Author's note: AU story. I mention the war, but not how Fred survived. Italics are a flashback. Also, this isn't the best Ron story out there, It bashes him a little. But then again, the main character is Hermione, and paring Fred/George. Also, the Swishwer idea is my own invention idea.
Written for The Twin Exchange August Title Swap challenge.
Title Submitter: Not Just A Reader-A Fangirl
Ron stretched as if he had been putting together the boxes of a new shipment by himself. Hermione came in from the back of the shop, rolled her eyes at him, and heaved a heavy box on to the counter.
"Another stretch break?" She snorted.
"I've been working," Ron replied as he reached his hands above his head, then put them down, yawning as he did so.
"Right. I've moved more boxes than you have. Help me with the last seven," Hermione instructed.
"I've moved boxes." Ron said looking at the pile in the corner.
"Two boxes doesn't count Ronald. Now come out and help me, or I'll tell George you didn't help me again," Hermione's bossy tone made Ron obey her.
Hermione helped out in the shop on weekends whereas Ron was full time. George needed all the help since Fred was away on business. George would have gone too, but Ron was still learning the ways of the store. Together, the whole Weasley family with the help of other Witches and Wizards rebuilt Diagon Alley after the war. After they'd all taken a few weeks to recover from it.
"Why do we have to have dream catchers anyway?" Ron moaned.
"You were at the meeting. Don't you remember?" Hermione said as they carried more boxes from the delivery truck into the shop.
"I fell asleep."
"I'm not surprised. Fred found an old journal of his. Dreamcatchers. They catch good dreams you have, and show it to you like a projector shows pictures. But the dreams show you your best dreams whenever you least expect them," Hermione explained.
"I still don't get it," Ron opened one box, pulled out a purple dream catcher, held it out and watched it start to glow. They had every color of the rainbow in the box.
"We aren't supposed to play with them yet! They only have 20 uses, until you have to come in and get another one," She said.
Her face grew red as the Dream Catcher started glowing a bright purple around the rim, and the strings lit up to a white color. In the middle of the Catcher, you could see something coming from the center and forming on the wall. The dream catcher showed a picture of her on the front door of the shop. She was kissing a redhead. And it wasn't Ron. Hermione hid the dream catcher.
"How do you turn off this thing?" Hermione said suddenly snatching it from Ron. "That one must be a fake." Her face matched the color of Ron's hair as she turned away from him.
Hermione saw that the purple and white glow went away once it was covered up. 'Clever Fred.' She thought.
"Who were you kissing?" George asked as he pulled the last box onto the counter.
"Oh you saw that?" Hermione blushed a deep red.
"I took care of the rest of the boxes while you two played." George said as he leaned against the box on the counter.
"Right, if we're done here, I'm getting something to eat. All that heavy lifting made me hungry." Ron said as he headed to the shop's break room.
Once Ron was out of earshot, George turned on Hermione.
"You're lucky Ron didn't put two and two together." George said as calmly as if he was talking about the weather.
"It was one kiss!" Hermione blurted out feeling annoyed. She instantly covered her hands over her mouth. Wishing she didn't admit the truth. Hermione tried not to think about the kiss in her mind with George watching her every move, but it was just so damn good, How could you forget a kiss like that?
The truth was, they kissed. Once. Which spiraled a secret relationship between the two. Then Fred took off on the business trip, he had wanted her to go with him, wanted her to say she was visiting her parents for the weekend. But Hermione didn't want it to be too obvious. They discovered they had feelings for each other when they worked in the shop.
While looking for a job at the Ministry, Hermione came into Weasley's Wizard Wheeze's shop wanting to take a break from the heat, and wanting some company. She thought she wanted it from Ron, but when she saw him down a whole BLT in three bites, she changed her mind. Fred was the next person who walked out of their break room and into his office. They had separate offices, because George needed his own space to think so Hermione followed him in there.
"When can you start working?" He assumed that's what she wanted as he leaned against his desk, and crossed his arms against his chest. That's when Hermione lost it without realizing she was crushing on Fred. She saw his muscles flex as they were crossed. His nice, thick muscles against a pale blue collard shirt. Matching his blue eyes. She shook her head.
"You can't?" Fred was confused, but smiled anyway.
"no, I mean I can, that's not why I came in though."
"Then why did you?"
"Just to talk to someone. Get out of the heat I guess," Hermione admitted.
"It's hot out there that's for sure. Good thing our Swishers came just in time." Fred said smiling.
Before she could even ask, Hermione got squirted in the face, and on her white dress with red fruit juice instead of water from what looked like a toy that had been squeezed.
"What the hell Fred? This is going to stain against my white dress!" Hermione started looking around for something to wipe it off when she heard him laughing.
Fred walked up to her, and stood inches in front of her.
"You've got something on your dress." He put his finger where the juice sprayed her. As she looked down, she saw nothing was there. Her face turned as red as the juice had been seconds before.
"You have some nerve spraying me with what'd you call it?" Hermione wouldn't shut up. So Fred shut her up by kissing her full on the lips.
"Hermione?" George's voice brought her back from her memory. "From the looks of it, that was some kiss." He grinned.
"Please don't tell Ron! The Purple Dream Catcher was about to reveal the face!"
"I doubt it. The point of the Dream Catcher is to show part of the dream, not all."
"Whew. I hope they sell then George."
"They will. We already have back up orders. Your idea of showing the product before we sell it was a good one. We owe you for that."
"You don't owe me anything. And please don't tell Ron about that kiss." Hermione said blushing as she thought of it.
"You know I won't Hermione. It's not up to me to tell."
Hermione handed George The Purple Dream Catcher and blushed as she saw it about to glow again.
"I better get out of here, before it reveals more of the dream." Hermione said smiling as she walked away.
Once she was out of view from George, Hermione leaned against the office wall and breathed a sigh of relief. If the Purple Dream Catcher had shown the whole dream, she would have been embarrassed. Hermione went back to work, knowing that their secret was still a secret at least for now.