AN: So recently I got super nostalgic and reread Time to Celebrate, and while I was proud of the story when I finished it, I'm coming to town terms with the fact that it could have used a bit of editing. So, it's getting a full rewrite. The plot will remain, for the most part, the same, but judging from just the edits to this chapter, there's a quite a bit to be added and changed, so if you liked the old Celebrate, I hope you'll like this one just as much, if not more.

For all my new readers, welcome! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it. If the suspense from this first chapter proves to be too much for you, I wouldn't judge you for reading the original, as I intend to keep it on the site at least until this is finished, but I would also recommend waiting, because the rewrite will be a bit more enjoyable (in my opinion, anyway).

One last thing. This is an AU where Fred lives through the battle of Hogwarts, but Ron does not. Equivalent exchange, after all.

Chapter 1 – The Enchanted Library

It had been three months since the last of the funerals following the Battle of Hogwarts, and spirits were still low in the Weasley household. The twins, usually lively on even the most mournful of occasions found themselves struggling to smile, and not even the ghoul that lived in the attic seemed to have the energy to break the suffocating solemnity.

Harry and Hermione, who had been living at the burrow until they found a place of their own, were in the lowest spirits of all. Since going from the golden trio to the golden duo, they didn't feel quite so golden anymore. Harry had taken to sleeping most of the day, which Ginny did her best to keep him from, but their relationship, which had never been a strong one, was failing faster because of it.

Hermione did what she did best, she read. Having set up camp in a large armchair in the living room, she could be found there at most any hour of the day or night, surrounded by stacks of books. If she wasn't reading, she was being dragged to the kitchen by Mrs. Weasley to make her eat something, or she had fallen asleep in her chair. Fred had taken to carrying her to her room when she did so, sometimes hanging out in the kitchen after getting back from the shop with George if she happened to still be awake when they returned.

It wasn't much, but he had convinced himself it was helping. But if things didn't start to change for the better, Fred wasn't sure how much more of this any of them could take.

"Ginny, will you please wake up Harry for breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley asked her daughter as the twins set the table.

"I don't know if that's a good idea.." Ginny said nervously. Their shouting match two days prior had scared all the gnomes from the garden.

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Fred, George, will you go get Harry and Hermione?"

"Of course, Mum." George replied, passing the dishes off to their sister.

After a quick pair of rock, paper, scissors to see who was tasked with awakening Harry, George headed upstairs, while Fred stepped into the living room.

"Hermione, it's time for breakfast." Fred said softly, having braved the labyrinth of books beside her chair.

"Mhm, after this chapter." She replied absentmindedly, without looking up from her page.

"I'll wait then." He replied, perching on the arm of the chair.

She looked up at him. "You don't have to do that."

"Am I bothering you?"

She paused. "I haven't decided yet."

"Let me know when you do then." He replied, adjusting his position to a less precarious one. Stealing a glance at her page as she looked back down, he read a few lines about floating down a river in an apple barrel, which didn't seem like a good method of travel by any means.

She turned the page and read a bit more before looking back up. "Do you know of any more nearby libraries, I've cleared out all the ones I know about."

"I know of a few." He replied, knowing just the perfect place. "George and I have been kicked out of all the nearby ones."

Hermione chuckled. "Of course you have. Would you mind taking me?"

"You want me to go with you?"

"Well, if you promise not to get me kicked out."

"You drive a hard bargain, but I think I can manage that."

"I'm sure it'll be very difficult for you."

A commotion from upstairs involving a loud crack and an impressive stream of curse words diverted their attention.

"Looks like Harry is awake." Hermione stated sullenly, before returning to her book.

Fred looked towards the sound of stomping to see Harry storm down the stairs. George, following after, shot his twin an irritable look, getting an apologetic one in response before Fred turned his attentions back to Hermione, who had just closed her book and gotten up to join everyone in the kitchen.

Breakfast was a stressful affair, to say the least. Harry snapped at everyone who tried to make conversation with him, especially Ginny, who seemed near about in tears already. Fred clenched his fists, catching a knowing look from his twin who was almost as ready to pummel Harry as he was. Even if he was in mourning, enough was enough.

"Sooo… What is everyone's plans for the day?" Mr. Weasley asked with some amount of cheer.

"We decided to close the shop and take the day off." George said. "I might go in to work on inventory though."

