Disclaimers: I don't own the characters or the plot, in case you haven't noticed that I mentioned that in the earlier chapters. JKR owns the characters and Christina Dodd owns the plot.
Title: Deception
Author: SoniJanu54
Previously in Chapter 6:
"Let's give him some water," Hermione said.
"Yes, let's." He said sarcastically.
They glanced at him as if surprised to hear him speak, and he swore to himself this would never happen again. Starting tomorrow, he would exercise himself. He would push himself to the limits of his endurance. He would stop worrying about the working of his mind and concentrate on the workings of his body until each joint and muscle moved with the strength and dexterity of a well-oiled steel. He accepted the water from Hermione, and asked, "Will I ever be able to stand on that leg?" He looked at the leg with the compound fracture.
"Yes!" The question surprised Enid. "Unless there is some damage I can't see, you will be able to stand and walk.
"I'll hold you to that promise, lass."
"You do that, sir, you do that." Hermione smoothed the covers over him.
End of Chapter 6.
Chapter 7
Dumbledore was walking towards his office, while Severus Snape and Remus Lupin followed him. The castle was silent. Without any students, it seemed barren.
"Are you sure that it would be for the best if Weasley found out that he isn't...?" Lupin directed his question to Dumbledore's back.
"It would certainly delay his explosion when he finds out about the other thing." Dumbledore was being vague, but not without cause. There were paintings in every part of the castle, and not all of them were bound to serve the school.
"But what about Miss Granger?" Snape asked.
"Mrs. Weasley you mean." Dumbledore sighed. He didn't want to answer this question.
"Is it okay to use her?" Snape said when Dumbledore didn't continue.
Dumbledore turned to face him. "Using her is the only way to help Weasley recover. We agreed on that. And about the small deception…… we will deal with her when she finds out." Dumbledore started walking towards his office, but this time without anyone following him.
Changing the subject, Lupin asked Snape, "When is Meredith coming?" Meredith was Snape's sister. She was going to be Lupin's apprentice for DADA.
"Mere? She will be coming sometime today. I don't exactly know what time." Snape replied without any sneer. Contrary to the common belief, Snape did not snap at anyone who talked. He just enjoyed scaring the students.
Hermione sat alone in a rocking chair while Weasley was sleeping. His bath had exhausted him, but not hurt him. Hickey had supervised and everything had gone as planned. It was past dawn, but Weasley was sleeping the sleep of the innocent. She was alone in the room. Hickey had gone to the kitchens to visit her friends. The school was starting in a week. Hermione could hear the commotion as the teachers returned from their summer homes and started settling in the castle.
She studied Weasley's features. He looked so much better. His cheeks had filled out, and his eyes were no longer sunk in their sockets. His newly washed hair gleamed, and the scars that crisscrossed his face were pale and healed. His beard was shaved and she could now see his square jaw that jutted forward, giving his face character. His cheekbones were starkly high, and his poor broken nose had a hump that gave him a look of a ruthless thug. Perhaps when he regained his memory, he would school his features in a mean smile, and look like Frederick Weasley. Not like some stranger who tugged at her heart.
Well, she amended her thought, smiling, tugged at her heart when he was asleep anyway. When he was awake, he remained an arrogant, unpleasant jackass. Weasley seemed to stir. He stretched his arms like a cat as he watched her.
"Now that's a smile to make a man uneasy."
When Weasley was awake, blood raced through her veins, the air hurt to breathe and every moment she lived in fear…fear and anticipation. Because when he remembered… then everything would change….
He finished stretching, but still stared at her, observing her as she rocked her chair back and forth with slow, gentle motions. She refused to speed up just because he made her nervous; she would maintain an air of tranquility even if it killed her.
"How long have we been married?" he asked suddenly.
She froze. The rocking stopped. She balanced her toes on the floor and wondered if his mind, gone for so long, even now halted in its insatiable demand for information. "Nine years."
"Infidelity?"
"I don't think so," her eyes narrowed, "but I am sure there's been plenty since."
"I meant you!" He roared.
"Oh!" She lost all her serenity. "No, of course not. As if I would care enough to cheat."
