Broken Bits

2. The Cabin in the Woods

Hermione woke with her neck kinked one way, and her head the other. She sat up groaning, rubbing the back of her neck in pain. It was bound to annoy her the entire work day if she didn't down a potion or two right now.

Hermione stumbled down the stairs, holding on to the railing for her dear life. A loud crash in the kitchen caused her to freeze on the last step. 

She had left her wand on her nightstand, so Hermione carefully opened the hall closet to find an umbrella leaning against the wall. She grasped it with both hands, and held it protectively out in front of her. 

"Bollocks! Knock it off!" Hermione heard someone whisper-hiss. She clenched the umbrella in her hands hard, and tip-toed around the corner.

The person was bent over her kitchen sink, their head halfway out the window.

Hermione stepped forward again, tip-toeing on her hardwood floors to slam the umbrella down on the middle of their back.

"Oi, OW! Hermione it's me!" Fred bellowed, pulling himself from the window he looked at Hermione in alarm and Hermione dropped the umbrella in shock. Letting it clatter to her hardwood floor. 

"Fred!" Hermione gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

"I brought you breakfast!" Fred held one hand up in surrender, and the other was reached behind him rubbing tenderly on his spine.

Hermione lunged for the frying pan on her stove, and held it menacingly in front of her. Trying to appear more dangerous than she was.

"Hermione!" Fred shouted, holding both hands up in alarm. Great, his future wife was deranged. 

"It's me...I just saw you last night!" Fred shouted again, taking a few uneven steps backwards as he looked at Hermione in shock. Maybe she was sleep walking. Maybe she hated him. Maybe she was going to up and kill him right here. 

"The Fred I know would never surprise me with breakfast." Hermione said evenly, keeping the frying pan gripped in her hands. She had come to know Fred quite well over the last ten years, and selfless acts of service were not his strong suit. 

"Bollocks Hermione! Can't I do something nice!?" Fred shouted, suddenly very much offended by Hermione's words. He could do nice things on occasion. Granted he didn't do them often, but he could very well do them if he wanted. 

"Your poly-juiced...or under a spell." Hermione tried, tip-toeing towards the box on her table. Not breaking eye contact with Fred she flicked it open to see six bagels arranged in the box, little tubs of cream cheese placed off to the side.

"I just thought..after last night and the letter you are about to read, you'd want a catered breakfast." Fred defended himself, dropping his hands to his sides. He'd let her hit him with a frying pan if she truly wanted to. He was too exhausted to argue any further. If this is the treatment he got for doing something kind, he was never going to do it again. 

He hadn't slept a wink last night. Too busy tossing and turning about the damn marriage law. The bagels had been a spur of the moment decision, but he had also wanted to see what Hermione was doing. He had admittedly been a little curious, though he denied any and all accusations from George as he begged off from work. 

He was admittedly however, very much curious how she would react to the letter she no doubt had received that morning, just as Fred had.

"Letter? I read the letter last night." Hermione pointed out, but she hadn't quite lowered the frying pan.

"There's a new one, we've been ordered to go on a couples retreat." Fred said, sounding almost bored with the information. He turned away to take a seat at the dining room table. Deciding if he was about to get hit over the head with a frying pan, he wanted to be sitting down for it.