"I'm going to the library with Hermione for a bit." Fred said, and Hermione nodded her agreement.

"Well that's nice." Mrs. Weasley said, smiling at the hope that at least half of the duo was breaking out of their solitary ways. "You two have fun. And don't get kicked out of this one." She warned.

"Fred has given me his word not to ruin my library experience." Hermione replied with a small smile.

"He better keep that word too." His mother threatened needlessly. Fred had no intention of ruining their library trip, after all.

"You are obsessed." George said as they both got dressed.

"What do you mean?" Fred asked, looking up from his sock hunt. A bottle of green ink had burst in the drawer, and Fred vowed for neither the first nor the last time to be more organized.

"Since when do you spend fifteen minutes deciding what to wear? You're going to the library, not getting married." While it was true he had debated between two different shirts, it was mostly figuring out which one was clean.

"I hope I would spend more that fifteen minutes deciding if I were getting married." Fred said as he finally found a pair of socks that seemed to have avoided the worst of the ink.

"That's not my point."

"What is your point?" Fred asked, knowing he would regret it.

"How late were you up last night waiting for her to fall asleep?"

"Not too long, I had a few cookies, filled out our tax paperwork for this month-"

George plopped down on his bed and gave Fred a pointed look.

"I know… I know. But wouldn't it be weird to ask her out right now. I mean-" This was getting ridiculous. "What do you think?" He asked, sitting down next to him.

"I think you sound like a first year with their first crush."

He gave his twin a shove. "Like you weren't the same way about Seamus?" They had been together for more than a year now, and they were so good for each other it was maddening sometimes.

"Yes my brother, but you're an important detail." George replied, shoving him back.

"Enlighten me."

"We actually got together."

"Hardly fair. She's spent the last year trying to kill you-know-who."

"And you've spent the last, hmm, three at least pining over her."

"Fine. I'll ask her out. But when she turns me down, you get to be the guinea pig for our next product."

"Oh yea of little faith, I'll take your bet. But since next time is your turn anyway, you have to test the next three, and do our next publicity stunt."

"That's hardly fair."

"You're the one that seems to sure she'll reject you. What do you have to lose?"

A lot of things. His dignity, his friendship with Hermione.. but he wasn't one to stand down from a bet. "Fine, I'll do it." He had an awful lot to gain, after all, if she did say agree. Assuming he survived whatever George was planning for the next publicity stunt, anyway.

"How have I never been here before?" Hermione grinned as they walked through the labyrinth of a library. She felt like she could spend days wandering and never pass the same shelf twice.

Fred shrugged. "I had been meaning to tell you about it for a while. It's George and my favorite because the enchantments on the place keep us from bothering anybody."

"What kind of enchantments?" She asked, even more in awe.

"I'm not sure, but we do know we can have a screaming match from opposite ends of the place, but no one will hear us but each other."

"Sounds like a modified anti-eavesdropping charm." Hermione mused. "That has to be really useful."

Fred nodded. "George and I have been trying to figure out exactly how it works, but we haven't had much time."

"Something new for the shop?" She asked. Those two never seemed to quit inventing, it was admirable, really.

"Something like that."

Hermione pulled out her wand. She was always up for a challenge, after all. "Maybe I can help."

After a few hours of trying to figure things out, even Hermione's dedication was starting to falter. She collapsed into a bean bag chair in a reading corner, and Fred sat next to her, taking the larger bean bag chair that she had passed on.

"This place is an enigma." She said, looking up at the stained glass window, casting colored light down on them. "It's incredible, and I haven't even looked at any of the books yet."

"Would you like to look for a little while?" He asked, afraid to even imagine the stacks they were going to walk out of here with.

Hermione paused, her smile furrowing into a pensive frown. "Honestly, no. All I've done is read lately. It's gotten to the point that I can't even remember going to bed."

He felt his cheeks get a little warm. "Actually … that's because you fall asleep in your chair."

"I do? Then how do I – thanks Fred."

Fred smiled. "You're welcome."

"How long had you been doing this?"

"Since you started falling asleep while reading."

"I wondered what you were always doing in the kitchen at such odd hours."

"You weren't always asleep when I got home at night."

"Fred, you didn't need to-" She blushed. "Sorry I kept you up so late. If I had known I was keeping you up I would have gone to bed myself."

