"The Ministry." Molly pursed her lips. "And that's not what we're here to discuss."

Fred sighed and forced his gaze to his mother, away from the chair Hermione usually occupied. "Nothing happened last night, Mum."

"Something very significant happened last night, Fredrick." Molly looked down at her hands. "Something that goes beyond the sheer fact that you both deliberately ignored what I told you, something that slipped beyond the bounds of propriety. Now, I appreciate that you're doing your best to save Hermione's honor, but…"

"Mother." Fred snapped the word then pursed his lips as if trapping anything further behind them. "Hermione's honor, as well as anything else you'd like to question, is completely intact."

Molly turned her gaze on George. "And where were you? You were supposed to stay there. You implied that…"

"I went out." George shrugged. "I just…went out." Fred's sharp look landed on his twin. "I needed some fresh air. Didn't expect the two of them to get up to no good."

"Oh, thanks for that," Fred snarled under his breath.

"When I came home, they were sleeping."

"And you didn't question anything? You didn't look at the clock and think perhaps Hermione had better places to be than on Fred's lap? That perhaps she had a bed she belonged in?" Molly flushed. "And if you so much as smirk about how that sentence could be taken, I'll slap you both silly with my broom."

"Yes, ma'am." They both muttered in unison.

"Honestly, George, I expected you to at least be sensible. Just because you're brother has completely taken leave of his senses doesn't mean that you should do it too." Molly sighed heavily. "Can't you both just find nice girls and settle down into relationships or something?"

"I've found a nice girl…"

"That your younger brother isn't in love with?"

"This isn't about Ron!" Fred shouted. "Fuck." He got to his feet and moved away from the table, pacing the few steps to the wall and back. "Why's it matter that Ron's in love with her? Why don't my feelings matter in this whole thing? Just because he's your bloody fav…" He shook his head and held up his hands in surrender. "I've got to go."

"Fred." George grabbed his brother's arm. "Don't go."

"Fine." Fred slammed down in his seat, glaring at his mother. "Nothing happened."

"Don't lie to me, Fredrick. I know something happened. I don't want to know what, but I do want you to know that what you did was completely irresponsible."

"No, I would have been irresponsible if I'd actually done something with her, which I didn't." Fred crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "I was responsible, Mum. I was."

"And you, George. I expected more of you."

"I didn't realize I had to babysit."

"I wasn't asking you to," Molly assured him. "I was just hoping you'd act as a deterrent should your brother's hormones get the better of him."

"She was in the bloody room as well, you know," Fred groused. "Not like I bleeding forced myself on her or something."

"So something did happen."

"No. It. Did. Not." Fred shook his head. "Thanks for dinner, Mum. Give my love to Dad." He got to his feet. "You coming, George?" George looked at Fred, his eyes worried. Fred smirked and shrugged. "I'm not Ron, George, if that's what you're thinking."

"I wasn't."

"What are you talking about?" Molly asked.

"George's thinking that I'm supposed to blurt out something now to save my own skin. Brotherly loyalty being nothing in the face of maternal accusations, obviously."

"That's not what I…"

"Goodnight." Fred Disapparated, leaving the room in silence behind him.

Molly prodded her dinner with her fork before looking up at George. "What was that about, George?"

"Nothing, Mum."

"Is there something going on with you? Something that you don't want to tell me about? You know that…"

"I can talk to you about anything, yes." George nodded. "I do know, Mum. But there's nothing to talk about. Fred's just upset. He's got feelings for Hermione that he doesn't want to admit to and it's just getting to him." He got to his feet and moved around the table to give his mother a hug. "It's nothing."

"He seems to think there's something you're not telling me. Neither of you are talking to me." She looked away, blinking back tears.

"Mum."

"I don't love any of you more than the others," she insisted softly. "I don't have a favorite. You two just never needed me."

"We do, Mum. We do." He hugged her tightly, burying his head against her shoulder. "And believe me, if there was anything to tell, I'd tell you."

Molly nodded, wiping away her tears. "You'd best go find your brother."

George nodded. "Yeah."

Fred didn't look up as George walked into his bedroom, sitting on the edge of his desk. "Mum's awfully upset. You had to throw in the comment about Ron, didn't you?"

"I'll apologize tomorrow."

George sighed and kicked the edge of Fred's bed. "We slept together last night."

"Oh?" He turned the page of the magazine in front of him as if he were barely paying attention. "That's nice."

"Well, not so much slept together as I upset him and we sort of…well. Hmm." George shrugged. "It's kind of funny, huh? You get in trouble and I'm actually the one that was doing something naughty."

"Oh yeah. It's just been a barrel of laughs." Fred smirked. "Nothing quite like your younger brother trying to kill you, your girlfriend being embarrassed by your own mother, said mother reading you the riot act and your brother acting all 'I told you so' about everything to just make your day a regular comedy."

"You forgot to mention that I was doing what you got blamed for."

"Go away, George." Fred tossed the magazine off the bed and turned on his side, his back to his twin. "We'll just call it all even, okay? You think I'm an idiot for dating Hermione, I think you're an idiot for shagging Remus. Okay? Mum's pissed off at me, she's concerned about you and Ron and all's right with the world, right?"

"Fred."

"Look, congratulations, all right? I'm glad you got laid by the guy you fancy, okay?" He sat up and whirled around to face his brother. "I hope it was everything you wanted."

"It wasn't."

Fred's irritation left him in a huff. "Oh. What happened?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly romantic. It was sort of…angry."

"Oh?" Fred got off the bed and walked to the desk, hoisting himself up beside his brother.

"I pissed him off." George grinned meekly. "One second we're talking, and the next we're…" He blushed and shook his head, his humor fading. "Then he was apologizing. Trying not to cry."

"Ouch."

"Then he Disapparated."

"Ouch."

"I think he felt guilty."

"About having sex with you?"

"About Sirius."

"Because of the sex? Or because he has feelings for you?"

"I don't know that he does have feelings for me."

Fred sighed. "I think it's safe to assume he does, George. I mean, Remus isn't the type to do something like that if he didn't fancy you somewhat, right?"

George gave his brother a sly look. "Are we still talking about me and Remus?"

"Don't know what you're on about." Fred hopped off the desk and started for the kitchen. "Suppose I missed out on Mum's famous cherry cobbler, huh?"

"I brought you home a piece." George assured him. "We're both doomed, you know that? You should stay away from Hermione and I should certainly stay away from Remus."

"Think either of those things are likely to happen?"

"It'd be the smart thing." George shook his head. "But then, we're Weasleys. We're gorgeous and clever, but no one's ever accused us of being smart."