In High Demand

"You filthy mudblood! Crucio!" Bellitrix Lastrange screamed.

The girl screamed in agony, falling to the ground.

"Crucio!" the Death Eater cursed her again.

The girl screamed again, in excrusiating pain.

"Hermione! Hermione! Wake up," someone said, soothingly, moving the hair off of her sweaty forehead.

Hermione Granger sat up, panting, frantically trying to get her bareings.

"You have the same nightmare?" Ginny asked sympathitically.

Hermione only nodded, grabbing the glass of water, to trying to wet her painfully dry throat.

"What time is it?" hermione wondered. She could see a soft light beginning to make its way through the window of the Burrow.

"About six thirty," Ginny answered, moving from the edge of Hermione's bed to her own. Ginny yawned, and pulled her covers back over her.

"Well, at least its not the middle of the night," Hermione said. "I'm sorry I woke you again."

"Don't worry about it," Ginny assured her yawning once again. "I'm going to get a few more hours of sleep. Are you okay?"

"Of course," Hermione insisted standing and walking over to the dresser that held some of her clothes. "I think that I'll just grab a quick shower before everyone else gets up."

"Hmmm," the half asleep red head mumbled.

Hermione smiled and shook her head, amazed at how quickly all of the Weasley's could just fall asleep. Once she was awake, it took her forever to go back to sleep.

She quietly made her way own the hall to the bathroom. She heard the sound of th toliet flushing and sighed. She stood against the wall, wishing she had waited a few minutes before coming to take a shower. She knew that her eyes were red from crying and that her hair was matted in place from the sweat that always accompanied the dream.

The light went off and the door opened a small squeaking sound escaping from its hinges. Hermione saw a tall figure headed the way that she had just come from. She smiled, knowing who it was, as she watched the twin pass by her. She quietly turned and tried to make her way into the bathroom.

"You have another nightmare?" he turned to ask, startling her.

"How did you know?" Hermione wondered.

"That you had a bad dream? Or that you were waiting for the loo?" he asked, quietly walking towards her so that she could hear him.

"Both," Hermione answered, grinning.

"Well, seeing that our room is next to yours and the walls are thin, I heard you scream," he started.

"I'm sorry," Hermione began but stopped when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be sorry, Mione. We've just been through a war and you went through more then most of us. Now, go get your shower," he ordered gently.

Hermione turned to walk into the bathroom and stopped, turning toward the man who was waiting for her to close the door.

"George, how did you know I was here?" she wondered, realizing he didn't answer.

"Perhaps you'll never know," he answered mysteriously, turning to walk back to the room he shared with Fred.

Hermione rolled her eyes and closed the door. The shower was always a good place for Hermione to think.

The past few months had been mentally and physically challening for everyone. With the end of the war, came gathering the people who had given their lifes for a cause they believed in so much. When Hermione and George had seen Fred laying there, lifeless, it had been all that she could to not to faint. But when they got closer, they could feel his pulse and had taken him directly to St. Mungo's. Fred had made a speedy recover and all had been set right in the Weasley household. Molly, however, had insisted for the twins and Charlie to move back into the Burrow and the boys had complied with out too much of a fit.

Hermione had made her way to Austrilla to restore the memory of her parents. They had been furiousl with her, for alltering their memories, even though it had been necessary for their own safety. Her father had told her never to come back, sating that they could handle anymore 'crazy witch nonsense.' Harry and Ron had found her, weeping in the middle of a playground near her childhood home. They had gone looking for her when she hadn't returned to the Burrow at the time she said she would. Her friends, along with the Weasley's, had made her feel okay with the situation, reminding her that she had a family there with them.

Hermione sighed as she rinsed out the shampoo that was thick in her hair. She cleared her mind, trying despreatly to forget that day. She turned her thoughts back to more pressing matters, such as the up coming year at Hogwarts. All seventh years from the previous year had been asked to return, seeing that the education that they had been given the year before wasn't up to Hogwarts standard. Professor McGonagal had been named the Head Mistress of the school and had made several changes, according to the letters they had recieved just the day before. There would still be prefects, to help see the younger students along, but there would be no Head Boy or Head Girl. The reason behind this, the letter from Hogwarts had stated, was 'to ensure every student has the chance to be just that-a student.' There had been a small, personally hand written note in her envelop from the professor apoligizing that shw ould not be Head Girl. Hermione had laughed, because she honestly didn't care. I could go for a year without any stress, had been her exact thought.

"Hey, could you hurry up in there? I've got to go!" came a voice identical to the person she had spoken to earlier.

"Sorry!" she called out, quickly turning off the water and grabbing a towel.

"Oh, Hermione, is that you?" Fred asked.

"Yes, Fred. I'm nearly through," she replied grabbing her tooth brush and violently attacking her teeth.

"You know," Fre said quietly thought the crack that was in the door. "You could just let me in...I promise to close my eyes."

Hermione chocked on ehr tooth paste, grabbing a cup and rinsing her mouth out. She quickly grabbed her clothes and wrapped herself in her towel. Opening the bathroom door, she was greeted with a smirking Fred.

"Good morning," he greeted the angry women in his best French accent. "You didn't have to get all dressed up for me."

Hermione slapped Fred on the arm, silently curisng herself for not having her wand with her.

"I didn't know that you liked it rough," he couldn't help but tease her one more time, before slamming and locking the door, trying to get away from Hermione.

Fuming, she turned to stomp back to the room she shared with Ginny when she ran into someone.

"Oi!" the human baracaide exclaimed, caught off guard by the half naked women that stood in front of him.

"Sorry, Charlie. I didn't see you there," she replied quietly, blushing. She still felt shy around the second oldest Weasley and being half naked didn't help the situation.

