Kiss Me Hard Before You Go.

Hermione paced back and forth frantically in Ginny's small bedroom, occasionally throwing furtive glances at herself in the mirror.

"Ginny I'm really not sure this is the look I was going for."

"I should probably be offended by that, it is my dress after all." Her flame haired friend replied smiling softly as she zipped herself into her own dress.

"It's not the dress Gin, the dress is beautiful. It's just so.. incredibly..." She flailed wildly trying to articulate the words that wouldn't offend her friends taste in clothes. "Red."

Ginny rolled her eyes as she sat down on the bed, pulling out her make up bag from the bedside drawer.

They were both preparing for a party that was being held at Hogwarts to celebrate the downfall of Voldemort exactly a year after it had taken place. Everyone was meeting at The Burrow so that they could apparate in together, McGonagall having lifted the rule against it for this one night only.

"Look Hermione I know it's hard for you to accept that you actually look halfway decent in a dress but you do. You're boob's are amazi-"

"Ginny!"

"So why not show them off a little?" She continued unabashed. "Trust me if mine were as big as your's they would be out all the time." Ginny looked forlornly down at her own chest. Hermione scoffed at the action.

"Oh please! If you were that flat chested Lord knows what Harry was ogling the other day when you wore that green top!" Ginny grinned mischievously in a way that was unique to the Weasley brood.

"Well yes I suppose that was the desired reaction." Hermione laughed as Ginny's face flushed.

"You certainly succeeded in getting it." Hermione turned her attention back to the mirror in front of her. The dress was beautiful, perhaps too beautiful to be worn by the likes of her. It was a little too low cut and the hem line was a little too short but it clung in all the right places and anyway, she mused, it wasn't everyday one got to celebrate the fall of the Dark Lord. If she could help to take down the most evil wizard ever known she could wear a tight dress! She was a Gryffindor for goodness sake! So then why did she feel so terribly nervous?

"Oh Merlin Ginny what about my hair?" She tugged hard at one of her curls, frowning at the mass of locks she had been 'blessed' with. "Ugh maybe I should straighten it?"

"No way, you should totally wear it big." Ginny caught the strained look on Hermione's face reflected in the mirror. Deciding she had finally reached her limit with this nervous, cowardly version of her friend Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her onto the bed. "You need to tell me right now what's going on with you Hermione. You've been acting weird all day, at first I thought this was all about the party and the dress but there's clearly more to it." She looked at her expectantly.

"No! There's nothing really... Honest!" She exclaimed at Ginny's incredulous face.

"You're a terrible liar you know that right? Ugh It doesn't matter I'll get it out of you eventually, I always do. Right come on, shoes!"

Hermione followed Ginny downstairs and into the living room where Harry, Ron and the rest of the Weasley boys had been patiently awaiting the girls arrival. "Took your time didn't you?" George asked from his seat, not looking up from the game of exploding snap he was playing with Fred. Hermione ignored the remark as she attempted to shuffle behind Ginny, trying her best to use her friend's body as a shield in the hope it would deflect all attention from herself. As she did so she noticed Harry standing stock still, mouth agape, eyes practically bulging at the sight of Ginny before him. She did indeed look stunning, the dress she was wearing was a luxuriant emerald green which complimented her hair perfectly. It was corseted at the top but flowed outwards from her hips finishing just above the knee. Harry could only let out a strangled sound when Ginny asked him what time Luna would be apparating into the Burrow. Ron answered her instead, trying to salvage some of his friend's dignity.

"In about 10 minutes I think."

"Of course you would be waiting for her a tad more eagerly than most wouldn't you Ronniekins." Fred looked up at his younger brother, a devilish grin on his face. Ron flushed as red as his hair and avoided his brothers gaze.

"No idea what you're talking about mate." Fred shook his head and then turned his attention to Hermione. His face was completely impassive as his eyes raked over her whole body, only his eyebrows, raised slightly, gave any indication as to what he may have been thinking. Feeling as though she was being stripped naked by his intense scrutiny she babbled an excuse about needing a drink and hastily stumbled - why had she agreed to the heels? - into the kitchen.

