I'm hoping this will get me out of my Writer's Block…AU: Fred is alive (of course!) Thanks for reading!
The Waters of Erised
It had been several weeks since the final battle of Hogwarts. Summer was drawing to close, and Hermione was getting ready to return to Hogwarts for a final year, so it surprised her when she received the mysterious, impromptu invitation to pack her beach gear for one last outing.
Hermione usually considered herself too practical for spontaneous holidays, but as she joined the Weasleys on the ridge near their house early the next morning, she couldn't help but feel a hint of excitement.
Bill rubbed his hands together anxiously as the entire Weasley family and Harry gathered around a broken fencepost that looked as though it had been fished out from a rubbish bin.
"Are you all sure you have everything packed?" Mrs. Weasley bustled around the hilltop in typical frantic fashion. "Ronald, I do hope you remembered your underthings. The last time we went to Egypt you had to go without anything half of the time and got that terrible rash on your—"
"That's quite enough, dear," Mr. Weasley cut in, but not before Fred and George began guffawing, and even Harry snorted involuntarily.
Ron turned a deep purple and told everyone to shove off, but the chuckles only grew in volume.
Hermione rolled her eyes to show how immature the other boys were behaving. Fred noticed however and sidled up beside her with a cheeky grin.
"Oh come now, Granger, we're only having a laugh. No need to get so protective."
"Protective?" Hermione choked as she realized what he meant. "Just what are you insinuating?"
"You and Ron of course," George joined in, throwing an arm around the frizzy-haired witch.
"WHAT?!" Her voice echoed down the hillside, and everyone's voices fell silent.
Fred's eyes were widest of all. "After that snog we heard Ron going on about in the Chamber of Secrets we just thought—"
"You thought wrong!" Hermione looked scandalized. "And I wouldn't call it a snog!"
If anything, Ron blushed even darker than before and hid behind his brother, Charlie. And to Hermione's astonishment she spotted a tinge of pink gracing Fred's cheeks as well.
Before she had the chance to argue further, Bill thrust the fencepost in their direction.
"Twenty seconds. Everyone grab hold."
"But you still haven't told us where we're going." Hermione's eyes narrowed.
Mrs. Weasley's eyes danced. "Don't you worry, Hermione dear. From what Bill's let on it's unlike anywhere you've ever dreamed!"
"Is that supposed to comfort me?" She glanced around chaotically, but at that moment the witch felt the ever familiar hooking sensation behind her navel, and she knew there was nothing for it.
They appeared at a beach with pristine, white sands that glittered in the midday sun. Hermione peered in awe at the water that shimmered with a pearlescent sheen.
"What is this place?" she felt the words tumble from her lips.
"And why is it so hot?" Ron whined.
Bill grinned. "A few of my colleagues and I recently deciphered a complex set of runes that revealed its location. Very few wizards have even read about this place—"
That piqued Hermione's interest. There were very few things she hadn't read about; she took pride in it.
"—To those who are familiar with its history, these shores are known as The Waters of Erised."
"Like the mirror?" Harry perked his head upwards.
"Very sharp, Harry, and you're absolutely right. Sand from this shore was used to craft the Mirror of Erised, and their magical properties are magnified within these waters, as you'll see in just a moment."
The atmosphere around everyone changed immediately, and people began to unpack with renewed vigor.
Hermione nervously stumbled to a canopy, where she proceeded to set up her one-person tent and organize her belongings. She changed into a simple, black bikini but ultimately decided to cover up with a towel after noticing Ron's ogling. Honestly...
The moment between them had come and gone. The Battle at Hogwarts changed her perspective on many things, and the decision not to settle on a man was one of them.
If Hermione Granger was going to be with a man, it would be filled with laughter, and passion, and fireworks. Nothing less would do.
"And there's no need to worry about privacy in the lake." She heard Bill as he called out to everyone. "We've found that others can only see what you see if they share the same implicit desire – highly unlikely with this lot."
Well, that was good news. Hermione wasn't even certain what merited the position of her deepest, most singular desire. Her mind briefly caught hold of a memory from sixth year, in which she inhaled the essence of freshly mown grass, parchment, and a warm, indecipherable but invigorating scent that left her feeling somewhat dizzy. But that was merely the elusive odor of a treacherous potion – hardly something that could be considered her most earnest wish of her heart.
Still, it nagged at the back of her brain as she delicately tip toed through the sand to the water's edge.
Ron had already plunged into the magical lake, so the coast was clear. After unwrapping her towel, however, she was greeted by the sound of catcalls from Fred and George, which of course followed with a harsh scolding from the Weasley matriarch.
Biting down a grin and casting a quick Bubble-head charm, Hermione dived expertly into the water, keen with anticipation.
As deduced, the first sight that met her eyes was of freshly cut grass. She stood in a familiar field, recognizing it as the field used as a makeshift Quidditch pitch by Ron and his brothers.
"What in Merlin's name happened to the Quidditch field?" An irate Charlie was holding an old broom, looking aghast. In the center of the field someone had magically cut the grass in the shape of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes logo and enchanted it to glow a bright, neon orange.
The scene seemed to swirl around her, much like a pensieve, and hiding behind a tree she spotted Fred, sniggering and covered in resplendent grass clippings.
Before she could ponder the meaning of this, the scene changed, and she found herself peering down what appeared to be a corridor of Hogwarts.