"Thats quite alright," he replied akwardly, trying desperatly not to stare at the attractive women in front of him.

"Well, I guess," she stammard stupidly, pointing toward her bedroom door.

"Of course," Charlie replied, stepping out of her way.

"Thanks," Hermione mumbled, feeling eyes on her as she made her way into the room and shutting the door behing her.

"A beauty, isn't she," a voice startled Charlie, bringing him back to reality.

"What? Huh? Oh, move Fred, I've got to go," he ordered his little brother out of the way.

"Of course," Fred mimicked the action Charlie had used just moments before, causing the older Weasley to punch him in the guy.

"Second beating this morning," Fred mused as he walked to his room, grinning. "Not a bad start to the day."

Hermione, leaning against the door, had heard the whole thing and growled, exasperated. She quickly looked over at Ginny's bed and saw that she was still fast asleep.

"The first think I'm going to do next summer is find me a flat of my own!" Hermione exclaimed, as she furiously got ready for the day.

"Good morning, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley greeted the girl she thought of as her second daughter.

"Morning, Mrs. Weasley," she replied, grinning as she took a seat at the breakfast table.

"Can I help you with anything?" Hermione offered, as she was the only other person downstairs.

"No, not at all,dear. Was Ginny awake? We need to make a trip to Diagon Alley to get a few things for all of you," Mrs. Weasley replied, stirring four things at once with the help of magic. Hermione never got tired of watching magic at work.

"Yes, Ginny was getting dressed when I came down," Hermione answered as a thunder of foot steps came down the stairs.

"Morning boys," Mrs. Weasley greeted the new editions to the room, not bothering to turn and see who entered.

"Good morning, Mum," Fred replied, taking the seat in front of Hermione. "Morning Mione," he grinned at the girl directly across from him. She pretended she didn't notice and continued watching the spoons circle around the skillets and pots. She was still mad at him for teasing her earlier.

"Come on, Mione. I was just messing around. You just make it too easy to tease," Fred replied.

"Let her be, Fred," Mrs. Weasley ordered as she flung plates at him. "Put these around. George, put the silverware around, please."

Hermione watched, amused as the two pranksters did what they were told, without so much as a complaint. She grinned, enjoying the fact that they were still terrified of the wrath of Molly Weasley. She felt someone sit down beside her and turned to see who it was, assuming it was Ginny.

"Oh," the word escaped her mouth before she could stop it. She silently cursed her mouth, wishing itwouldn't have a mind of its own so often.

Charlie chuckled, holding a cup of coffee out for her to except. "Good morning to you too, Hermione," he greeted her, still 'too new' to use the name almost everyone in the family used for the 'brightest witch of their age'.

"Sorry," she found herself saying to him for the second time that morning. "Thanks for the coffee," she added, pleased that she sounded normal, for once.

"Your welcome," he replied, smiling.

"Good morning," Ginny greeted the room as she sat on the other side of Hermione, wondering why Charlie had chosen her usual seat.

"Morning," coursed through the room.

"Mione, heres you some coff...oh you already have some," George replied, wondering how the cup she was holding had gotten there. When he had looked a few moments before, she didn't have her usual cup in front of her.

"Looks like someone beat you to it," Fred observed, laughing as he took the seat he had earlier vacated.

"I'll take it," Ginny offered, wondering what was with her brothers this morning.

They all heard another round of feet racing down the stairs. Harry and Ron laughed as they found seats at the almost full table.

"What's funny?" Ginny asked her boyfriend as he sat next to her.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Ron answered before his best mate could. Ginny doesn't need to know everything, Ron thought reaching for a piece of bacon that was in front of him.

"Good, everyone is here," Mrs. Weasley replied, sticking her head out of the open kitchen window. "Arthur, breakfast."

"I'm right here, love," he replied, coming up behind his wife and kissing her neck.

"Ugh, could you please get a room," Ron complained.

"You're just jealous, Ronald," Ginny definded her parents, who took their normal seats.

"What do you mean," Ron started, growing more angry by the second.

"Tuck in," Mrs. Weasley declared stopping the fight before it got out of hand.

Converstation centered mostly around the trip they would be taking to get the remaining things they would need. The books had been a free gift from the ministry for 'The Golden Trio'. Ginny had to get her books, but all the other three school bond people would need was parchment, quills and ink.

Fred and George would be going to their sucessful shop, looking to supply Hogwarts students with 'All their Joking Needs'. Charlie, who had taken a brack from his duties in Romania, would be helping Hagrid with his duties as Magical Creatures professor.

As they were finishing off their meal, a handful of owls swooped into the dining room, dropping envelops in front of everyone, except for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"What's that?" Arther wondered, looking over at the envelope Ron had in his hands.

"I don't know," his youngest son answered, looking over the envelope. It was a beige, fancy envelope that looked similar to their Hogwarts letters, but instead of the Hogwarts crest, it was closed with the Ministry of Magic seal.

"Its from the Ministry," Hermione replied, opening her letter.

"I wonder what it says," Ginny mused.

Charlie gasped, having opened it without all of the theatrics of his family.

"Can they do this?" Fred asked, for once not at all joking about the situation.

"Looks like they have," George concluded.

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley squeaked, not being able to stand the suspense of the matter.

Charlie handed his mother the letter and sighed not sure what he was going to do.

"What is it Molly?" Auther asked gently, watching the color fade from his wives face.

"They have to get married," she whispered, grabbing her chest.

"Who has to get married?" he demanded, looking over at Harry and Ginny, who didn't seem as upset about the letter as the rest.

"ALL of them!" she exclaimed and then polietly fainted, falling quickly to the ground.