his body forced him to recline in the chair, she knew he was ready.

"We were losing you. Even though we saw you every day at the burrow, we saw you going through the motions of your day to day life, we were losing you. I knew your entire family was learning to deal with the loss of Fred, and it pained your mother so much to see that you could not properly mourn someone that knew you better than yourself. I was afraid it would only be a matter of time before we lost you as well.

"We all had ways of dealing with the aftermath of the war. Harry and Ron went right into Auror training, Ginny and I went back to school, Percy went back to his uptight self in his ministry job, Bill and Charlie are living their own lives outside the burrow. But you…you went back to an empty apartment, a shop that lost half of a brilliant mind. You and Fred always had a way to make people laugh in their most trying times. But now, you were barley keeping the shelves stocked, you weren't creating anything new. I had to do something." Hermione stood up straight waiting to defend herself. Waiting for the moment that George would tell her she had no right to he just sat there waiting for her to continue. His hands lightly gripping the arms of the chairs, eyes searching hers as if he was attempting to Legilimens her thoughts.

"You needed a push. A shove really, to bring you back. You were never one to back down from a fight, and you always had a knack for showing off. So I decided to open this place in hopes that a little friendly competition would help you. And I was right, it took a while for you to really come out of your shell again, but the last few products you have created have been a huge success. You are bringing happiness and a sense of wonder into people's life again. You're coming back to us." Hermione's voice started to waiver as George stood up from his chair.

"And….and I know we could never replace Fred but…" she started as he walked towards her.

George put his hands on her face and lifted her chin to him. She could see the crystal clear oceans in his eyes, feel the warmth in his fingertips as his thumbs brushed her cheekbones. The balloons still slowly twirling around, allowing the warmth of the light to reach her core. She closed her eyes as his forehead rested against hers.

"Thank you." He whispered before his lips covered hers.

It was the longest kiss she had ever known. She was lost in the sensation of dizziness, breathlessness, and wanting. Oh, how she wanted. Her hands gripped his button down shirt, gone was the tie he had knotted earlier in the day. His long fingers running over the planes of her face as he brought her closer, deeper, stealing her breath as he did so. His hands lowered down her arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps and sighs as he traveled. His hands rested around her waist, pressing their hips together.

As George deepened the kiss and allowed her one last breath, Hermione felt the familiar sensation of tugging behind her naval. They landed softly on the hardwood floor of a dusty living room. Magazines and mail left on the table to collect dust and cobwebs. Once clean dishes stacked in the drying rack on the counter, waiting to be put away in the cabinets above. Shoes left in a disarray by the door as though they had just been toed off upon entry. The apartment had been unoccupied since before the war. It was no longer home for George.

Hermione looked to George to make sure that this is indeed where he wanted to be. He looked back at her and reached for his wand in his back pocket. With eyes never leaving hers, he simply flicked his wrist to dissolve the layers of abandonment. Hermione reached up on her toes and kissed the corners of his mouth. She stepped back from him as she reached up around her neck to release the tie of her dress. George watched as the light fabric swam down her length to create a dark puddle on his floor.

Her silhouette slowly moving down the hallway to the bedrooms and pausing to wait for his direction. George realized he had been holding his breath and that his heart was hammering in his chest. He was back in their home…and he was glad. He made his way down the hall and stopped right in front of Hermione. His eyes searching hers to be sure this is what she wanted. She gave him a soft smile and placed her hands over his still pounding heart. He placed his hands over the light fabric of her undergarments and walked her further down the hall to the room on the right.

The magic of the night brought shivers down their bodies countless times. The feel of him buried inside made her grip the sheets as sweat trailed down the arch of her back. There were moments of hands gripping hair and demanding eye contact, whispers left on the skin of their necks and chests. The moments in between with short breaths and messy hair that would keep them going throughout the night. When the passion was over she would put her ear to his chest and listen to the raging ocean built inside of him. As the waves crashed over and over again, they would slowly lull her into a dreamless sleep.

She awoke with a burning deep inside of her. A sense of intoxication she had never known. That…and the glare of early morning sunlight blinding her through the opening of the blind on the windows. She squinted her eyes shut in rebellion to the rudeness of such an abrupt awakening. She felt the pillow beneath her move as a soundless laugh escaped his nose.

George rolled onto his side, allowing her to be shielded from the morning rays. As she stretched the sheet giving away to the bare skin of her chest and arms. She was a sight to behold. They lay there for what seemed like hours just enjoying the warmth their bodies provided one another, exploring territories that were left unconquered the night before. When hunger and thirst prevailed they left their sanctuary.

They walked down the stairs to the back of the shop, where George had left his wallet the night before. When he came out, he found Hermione glancing over his books. The shop's income was growing, black ink filling pages and pages of the previous months. She smiled when she recognized the moments of time when a new product had come out and was reflected within those thick pages.

"Did you ever consider Malfoy's offer?" she asked as he kissed her shoulder.

"His investments?" he asked, wondering where this conversation could be leading. "No, not really. I'm making more money than I know what to do with."

"Then maybe we seek him out for other financial opportunities." Hermione suggested as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"Such as?"

Four Months Later: "So you mean to tell me, that you got the ferret to help you buy out that Devious shop down the road, and now you are running both stores?" Ron asked as he scooped up some mashed potatoes and dipped them in his steamed corn.

"I didn't buy them out, Ron." George corrected as he brought a drink over to Hermione and took his seat. "I partnered with them. We saw an opportunity to combine our like minds and appeal to the masses more efficiently by working together. It was Hermione's idea of installing the archway portal to connect the two shops to increase impulse shopping."

"With the holiday season approaching, and the weather turning, who wants to walk down the Alley in the snow with all those packages? Letting the customers travel between the two and stay warm and dry only seemed common sense." Hermione added.

"Speaking of common sense," Molly Weasley added as she placed a basket of warm rolls on the table. She glared and pursed her lips as she placed her hands on her hips. "That two young people living under the same roof should be married. So when are you going to be placing a ring on that girl's finger before you besmirch her good name?"

"I've asked Mum! Many times in fact." George exclaimed in defense.

Hermione frowned as she turned her head towards him with a look of, 'you have?'

"But the fact of the manner is, Hermione can be stubborn, in fact she can be quite defiant."

Thank you to those that spotted the formatting issue! So there you have it...finally completed...a weight lifted