"Lost, Granger?" She once again found herself facing none other than Fred Weasley, only this time he was younger, holding a large scrap of parchment she now knew to be the Marauder's Map.
The twin grinned cheekily and threw his arm around her. "No worries. I'll have you out of the dungeons and back toward the library before you can blink."
Hermione started at the realization that this was no illusion – but a memory from her second year. She stared at the phantom image of Fred's arm draped around hers and gasped. That moment in second year was the closest proximity she'd ever gotten to that particular Weasley twin, but the reenactment of said event somehow evoked the memory of a warm, dizzying scent from his body.
Fred in a field, covered in grass.
Fred, holding the mysterious parchment.
Fred, and his inexplicably invigorating smell.
Hermione wasn't one to be slow on the uptake, but how had she missed this?
Kicking upwards toward the top of the lake, she took several deep breaths in an effort to clear her mind and noticed that the twin in question had also risen to the surface, wearing an expression of absolute disbelief.
His eyes met hers, but a flurry of jumbled emotions made it impossible to hold his gaze. Casting another quick breathing charm, she descended deep into the water, but to her great frustration Fred began to follow.
As fair a swimmer as she was, another vision suddenly sifted into view, forcing a halt to any imagined escape plans.
The image of Fred and herself in a heated snog caused her to blush. His hands were traveling up her body in a possessive, longing manner.
The real Fred swam beside her with his eyes wide.
Hermione couldn't believe this. Bill had said people couldn't see each other's desires. It was impossible. Unless...
Fred lifted his hand through the water and pointed at the intimate scene before them, followed by an accusatory glance in her direction.
She swung out her arms as fast as liquidly possibly as if to say, "You think I did this?"
Her fingertips grazed the side of his arm by accident, and for a split second she felt a man's hands grazing down her back.
Like a coil in slow motion she retracted her arms, staring at Fred, who appeared equally uncertain.
What was Bill thinking, bringing his entire family to a questionable lake almost literally swimming with desire? All sorts of crazed and delusional behavior might result. Hermione frowned, thinking how awkward this was sure to make her friendship with Fred.
She attempted to swim off, leaving the fictitious scene behind, when Fred reached out and grabbed her wrist.
The sudden, miraged sensation of hands lightly touching her torso and lips gently sucking at her neck made her mouth fall open. How could an illusion feel so real? She felt Dream-Fred's breath on her lips, but before anything more could happen, the real Fred abruptly let go of her wrist and swam away in the direction of the shore.
An undeniable sting of rejection settled over her, but Hermione wasn't going to let another Weasley man get her all riled up – even if her subconscious seemed to think he could be the thing she wanted most.
She stayed in the water a few more minutes, making her way to the opposite end of the beach to avoid any further awkward interaction.
The rest of the day passed more slowly than Hermione would have liked. Bill took them to the pyramid where they'd discovered the runes, and as much as she would normally eaten up everything in that tour, thinking about what she'd seen in the Waters of Erised occupied the forefront of her mind.
Why would Fred take off so quickly? Was the thought of kissing her so utterly atrocious?
They returned to the beach in the early evening, and Harry was reassuring Ron about the surrounding wildlife.
"Would you relax? We haven't seen a single reptile since we got here."
Ron glanced around shiftily, and Hermione decided he deserved a little payback for his earlier exaggerations.
"You'll see more of them as the temperature drops. I'm sure we'll get to see a few lizards and snakes before daybreak. Not to mention the spiders—"
"S-spiders?" Ron flinched, and Hermione nearly lost composure.
"Oh yes, the Camel Spider can grow to be as long as your hand." The Camel Spider wasn't even an actual spider, and it was perfectly harmless…but Ron didn't need to know that.
He jumped to his feet, whining slightly, and Hermione turned to her tent, feeling smug.
Fred was standing near the tent, shaking his head with a broad grin.
"Thank Merlin he's sharing tents with Harry. We'll never hear the end of it now."
Hermione clenched her jaw. "I have nothing to say to you, Fred."
"And why is that?"
She scoffed loudly. "Because I know we saw the same thing in that lake. And you – you just swam away and left me there. I got the message, Fred. All I ask is that you give me time to get over the shock of finding out that you apparently are my greatest desire and that you don't want me."
"What?" Fred burst out. "You're off your broomstick. I never said I don't want you."
"Wha—" Hermione stopped short. "Then why did you swim away?"
"Trust me, Granger, the first time I feel your lips on mine it's going to be real."
Her heart thrummed as she took in his words. "Well," she straightened her shirt unnecessarily, "I've always said there's no time like the present."
At that moment a mighty yelp echoed throughout the air. "There's a lizard in my tent!"
Hermione covered her mouth and let out a muffled giggle.
"My money's on George," Fred smirked. "Good thing I've got an alibi."
"Oh really," she raised an eyebrow. "And just what would that—"
He interrupted, catching her lips in a dizzying kiss, and everything she'd felt earlier beneath the Waters of Erised intensified. After several seconds they pulled apart, completely breathless.
"Now that's a snog," Fred winked.
Hermione didn't argue, pulling him instead into another searing kiss.
Fin.
Written for the July 2015 Twin Exchange – Summer Break Challenge
Prompt: Lizards
Pairing: Hermione/Fred
Quote: "Why is it so hot"
Thanks for taking the time to read! Tactful criticism is welcome. -V