Wavering. Hermione Jean Granger clicked her heels noisily against the pavement, a grating noise as she struggled to make haste, yet found herself inching towards the bookstore. Eyebrows furrowed, she calculated the probability of productivity if she ventured into her sweet sanctuary. Quite unlikely, she concluded, for sauntering into the lodgings of literature would send her sitting for an hour, losing all the time she needed to run today's particular errand.
The enticing smell of worn pages and delicate spins of leather almost grabbed her by the throat but she stood firm on her ground. Gingerly, she eyed the "Now Open!" sign hanging freshly on the knob. Twitching towards the store, she felt her clammy palms clasp the hems of her shirt and stopped herself.
"Oh! for goodness' sake, just get in. You know it would drive you mad if you passed by a pristine bookstore such as this one without sticking your toe in at the least." It was an exasperated comment and Hermione snapped her head towards the speaker. Fred Weasley, a smug expression on his freckled face greeted her slightly flushed state with amusement. He stood lankily and lean against a wall, his bright flames falling unkemptly in perfect length.
"And how long have you been standing there?"
"Nice to see you, too, 'Mione. Quite a while, I admit. To be honest, the ongoing battle against yourself was entertaining to watch, although it deemed insufferable after a good fifteen minutes, i just had to intervene." He walked towards her.
The sudden engagement of emotions on Hermione's face only invited him to stand right between her and the bookstore. She crossed her arms.
"Crotchety aren't you? Well come on now, go in," He smiled in his most galling manner.
"Is this another one of your jokes? Charmed a bookstore, now? Frankly, Fred Weasley, I am not in the mood to be amused with obnoxious banter and tricks. And for your information, I was merely observing the landmarks around this bookstore to make a quick stop later this week. I've put a particular errand in first priority, and I'd rather that you don't meddle with the organization of my plans," she stated in her most condescending tone, walking away from him with the quick flip of her hair.
Unperturbed by the scene, Fred Weasley shuffled towards her, the same mischievous grin playing on his lips. "What particular errand?" He tried.
"A lady's errand, it does not concern you, or any other boy, for that matter, although especially you for you always entangle me in a fit of pique," She remarked haughtily, still walking away and not meeting his eyes.
"If this is such an errand, where are all your lady friends, Hermione?"
She stopped abruptly. "They wanted to do this next monday, but my schedule is full next week, and I always prefer to accomplish my tasks early."
"Of course you do," Fred mumbled quietly. Hermione shot him a look.
Standing directly in front of her and forcing her to meet his eyes, he tried again, "I have nothing particularly interesting to do today and, you look like you need the company of my handsome Weasley charm and irresistible wit and humor, so I'd be delighted to be a lady for today."
Hermione laughed, "You still don't know what the errand is, however."
Encouraged by his ability to snap her out of her irritable state, he leaned forward, Hermione turning faintly pink, "Alright then, try me," He said.
"I'm shopping for a Yule ball dress," she responded straight-forwardly, half expecting him to look taken aback. The glorious Fred Weasley remained unfazed.
"Well then, we better get going," he smiled.
"Blue isn't a particularly good color in me, I don't think I should wear anything of the shade. Also, everyone else is actually eyeing this dress, I'd rather I don't accidentally saunter in a clone at the Yule Ball." Hermione stuffed a long, silk, sky blue dress back into the cabinet.
"Something red, then? Pink, carmine?" Fred suggested, his body lying lazily on a couch. It had been 30 minutes and Hermione hadn't tried anything on, for she was too busy inspecting each color she passed by on the rack. Fred felt almost doubtful of his judgement to come and endure a lecture concerning the contrast of cloth against skin.
"Yes, I suppose so. White would be too blinding, Black is unacceptable, Green is a shade I admittedly cannot pull off, all the Orange dresses are neon and neon is blinding and inappropriate, Yellow only reminds me of daffodils in the summer, Brown dresses look terribly medieval. I would've preferred cream with lilac, or perhaps a flowing-"
Fred Weasley, clearly exasperated, snatched a hanger holding a soft, magenta dress, it had been hanging next to him the entire time in hope that Hermione would shut up and notice the delicate ensemble. "Put it on." he tossed it to her.
"This is a brilliant color. I suppose we shouldn't hunt down for any more, this is exactly what I was picturing-"
"Put it on, Hermione," Fred sighed, his head thrown backwards.
"And you accuse me for being crotchety, I'm merely being productive." Hermione rolled her eyes and disappeared into the dressing room.
Fred closed his eyes, rubbing his temples drowsily. It had been an admittedly wearying task to face a blinding sight of millions of women's wear. He wondered how George was doing mailing the products they had successfully infiltrated through Hogwarts under the radar. Then he wondered suddenly about himself, about his own dress robes handed down by Bill, and how ravishing or unravishing he might end up looking.
"It's rather quite fit at the waist, I do like the color and everything-" Fred Weasley's eyes fluttered open at the unanticipated sound of her voice. Standing up swiftly, he let his gaze in her direction.
"Well? I look silly, don't I? Oh God, you're not saying anything. I don't want to mess this up for Victor, I look terribly bedraggled, don't I? Maybe blue really is the ideal shade, or maybe it's the sleeves. The sleeves look terribly out of place, I should've snatched a strapped one. Oh, but I suppose it would be chilly…"
Fred felt slightly numb. The dress she put on complimented her curves and rosy cheeks, the length hanging delicately bellow her knees. She looked breathless, and he felt the tiny school boy crush he had developed on her the year before come creeping back.