As she wobbled over to the sink she heard someone follow her in.

"My my, looks like Granger scrubs up pretty well." She turned to the twin who had moved to lounge against the side of the fridge and who was currently grinning like an utter madman. Her eyes flicked to his ears of which both remained intact. Fred, of course, although the comment was enough to give him away regardless of the current state of his ears. She glared back at him, choosing to ignore the back handed compliment.

"Yes and it looks as though you haven't put in any effort at all!" She snapped and turned her back to him continuing her perilous journey to the sink. She began pouring herself a glass of water with shaking hands. Of course she was lying she realised, lashing out because of her nerves. He looked incredibly smart, wearing dark blue jeans and a black shirt with the top few buttons undone. His hair was in disarray but like Harry it was a battle Fred was content to lose.

"Oh Hermione, you wound me." She started violently, dropping her glass and splashing water everywhere. He had moved silently across the floor and was now standing directly behind her. "Hermione." He repeated her name, leaning forward and placing his hands either side of her on the sink. She was trapped she realised, apprehension causing her stomach to twist painfully. "You seem nervous." He rested his chin on her shoulder causing his warm breath to pass over the side of her face every time he exhaled. She stood stock still, unsure how to react. "I have something for you." He barley whispered the words, causing Hermione to twist her head slightly so that Fred's lips were mere millimeters from the shell of her ear. His right hand dropped to his pocket and he began rummaging around for something. Hermione suddenly realised that this was the closest she had been to a boy in a very long time, Fred was so close in fact that she could feel the heat from his body seeping through her dress. She inhaled deeply trying to control both her racing heartbeat and her stomach which was twisting once again but this time, for an entirely different reason.

"What is it?" She breathed, cursing inwardly at the effect his close proximity was having on her.

"Look." Hermione studied the tiny object Fred was holding in front of her. It was exactly the same size and shape as a generic aspirin pill however it had an iridescent casing which shimmered in the light of the kitchen. "It's a new product me and Georgie have been working on, it helps you to... relax." He shifted against her and suddenly they were in full contact, the entirety of his front pressing against her back. She gripped the edge of the sink desperate to have a hold on something solid. What on earth was this boy playing at?!

"I'm not consuming anything you've had you're hands on Fred Weasley!" He chuckled into the hollow of her neck.

"It won't hurt you I promise, it's been fully tested. I just hate seeing such a beautiful damsel in such a large amount of distress." Hermione paused, mind racing. What did she have to lose really? True the twins were prone to roping in people for not quite voluntary testing of new products but they had learned long ago that she was off limits.

"You promise this isn't some idiotic prank?"

"I solemnly swear." She plucked the tiny pill from the palm of his hand.

"Ok, yeah. Fine." She swallowed it down quickly before she changed her mind. Only then did he step back slightly allowing her enough room to twist in his arms so they were finally facing each other. He was beaming down at her, eyes twinkling, making her regret trusting him instantaneously. "When does it start to work?" She asked trying to feign indifference, hoping that he couldn't hear just how fast her heart was beating.

"It works when you need it to work."

"What kind of an answer is that Fred?" He leaned forward, eyes flicking to her lips as she bit them, clearly betraying her nervousness.

"It's the only one you're going to get Hermione." He continued to close the gap between them, his eyes focusing on her lips once more.

A deafening crack caused Hermione to scream in terror as she scrabbled for her wand that she was keeping hidden down the side of her bra. She just about managed to stop herself hexing Luna who had just apparated into the Burrow but it was a close call she realised with horror. Seeing Fred in the exact same position as her however, wand out and ready for action, she realised that it must be true what they said about old habits dying hard.

Fred started laughing, finally breaking the tension and tucked his wand away, Hermione released a shaky breath and quickly followed suit. "RON!" He bellowed. "RON YOU GREAT GIT COME HERE I'VE GOT A DELIVERY FOR YOU." He walked over to Luna and scooped her up over his shoulder and sauntered out of the kitchen. Hermione just managed to hear Luna chiding Fred for not allowing her to say hello to the gnomes in the garden before she was left alone, trying her best to process the events of the last few minutes in the now very empty kitchen.