"It's alright." He shrugged. "I just wanted to help, and that seemed like the least I could do."

"Harry and I have been impossible lately, haven't we?"

"Harry has been impossible. If he keeps making my sister cry, I might actually have to kill him."

Hermione was taken aback by his statement. "I didn't know you cared so much."

"She's a pain in the arse, but she's still my sister."

"I'll talk to him." Hermione said. "He might listen to me."

"I think you're the only one he'll listen to right now."

Hermione nodded. "Do you want to go back now? I don't want to check anything out."

"It's about lunchtime. Do you want to get something to eat first? There's a little café around the corner that makes an amazing chowder, and doesn't mind if we get a little rowdy every once in a while."

Hermione knew they were rowdy more than every once in a while, but she didn't say that. "That sounds really nice." She replied instead.

"So what is it like, having a twin?" Hermione asked between bites of her sandwich.

He wished he had a sickle for every time he had been asked that question. "I don't know, it feels natural to me. What's it like not having a twin?"

"I have to find a partner in crime that isn't identical to me, I suppose."

"That sounds awful. What do you do when you don't want to do something and you don't have a copy that's willing?"

"Polyjuice potion, of course. How often do you and George trade places, anyway?"

"Fred and me, you mean?"

"Nice try Fred, but you're not completely identical, you know." Could she actually tell them apart?

"How so?" He asked, forgetting about the ear thing, once again. It had foiled their plans more than once.

"Hmm. For starters, George is a little taller than you."

"I am not the shorter one."

"Keep telling yourself that." Hermione replied before taking a sip of her drink.

"Okay, fine. He had like, half an inch on me. Just don't tell anyone else."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"So do you want to do anything after this, or do you have a hot date you haven't told anyone about?"

"I've been a little lacking in the hot date department lately, so we can return to the Burrow whenever you're ready. I suppose you'd like to do inventory with George for a while though, so I don't mind heading back alone."

"No, that's not what I meant." Fred replied, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't getting tired of me." Something about her always seemed to melt his confidence, no wonder George teased him so mercilessly.

"I don't think I could get tired of you."

He didn't expect that, considering how much he and his twin seemed to get on her nerves when they were in school. Of course, things had changed since then. "Would you want to do this more often then?"

"Fred Weasley, are you asking me out?"

Was he? Was he actually doing this. "Well, since we both seem to be lacking in the hot date department, I figured it was worth a shot."

Hermione's smile turned stern. "If this is your idea of a prank, it's really not funny."

She thought he was kidding. Of course she thought he was kidding, this whole idea was a joke. The idea of her having any sort of interest in him was beyond ridiculous.

He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. "It's not, honest. But. You can forget I asked, if you want. I'm sorry."

"Wait. You're actually being serious?"

"Do you really think I'd joke about something like that?"

She was pensive for a moment. "No. You wouldn't, I'm sorry. Ask again, if you want. Or not, I'm an idiot."

"The last thing I would call you is an idiot." He replied. "Well, maybe if you do agree to go out with me." Since when was he so self-depreciating? He wasn't too keen on losing any bet with George, after all, but this one he stood to win more by losing.

"Where's that charming confidence that I'm used to?" She teased.

"You think I'm charming?"

She flushed bright red. "I didn't say that." Merlin, she was cute.

"I think you did. Charmingly confident, huh?"

"Oh, now you're just being mean. Are you going to ask me out or not?"

"Hmm.." He smirked, taking a long sip of his soda.

She squirmed a little in her seat. "Fred, come on."

"Well now that I know you're going to say yes, I have to think of the best way to ask for when you tell all your friends about it later."

"My best friend is Ginny, I think it's better for the both of us if you don't ask in a romantic fashion."

"Well in that case." He mused, pausing for effect. "Hermione, would you like to go out with me sometime?"

"Hmm.." She replied with a devious grin.

"Don't tell me you've changed your mind in the last five minutes."

"Well, maybe it would be nice if you asked in stunningly romantic fashion.."

"You're joking."

"Of course I am. And I'd love to go out with you sometime."

His grin had to be at least a kilometer wide. "I knew you couldn't resist someone as charming as me."

She giggled. "I wouldn't push your luck."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He winked.

I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!

- Zen (and Sirius)