That stung his manly pride; she could see it in the way his jaw tightened. She didn't care. In her opinion, he had too much pride without any good reason. She knew. She had shared a bed with him, and the experience was nothing to brag about. Yesterday's kiss couldn't change her mind about that. Trying to get him to talk about something less tense, she asked, "Would you like something to eat? I can get something."
"Yes." Apparently her lecture the day before had worked because he added, "please."
"Good. I am glad that you are hungry."
"Why? If you feel such indifference about me, why should you care if I live or die?"
So much for polite conversation. "The more you ear and drink, the farther away you get from death. I worked too hard for you just give up after you woke up. And besides, as soon as you get better, I can go back to my old life." She left the room to get some food for him before he could say anything. Let him think on that.
The trip to the kitchens took only a couple of minutes, but Hermione waited a few more minutes to make sure that Weasley would be calm before she entered the room.
"So we are estranged." Those were the first words out of Fred's mouth.
"Yes."
"Do you live in my home?"
"No."
"Women like to talk. They never shut up. Why won't you talk?"
She stayed silent just to defy him.
"Speak to me woman. Where have you been? What have you been doing?"
With more patient that was possible for any woman, she offered him a bowl of soup, and said, "I've lived in England."
"Alone?"
"Are you accusing me of having a lover?"
His gaze lingered on her lips, and him mouth quirked. "No. Not likely."
What did he mean by that, and why was he smiling?
"How long have you lived in England?"
"My whole life."
"You couldn't be more than twenty five."
"Twenty six."
"How old were you when you married me?"
"Seventeen."
"You were a child!"
"No, I was foolish."
"We were together less than a year then?"
"Very good. You paid attention to your mother when she taught you arithmetic. We were together for over three months."
"Now you are talking." He had the nerve to sound smug. "Could this get any worse? It just proves that alliance between Scots and English is impossible. I don't believe that I am married. I am too smart to wed an English."
Stupid donkey. Stupid man. "If Dumbledore was to play a trick on you, why would he try to dupe you by presenting you with a wife so distasteful to you?"
"You are not distasteful to me. You simple are difficult and sharp tongued." He had the fall to stroke his hand down her arm as if reassuring her.
"While you are the voice of wisdom and courtesy." She moved away from him. "We had no reason to believe that you'd wake without your memories."
"There is nothing worse than a female who had logic." He allowed.
"Unless it is a male who had none." He didn't acknowledge her hit. Of course not.
He took a spoonful of soup and ate it. It was more tasteful than before, but nothing like peaches.
"When can I have a peach? I dreamed of peaches while I slept, and I have a mighty taste for their sweet tender flesh." He said, grinning. Although he looked in her face, she could have sworn he spoke entirely of something else.
"Have you heard that the fastest way to man heart is through his stomach?" Weasley said.
"No, the fastest way to man's heart is through his chest," Hermione leaned in closer, "with a dagger."
Before they could continue this conversation, there was a knock on the door.
Hermione went to open the door and saw a young woman about her age looking at her with a smile and a bouquet of lilies.
"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley?" She asked.
"Yes, and you are…?" Hermione asked. She had never seen this woman before, but something about her looked familiar. She had straight blach hair, and dark blue eyes. Her face was oval, and her eyes kind.
"Oh, I forgot, sorry. I am Meredith Snape, an apprentice to Professor Lupin."
"Snape?"
"Sev is my step brother." She entered the room and looked around. She moved towards the window, transfigured a small stone into a vase and put the flowers in there.
"They should be fresh for about three weeks." She added. She definitely did not have the Snape personality. She smile often and liked flowers. That was the definite opposite of Snape.
"Oh! You hair is down. Would you like me to braid if for you?" Meredith moved behind Hermione and started parting her hair by the time Hermione had consented.
"Look at this! You ar so lucky. My hair is straight and fine, but this – this is magnificent." Turning to Fred, she asked. "Don't you just love her hair?"
"It's gorgeous." Fred said. He felt left out now. The women started chattering about dresses and hair styles, and an instant friendship formed.
Fred looked at them. They reminded him of his sister and her silly friends, always giggeling for no reason and talking when they had nothing to say…
Wait… his sister?
A/N: I am not very satisfied with this chapter. I wanted it to be longer, but oh well. Thank you guys so much for the reviews. You are amazing. The next chapter will have an accident with Fred, and a furious Hermione. If I made any mistakes in this chapter, feel free to tell me. Review please.