Hermione, Harry and Ron stood silently side by side at Dumbledore's grave on the tiny island out in the middle of the lake. A whole year had passed since their last visit to Hogwarts when between them and the death eaters they had managed to destroyed half the school. It had all been too much to return immediately, so much bloodshed, so many lost and the longer they waited the harder it had become. Harry and Hermione had been living at The Burrow, whilst they tried to figure out just what exactly they were supposed to do next. Fred had tried several times to persuade Hermione to work at the shop where they could 'get more acquainted.' But she had always declined gracefully convinced it was just another ploy to get his hands on a new test subject.

"It's so beautiful here." Hermione said as she leant forward and placed the beautiful bouquet of flowers she had plucked from 's garden on the lid of the stone casket. Harry, following suit, retrieved a bag of sherbet lemons from his jacket and Ron chuckled at the sight.

"I think he would have preferred them to more flowers." Harry said as he positioned them next to the bouquet. As they lapsed back into silence the wind blew gently around them, it was mild and smelt like summer but Hermione shivered all the same. Harry wrapped an arm around her, his eye's bright in the moonlight. "Come on 'Mione let's go inside." He reached over to take Ron's hand and apparated them all into the entrance hall.

The sound of applause erupted around them and Hermione stood, face as red as her dress, as she saw teachers, students, what remained of the Order, ministry officials - most of whom she didn't recognise and various other people encircling them and giving them a standing ovation. Her grip on Harry's hand became like a vice and she saw Ron shoot her a look of wild panic. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Professor McGonagall, who had clearly pulled out all the stops and was dressed in the finest robes Hermione had ever seen, stepped forward giving them one of her rare smiles.

"Welcome home."

Hermione's heart almost burst with the love that surged through her then and she grinned so hard she thought her face was going to crack.

"So." McGonagall continued. "Shall we get this party started?" Fred and George whooped loudly ignoring the startled looks of those around them and raced each other into the Great Hall. "I'll take that as a yes." She smiled shaking her head at the twins antics.

Ginny moved forward, falling into step with Hermione as they made their way into the Great Hall. Hermione grimaced at her friend.

"That was slightly embarrassing." Ginny shook her head and laughed.

"Yes but it was more than deserv-" Ginny and Hermione stopped dead in their tracks as they crossed the threshold into the Hall. Hermione had never seen anything more beautiful in all her life. The ceiling that usually reflected the normal night sky was now light up by galaxies, comets and constellations. The sight filled her with awe but threw her perspective off, making her slightly giddy. She tore her eyes away and took in the rest of the room, the four long tables that usually spanned the length of the hall were gone, replaced with numerous rounded tables. Everything was draped in silver, from the hanging banners to the bar set up in the corner. The Weird Sisters were setting up their instruments on a slightly raised stage at the far end of the hall where the teacher's table usually stood and behind them on the wall were various paintings and photos depicting everyone who had fought valiantly in the war, both those alive and dead. The portrait of Dumbledore's Army however had pride of place and was illuminated slightly brighter than the others. "Wow." Ginny whispered clearly as awe stuck as Hermione. "Hey come on, let's get a table." Hermione nodded and followed carefully, praying her shoes would be kind.

A few hours later and Hermione was sat at the bar getting in the next round of drinks for her table. The night had been a roaring success, after McGonagall had made her first speech The Weird Sisters had begun to music was ethereal and had people up and dancing instantaneously, most hadn't stopped since. She turned towards the dance floor and saw a very red Ron dancing tentatively next to Luna who was, as usual, ignoring the music that filled the hall and was choosing instead to dance to the music that only she herself could hear. Beside them Ginny and Harry twirled, clinging to each other and laughing all the while. She smiled to herself, who knew that so much could change in just one year? She was getting soppy now she realised and the alcohol most defiantly wasn't helping but it wasn't her fault if every four or five minutes someone was making some sort of toast was it? And of course it was only polite to drink along with the rest of the assembled guests. Hermione was however disappointed that Fred's little pill had had absolutely no effect on her. True she was more relaxed but that was most defiantly the several glasses of wine she had already consumed. She continued to observe the room waiting for her drinks to be poured and as she did so she saw Fred and Lee walking towards her, both deep in conversation.

