Dancing in the Rain by Ziegod Lizski

            It felt rather nice having Hermione in his arms, George mused, like he was some gallant knight rescuing a fair maiden from a fire-breathing dragon. Of course, if Hermione had heard his inner monologue, she would have undoubtedly given him a three-hour lecture on sexism in fairy tales, telling him that she didn't need anyone to rescue her. He closed his eyes for a second, picturing exactly the way her face would contort as she lectured—the same way it contorted when ranting about S.P.E.W. Truth be told, George rather liked that look—Hermione was damn sexy when angry…In his mind, he concocted ways to rile her up, imagining that he would spend the rest of his life just trying to get a rise out of her, just to see that fire burning in her eyes…Even though in love, George was still a Weasley twin.

            He looked down at Hermione's placidly blank face and was startled by how vulnerable she looked, as though she depended on George for protection.

            "She may never admit it," he thought, a smile playing on his lips, "But she really does need me."

            The smell of medicinal potions stung his nose as he entered the infirmary.

            "Oi! Poppy! Over here!"

            The matronly Madame Pomfrey came out into the waiting room, annoyance flickering across her face.

            "What is it now, Weasley?"

            As George had spent half of his Hogwarts career in the infirmary, suffering everything from bludger injuries to lovesickness, Madame Pomfrey was not concerned to see him there.

            "It's Hermione…She fell down…I did the finger test! I think she has a percussion!"

            "A concussion?"

            "Yeah."

            Madame Pomfrey pulled out her wand and levitated Hermione over to a bed, indicating that George should leave.

            "What? Why should I leave?"

            "Come come now, Weasley. You'll just get in the way."

            George whispered a phrase that should never, ever be said in front of adults, one that would make Molly Weasley's hair stand on end. Madame Pomfrey, however, simply nodded her head knowingly.

            "Don't worry, Weasley, I'll take excellent care of your girlfriend."

            That shut him up.

***

            Hermione found herself on a park bench, warmed by evening sun and watching a flock of birds fly by. A voice came out of nowhere, and she turned to see George standing next to her, an adorable look upon his freckled face.

            "I have a confession, Hermione," he said in a soft voice, sounding more sincere than was normal for a Weasley twin.

            "Yes?"

            "I've loved you all my life."

            "And I you, George."

            "No, in the way that a man loves a woman."

            He scooped her up and kissed her passionately, hugging her fiercely as though he thought that if he let her go, he might never see her again.

            "Miss Granger, dear, are you awake?"

            Her eyelids fluttered open, letting in a world of startling white.

            "You're in the hospital wing…You had a nasty fall, broke your arm. Fortunately, I have better skill at healing bones than Gilderoy Lockhart." She chuckled to herself, amused with her joke.

            "And George?"

            "Oh, Weasley. I sent him away. Judging by the way he protested, he really must like you…And judging by the way you were talking in your sleep, you really must like him, too."

            Hermione's face turned slightly pink.

            "If you ask me, what you two've got is really special. Sure, I've seen my share of Hogwarts romances, but yours is different."

            Hermione bolted out of the infirmary, and Madame Pomfrey mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "You go, girl."

***

            George wandered around the lake, admiring the way the stars reflected off of its obsidian waters. It was eight o'clock, and he still hadn't seen Hermione. As he had done since his first year at Hogwarts, he came out to the lake to think, and in this case, he thought about Hermione…He thought about the way everything he looked at reminded him of her. He looked at the stars, which normally gave him peace by making him realize how very small he was, but all they did was remind him how Hermione's eyes sparkled. Suddenly, a sing-song voice called, and he turned to see Hermione.

            "I got you a present," she said, holding something behind her back.

            "It's not the swimsuit edition of Quidditch Illustrated, is it?"

            She frowned, then laughed. "Better."

            She handed him a bowl of mysterious brown goo.

            "Chocolate soup! How'd you get this?"

            She grinned proudly, "I bribed Dobby with a pair of old knee socks."

            Swiftly, George extended his arms and pulled her into a strong hug, whispering, "I love you."

            "I love you too."

            "Finally!"

            "It took me a while to admit, but I do need you." With a grin, she added, "And if you want to pass Transfiguration, you're going to need me, too. Let's start color-coding your notes!"

            She pulled away, heading back toward the castle. He watched the way her butt moved as she walked for a second before calling out to her.

            "Hermione, wait!"

            "And what could possibly be more important than color-coding your notes?"

            "This," he whispered, pulling her into a kiss. The chocolate soup hit the ground, but neither seemed to notice.

            "Hermione," George said, breaking off the kiss. "It's raining again."

            She looked up to the sky, and sure enough, it was. A smile flickering across her lips, she whispered, "Let's dance."

The End.

***

Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! Y'all are the greatest! Hermione's dream sequence comes from the ending of the film adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. For a film adaptation, it's actually rather good, although the book is much much better. I was guessing that Hermione, being a muggle, subconsciously mixed up her own life with that of the movie. I have a lot of dreams like that. Well, I am quite sad to part with this fic. If you liked it, though, I am currently writing two new stories on ff.net that you might like. "Ginny Weasley: Scarlet Woman" is HP/GW and is actually rather funny. Ginny spreads a rumor that she is a "loose woman" so that she can get a boyfriend. "The Weasley Trap" is RW/HG (I've gone back to the R/H mothership). However, it stars Fred and George, who are trying to set up Ron and Hermione. As with any Weasley twin fic, it is pretty funny, and I thoroughly recommend it to you…Now I am done with my senseless fic plugging.

Fondly,

Ziegod Lizski