"It looks shoddy, doesn't it? I look-"
"Beautiful." It was a struggle to find the perfect adjective. He had debated with either alluring, gorgeous, stunning or lovely, but the word 'beautiful' always stuck out.
"Hang on, though," He picked himself up to walk gingerly towards her, running his slender fingers across her cheek bones, reaching towards her chaotic bun, fingers running oh so lightly. With a sharp snap, her hair fell gracefully down her collar bone.
Fred, a tower compared to her average height, bent down to meet her, eyes gazing steadily. Holding her breath, she unsuccessfully tried not to dwell on how many dancing freckles Fred Weasley had on his contrasting skin, how long his eyelashes were, how his lips curved playfully when he smiled.
Pulling back with his heart pounding, he mustered all his confidence to keep his tone calm, "Well, I suppose you'll grow into it."
Hermione nudged him at his annoying habit to ruin potentially endearing moments. Her elbow fleetingly stabbing him in the rib.
"That actually hurt a little," Fred flinched.
"Funny, I would've have thought that the unbeatable beater of the well-renounced Gryffindor Quidditch team had endured a more painful blow."
"Nothing to endure, love," He winked, "I never miss."
"Where are we going?" Hermione was breathless, her calves aching from the running, heels striking the ground with much force unnecessary.
Fred Weasley didn't respond, he was sprinting, himself, an iron-hold on her skinny risks. He felt almost terrible for dragging her in an almost barbaric manner, and for gripping her small frame with less caution than needed.
"Fred Weasley, I am completely and utterly exasperated," she spat, but her legs kept going, the curiosity of this particular red head's destination taking the better end of her judgment.
"Come along now, we haven't got all night," He urged, leading her to a small sleeping portrait that opened with the mere touch of his finger.
"Wha-"
Sending her another wink, he invited her into the stuffy compartment. "It's a surprise. Ladies first."
The compartment was a short tunnel leading to a blinding light. Hermione felt the sweat trickle down her skin and the clammy earth against her palms as she crouched across the narrow passage. Closer and closer, an enticing aroma filled her. It was unmistakable. And as the light grew nearer and nearer, she eagerly ran towards the source, Fred chuckled on her heels.
"Well, I suppose you found a new secret passage," she smiled.
"You didn't look too well tonight, thought you might want to be in the company of the best," he wiped the dirt off on his itchy dress robes.
Hermione looked at Fred curiously, pondering on when the ginger started to be genuinely concerned for her well-being.
"The bookstore. You found the passage to the bookstore. I admit, I tend to undermine your superior knowledge on the like."
"Was that Hermione Granger's way of complimenting a person's intellect? I've always been quite smart, Hermione, I just have the tendency to put my vast expertise on certain subjects," He replied craftily.
When Hermione didn't inch towards a single shelf, his eyebrows furrowed. "You aren't devouring a single page, did you hit your head somewhere? Oh my, I'm genuinely sorry, I was running too fast, wasn't I? Or is this about Victor? And Ron?" He lowered his eyelids.
"No, I-" And she ran. Although "ran" would be quite the understatement, for Fred Weasley didn't spot a single movement on her part, the next thing he knew, he could taste her.
It was soft kiss, and it caught him baffled. For a second, he didn't know what to do, but he wrapped his lengthy arms around her magenta dress and moved his fingers lightly across her spine. She smelled like lemon-scented shampoo. He smelled like cinnamon.
"Quite the spontaneous one, aren't you?"
Blushing crimson, she ran her lean fingers across his bright hair and kissed him again, smiling against his lips. When Fred pressed his mouth more eagerly against hers, he heard a slight whimper and felt her tiny lips part in anticipation. Using one of the shelves as support, he pushed half his body weight against hers and allowed the kiss to deepen.
"How long?" she asked, pulling away, breathless, although quite reluctantly.
"What do you mean by that?" He leaned, his nose touching hers.
"How long have you fancied me, Mr. Fred Weasley?" she inquired, biting her bottom lip, which he found annoyingly quite cute.
"To be honest, ever since you caught me in my third year smuggling a few dung bombs into Filch's office that one night. I am still completely incredulous to your opposition to such an action. Frankly, I believe he deserved them," he laughed, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"So that was it? A snobby, bossy, disciplinary quality attracted you?" She looked slightly disheartened.
"No, it was your objection to our tactics that i found as a delightful challenge. Honestly, I've tried to stop it. But you come into my life again wearing a dress and looking… like that," he whispered into her ear, and she felt terribly weak.
"Well, this was a pleasant surprise, i must say," she chuckled.
He smiled. "And there will be more." He entangled his rough Quidditch-worn hands with her delicate bony ones. And with a sly wink, the entire store shook, books falling off the shelves. Simultaneously, each one opened and blasts of tiny hearts of light came circling around them. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hearts, cheesy, I suppose, but they're-"
"I love it," she smiled.
"Well, then, Hermione Jean Granger, I am formally asking you to go out with me for maybe, forever?" More hearts circling his vibrantly red hair.
"Quite the spontaneous one, aren't you?" she cocked her eyebrows mockingly, as she eyed the approaching hearts.
Pulling her for another quick kiss, a grin plastered in his face, "I suppose so."
I was bored. Lol. I'm sorry. I am quite the avid fan of fremione, I really am. (i have this ongoing fremione fic called Curiosity Treats, just in case you want to check it out)
Review? :) It would make my day, seriously. And I will shower you with cookies. I also love meeting fellow fremione shippers, so comment all the way! Violent reactions, praises, any grammatical slip-ups, or maybe you just want to say hi. Anything will do.