"Fred." She gave a little wave as he walked by the bar. He hesitated, murmuring something to Lee who nodded and scurried off back to his seat next to George. He winked at her as he approached and propped himself next to her at the bar, standing close enough that she could smell his after shave. She had smelt it before earlier this evening as he pressed her between the sink and himself. At the thought her tummy gave a little lurch and Hermione bit her lip trying to avoid any recollection of the feeling she had got as his body had pushed up against her's. "Your pill, it didn't work." He raised an eyebrow

"Oh really? I would assume it's still biding it's time, waiting for the perfect moment." He had a horrible habit of speaking far too quietly Hermione thought, as she leaned in closer trying to hear him above the music. She misjudged however and almost fell off her stool. Fred instantly caught her, beater reflexes making him act before Hermione could even register what was happening. He stood, hands on her shoulders maintaining her position on her seat, looking down at her with concern on his face. "Are you ok 'Mione?" Hermione found herself dumb struck, too distracted by the sensation Fred's hands were causing to answer his question. Every inch of her skin that lay under his hands was on fire, the sensation was startling but so very, very good. His thumb brushed against her collar bone and she had to grit her teeth in order to not make a highly embarrassing sound. It was as though every nerve he caressed was awakening under the pressure of his digits, the intensity made her close her eyes and try to suppress the reaction he was causing within her.

"Your drink's Miss." The bartenders intrusion broke the spell and Hermione suddenly, violently stepped down off the stool, away from Fred and the bar. Both men gave her quizzical looks as she hastily grabbed her drinks and made her way back to the table.

As she crossed the room she started to feel strange, it seemed as though the world was moving half a second slower than it should be. The music thrummed around her, through her, the bass so intense it made her feel nauseous and then she made the mistake of glancing upwards. The stars burned brighter than she could ever imagine was possible and overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the universe spanning before her she dropped her tray of drinks. People began cheering and laughing around her but she paid them no heed, she just stood staring at the stars letting the music pulse through her.

"Look like the pill finally's taken effect." Hermione turned to face Fred, her body felt heavy, slow to respond feeling as though she were underwater. "Don't worry, what you're feeling is normal, the pill heightens your sense's as well as quelling your anxieties which allows you to have a good time without worrying about anything!" Hermione had barely registered that he was even talking, she was studying Fred's face as though she had never looked at him properly before. His hair was aflame where the lights touched it, a vibrant copper that Hermione wasn't even aware existed on the colour spectrum. She could see every single freckle adorning his face, the scar on his cheek from a childhood accident, his lips... She reached forward then and placed a hand on his shoulder, her other hand she used to cup his face.

"You're beautiful." She said, her voice hoarse but steady. Her thumb brushed across his bottom lip, it was just as soft as she thought. "Fred I want you to touch me." He stared down at her, a hungry look in his eyes.

"Ask me again."

"Please kiss me Fred." And it was just like before, Fred's lips set her own alight, and she could do nothing but try and keep up with him as his lips moved against hers, the sensation so overwhelming she was sure her knees would give way under her.

Hermione twined her fingers in his hair and he wrapped his arm's around her, pulling her body towards his, as close as he could possibly get her. The full body contact caused her to gasp and momentarily break their kiss. Fred took the opportunity to nip at her bottom lip as they struggled to get their breath back.

"'Mione..."

