It wasn't often that Fred Weasley found himself at a loss for words, and whenever it happened he decided that he didn't like the awkward silence that filled the void where his words and laughter should be, that was all there was to it and nothing would change his mind on the matter, he was sure of that much to be certain. It was that summer day sitting across from Hermione Granger there at number 12 Grimmauld Place that had done it the first time, and it wouldn't be the last time that week, he knew and could feel it so he was determined to make her as flustered as she had made him, he just needed to know how to do so. He steered clear of her, spending his time with George as the two of them worked on top secret stuff to sell during the following school year or thinking up ways to make her flustered, it was one of the only things that he could think about and he noticed that he was starting to think of her a lot more often, his brother had noticed it as well but hadn't said anything about it. He was grateful for that, he wasn't sure what he would have done if George had commented on it, probably have denied it but his twin knew him better than he knew himself at times.
The solution came to him in a flash of brilliance the next time that they were alone, though he hadn't exactly been expecting it to come at all, especially since he had no idea he was going to say what he did next, nor could he have predicted what would happen as a result of it, but it had happened none the less. She reminded him of his Mum, the way that she would reprimand, it was almost a charming quality had she not had the same air of annoyance about her that Molly did when she was angry, he would suppose later that he would attribute that to what was happening though had he known the future he never would have allowed things to progress the way that they had. All he could hear was her nagging his brother Ron about something and while he was glad that it was his brother and not him, her voice was becoming a bit of a distraction, and he got up from his seat to tell her so when she nearly collided with him in the hall once he had exited his room, her face flushed with colour. "Oi Granger, you're red as a tomato, my brother go and kiss those pretty lips of yours or something, the git?" he asked, watching her cheeks flush brighter still, she was speechless and for once he found himself almost triumphant, or would of had he not been so intrigued by, as he had called them, her pretty lips.
She looked up at him, her mouth parted but no words came to her lips which only made her all the more flustered still as she brushed her messy hair back from her face, a soft smile coming to his lips as his eyes met hers at long last once they had torn themselves from her mouth instead. Neither of them said anything for another moment or two until they passed one another by in the hallway, but Fred found himself stop to look back and saw that she had done the same, and in that moment he let his bravery get the better of him. He turned on his heel and walked back towards her, noting the wild look in her eyes and for a moment he thought she was going to go tearing off to her room but she held her ground, he was impressed to say the very least as he stopped in front of her and looked down at her once more. Before either of them knew what was happening, his lips were pressed to hers, her arms were around his neck, and the kiss though chaste was full of a desire that neither of them had ever known before until they pulled away to see Ron standing there with an angry look in his eyes before he retreated into his room and slammed the door, there was no taking it back now and Fred found that he didn't want to.
Stolen kisses, here and there throughout the house when no one was looking, and they lost their hearts to one another during the summer, experiencing a love like no other from that first shared kiss until the moment that fate would send them into a tailspin, and had Fred known that he never would have kissed her that day. Though, he would later recall her face being the last thing that had come to mind in that flash of green light, and it would be the one thing that would bring a smile to his face for the last time...