Quit Before You Lose Everything

2. Two Rules

August 21st, 2001-6:03 am

Hermione woke at the crack of dawn with her heart in her stomach, and her lungs pressed for air. Ripping herself out of bed, she tumbled until righting herself. Looking around, she recounted last nights events before dropping down gently next to the trunk.

Her hands shook as she pulled out clothes, folding them as she went. Until she found a nice pair of shorts and an over-sized tee shirt, lacing up her one and only pair of shoes, she slipped out of the house.

She had left a scribbled note on her pillow, just in case Molly came poking about in the early hours of the morning and wondered if Hermione had ran away.

She didn't want Molly to worry.

Hermione stretched her arms then her legs, before looking both ways on the lane way and picking right.

The world woke up around her as she ran, her arms moving back and forth at her sides. Birds eventually flew into view, and a turtle on the pond bank scattered into the water once her gravel crunching steps got too close for comfort. She circled the pond twice before looping back up the road, and passed by a church.

The sun had just crested as she came to a stumbling stop by the church. She gazed up at the white building, and watched as a large bell began swaying back and forth. Until eventually, a metallic singing noise filled the air. She found a strange sense of beauty in it, and waited around until it finished before taking off again.

She looped the small town surrounding the church, waving at other passerby's but making no move to stop. She waved at the priest as she went by the church once more, then walked down the hill to the pond. She waited until the turtle poked it's head back up in curiosity, before taking off again.

As she neared the Burrow, the sun was fully up and she was positively sweating. She took a break near the side of the house, cranking on a hose to take a drink of water and splashed her neck.

Deciding it was still pretty early in the morning, she slipped in through the back of the house. Eyeing the pile of shoes, before toeing hers off and slipping them up in Bill's empty one.

Hermione moved towards the kitchen, now intending for an actual glass of water when she stumbled to a stop.

Fred was bent over a pie tin, eyes wide and frozen as he stared at her with a fork clutched in his hand at the dinner table. George was stood a few feet away, leaning against the counter with a jar of peanut butter in one hand a spoon twirling in the other. Both still decked in their pajama's and pillow lines on their faces.

"I thought you were Mum." Fred sighed, relieved, and dug into the last night's leftover tart once more.

"Why are you eating it like that?" Hermione asked, reaching up onto an open shelf for a glass, before sticking it under the kitchen nozzle.

"Mum puts us on diets during the season." Fred rolled his eyes dramatically, a piece of tart hanging on his lip.

"Hmm." Hermione hummed, scanning the kitchen before settling on the highest likely drawer, she slid it open gently and pulled out a fork before shutting it with her hip. She approached Fred, swatting his hand away when he tried to stop her and took a hefty bite, making sure to take some of the crust simply because it was his favorite and popped it in her mouth.

She chewed it for a moment, deciding lemon tart was one of those desserts that was best the next day and turned to George. He held out the peanut butter jar in offering, and she twirled her fork in before removing it and leaned back against the sink.

"Did you go for a run?" Fred asked finally, raising an eyebrow at George but he promptly ignored it, choosing instead to focus back on his peanut butter.