Once in the night, there was a man sitting by himself admiring the beauty of the sky and its stars.
How he wished to have someone by his side!
But all seemed to be taken, and the one he had his eyes on, seemed too full of anything at all.
But he didn't know that she had noticed the other, merrily reciprocating the same.
Little did they both know, they longed for one another..
And that lead to the start of a magical love story...
One evening, it was pouring rain and Fred was just closing the shop that a lady entered. Pouring from top to bottom, she had little to save. Shivering from the cold, with the hat on top, she was just standing in the corner fidgeting with her clothes.
She hoped it was the twins' shop alright, and so wished one of them was near and it was then that her wish came true, as Fred saw and strode, to her.
He was guessing it was some damsel in distress, and as he came near, his eyes started to shimmer, in the glimmer of hope. He saw it was Hermione, and quickly approached her.
"Hey", said the male to the other. "It's been a long time since I last saw you." "How have you been? Everyone's missed you like crazy".
She was shivering too much to respond and only managed a few words like "busy", "work", "Ministry". He took this as a cue to lead her to the warm upstairs.
Once up the stairs and into the hallway, he took off her drenched coat, and found how cold she was. Water pouring so much, he could fill a pot from what was dripping. In a swift moment, he used his wand to flick on the stove and heater to start. He urged her to the couch and instantly gave her the warming potion.
After settling down, she glanced around the room to wonder when, was possibly, the last time she was there. Probably a year ago, when they all used to gather in regular times was the answer. That was when she saw Fred working on the stove, cooking something.
She realized how he had grown with time, from a boy with freckles, to the man standing in front of him, carrying himself with perfect ease. His every step accentuated his moves, and bound Hermione with a very charm of their own.
She registered, how he had grown and profoundly at that, both mentally and physically. So much that she couldn't take her eyes off him. This was not her usual self, as never would she lose herself around a guy. But this was not some random guy, she had been thinking about him for months and years alike.
She started to wonder how she had always had a regular teenage crush on him. Though, she later had Ron in her life, they never really clicked. But she could not move Fred from her mind.
And now, after all this time, there he was, standing before her when her mind wandered off to the thoughts of him possibly dating someone else.
Well, she let out a small squeal and Fred turned around, only to find a blushing Hermione avoiding her eye. He had noticed her so much over the time that he knew something was on her mind. How he wished he could read her mind that instant!
"Here, this is for you", said Fred while placing a bowl of soup for her.
"You must not have taken so much trouble for me", she said with a hint of guilt.
"Hey, this is nothing. I can go to any length for you, 'Mione." was his reply.
Surprisingly taking the bowl, they sat down to catch up with their lives. Along came Firewhiskeys, and the temperature gradually increased, where they talked about work, and what else had been going in their lives.
"What you've been up to these days? Seeing anyone?" Fred asked.
"No, I've just been very busy with work lately."
"So busy you don't even get time for yourself, huh? You should learn to loosen up a little bit, Granger, you know"
"After Ron, I didn't really wish to take on any other relationship. It was just too hard for me."
How he wished they were dating, and he would treat her the way she deserved.
With the buzz in his head, he wished he could tell her how he had, always, felt about her.
But now, probably, was not the time.
It was almost midnight and they grew tired, when Fred urged, "You look exhausted, I'll show you the room."
"No, no that won't be necessary. I've already been a pain for you, don't bother, please."
"I'll just apparate", she added.
"Hermione, you think I'd let you leave. Stay, you can sleep in my room, and I'll be here."
"Come, I'll show you." With this, he led her to his room.
Though the room was shabby, but the bed clean, she was wishing she had the strength to go and wouldn't be a problem for him.
"Hey, stop fretting now. Come on!" He said, almost as if he could read her mind. She started to say something, when Fred scooped her up, and moved to his bed.
"Fred, no! Put me down, this instant!" she almost shouted. "Hermione, relax. I'm not going to take any advantage of you."
He took her to the bed, and placed a kiss on her cheeks. In that moment, the alcohol had taken over, and he mustered the courage to blurt, "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, Hermione".
Astonished at this, a part of her thought it was a joke and was about to brush this aside, when the other part clung to it, wanting to know more.
It's true how intoxication gives you the courage to do, where Fred got up and took her hands in his. Hermione, speechless, was trying to find words, and managed, "You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"I mean every word of it", was his reply.
"I've always felt this way, I just couldn't muster enough heart!", he added.