"Outside, take me outside." She felt the familiar tug of apparation and barely had time to register that she was in the middle of the quidditch field before Fred's hands and lip's were on her once more. He took no time in getting her on the ground, bracing himself above her, fitting perfectly between her thighs. The weight of his body on her's was delicious and she arched into him as he began trailing kisses down her neck. She kicked off her shoes, glad to be rid of them and moaned at the feeling of the cool dewy grass on her feet. All of her senses were being utterly overwhelmed, every time she inhaled she could smell the scents of flowers on the still warm wind, she could hear The Weird Sisters as clearly as though they were playing a few feet away and she could feel her blood coursing through her veins, speeding up as Fred's thumb brushed the underside of her breast. She had never felt a want like this before, it was all consuming, her whole body was throbbing, needing Fred as it needed air. She could feel the wetness in her knickers, feel just how much he had turned her on with just his hands alone. She grabbed desperately at the buttons of his shirt wanting to feel more of him, see more of him. He batted her hand's away her and continued his assault on her body causing her to writhe below him as soft gasps and moans escaped her. She raked her nails up his back under the shirt crying out as her action caused Fred's hips to buck, his erection pushing against her core. Suddenly it all became too much for her to bear and she had to push him away, sitting up abruptly.

Fred's face was clouded with confusion, eyes dark, his own need straining against the material of his jeans.

"What's wrong?" He reached out to her tucking a stray curl behind her ear, as the signature, lazy smile appeared back on his face. "You're not scared are you?" Hermione shoved at his shoulders and he fell backwards. She crawled up the length of his body and straddled him, hitching up her dress so she could grind against his erection. "No Fred," she breathed, leaning forward and whispering into his ear. "Nothing scares me anymore."

It was early afternoon, the next day and Hermione lay in Ginny's bed, hair in a loose plait, wearing a vest with jogging bottoms. Hogwarts a History lay open before her but she paid it no heed, her head was spinning with the memories of the previous night - the things Fred had done to her, what she had done to him. She flushed at the thought, angry that she was getting so aroused from the mere recollection of it. It was that bloody pill, she knew she never should have accepted anything created by that man. Merlin she was smarter than that! Nothing was ever that simple with Fred! She huffed and picked at the duvet aggressively. She never would have acted so wantonly of her own accord! Hermione wiggled down the bed bringing the cover up to her chin.

She was distraught when she had woken up in Fred's bed that morning, naked and entangled with him. At least she still had had enough smarts about her to cast a silencing spell as she dressed and apparated back to The Burrow. Thank God Ginny hadn't been at home, she would never have been able to face the inevitable grilling her best friend would have given her. But she knew she would have to face the Weasleys at some point, they would have seen her kissing Fred in the hall and she knew the boy's wouldn't be exactly tactful about it.

She threw the duvet over her head, burrowed down into the middle of the bed and curled into the fetal position. She could just live in Ginny's bedroom for the rest of her life, Gin could bring her everything she required and she would never need to see another person ever again. All she needed was her books right? Oh God this was so screwed up! But maybe now would be a good time to finally face up to the fact that her nerves last night had little to do with wearing such a revealing dress, rather what Fred would think of her in it. She knew that he wanted her and had done so for a long time, he had made no secret of it really. His banter with her had taken a turn for the crass over the last few months but whilst the others laughed it off they never saw the looks he would shoot at her over the dining table. They made her heart race and her knickers wet. But the thought of it had scared Hermione, he intimidated her slightly if truth be told, but... she had wanted him too. Whenever she knew he was coming for a visit at The Burrow she would put on a skirt, apply a little make up and try to do something with her hair. She thought she was being subtle but Ginny would look at her with knowing eyes and Fred would always comment.

"Nice leg's Granger! Fancy wrapping them around me some time?" Molly had gone mental at that and thrown a pan at him. Hermione snorted at the memory, she had never seen Fred run so fast.

A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. It obviously wasn't Gin, probably Molly bringing her up some food. It took all of the will power she possessed to roll out of her warm cocoon and walk to the door. She swung it open to a disheveled looking Fred Weasley, eyes still blurry from sleep.

"Mornin' lover!" Hermione's fist collided with his nose with such force there was an audible snap as it broke. Fred bellowed in pain and clutched at his face. "WHAT THE FUCK HERMIONE?!"

"You utter, utter bastard!" She stood fists clenched, face red, chest heaving as she desperately suppressed the urge to lash out at him again.

"Wha-?"

"You took advantage of me, you said that I should trust you, that it was supposed to help me relax not turn me into some kind of sexually deprave-" Fred cut her off.

"Can we please discuss this after I fix my face!" Blood was seeping from his cupped hands, staining the white T-shirt he was wearing, dripping onto the floor. She stood aside, allowing him to pass by. He sat on the edge of the bed and tilted his head back in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He hissed as he gently probed the injury with his fingers.

"Oh stop being so dramatic!" Hermione plucked her wand off the bedside cabinet and jabbed it angrily in his direction muttering a spell which fixed his nose and stopped the bleeding instantaneously. Fred muttered a thanks and wiped his hands down his boxers staining them with his blood. Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"I'll wash them don't worry!" He said noticing her expression. An awkward silence settled around them. Fred started fidgeting under her glare and began whistling a tune.

"Fred I am waiting for an explanation." Hermione said through gritted teeth. This boy was really testing her patience. He sighed and tried to avoid her eyes.

"Look the pill didn't make you do anything you didn't want to, it's only supposed to help you relax, lower you inhibitions slightly so you can have a good time." He paused and met her gaze. "Do thing's that you want to do without your anxieties holding you back. It has a weird side effect though whereby your senses get majorly enhanced, I don't know why, me and George haven't really worked it out yet. The first time I tried it I spent two hours staring into a cauldron because I was so amazed by the colours in the liquid." He smiled at the memory but immediately sobered at the sight of Hermione's unamused expression. "Look Hermione you can pretend that last night happened because you were under some kind of magical influence but you'd be lying to yourself. You did it because you wanted to." He wiped at his nose with the back of his hand, smearing blood over his cheek. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Just, just stay there for a sec." She left the room and crossed the hallway into the bathroom, once there she took her small wash cloth and wet it under the tap. She wrung it out until it was just damp and made her way back into Ginny's room, closing the door behind her. Fred had scooted back on the bed and was now slouching against the wall looking particularly depressed about the whole situation. Hermione realised that this was probably the most serious she had ever seen Fred. She didn't really like it. She climbed onto the bed and then onto Fred, straddling the tops of his thighs, trying to get as close to his face as possible. He looked at her with confusion which changed quickly to amusement as she began to dab at his face with the flannel.

"'Mione"

"Fred."

"Ladies first."

Hermione took a shaky breath.

"Look, Fred you're right. Last night, that was something that I wanted, I guess it would be pointless to lie about it now. But that's not exactly how I wanted it to happen. I do really like you and I thought you might have liked me too but I couldn't ever really be sure because, well it's you Fred. It's not as though you take this sort of stuff that seriously, just look at the way you asked out Angelina for the Yule Ball." She stopped dabbing at his face having removed the worst of the blood and took up his right hand in her's, wiping the blood from his palms and fingers. "I guess I was just worried that... well it was just all just a big joke to you. That I was joke to you." She stopped, inspecting his clean hands, trying hard to ignore the blush across her cheeks.

"If I kiss you you Hermione do you promise not to break my nose again?"

"I prom-"

Fred leant forward and easily caught her lips with his own, struggling to kiss her properly because of the huge grin he was wearing. His hands snaked under the back of her vest and he traced gentle patterns onto her skin as her own hands tangled into his hair. They remained like this for a few minutes, locked in each others arms. The kisses were slow and languid, the exact opposite of the previous night but to Hermione they were equally as perfect. Fred gently moved forward and twisted, laying Hermione out on the bed without ever losing contact with her lips. This time there was no rush, there was no sense of urgency just a slow burning desire that was threatening to consume Hermione once more. Reluctantly she pulled away, looking up at Fred who was positively beaming.

"Can we go back to the flat? Only I'm not sure Gin would appreciate coming back and finding us in such a compromising position on her bed."

"I thought you were never going to ask." She smiled as she felt the jolt behind her belly button.