Easter with the Weasley's.
Easter at the Weasley's, normally Hermione would be spending it at home with her parents but this year was different, she received an invite from the Weasley family to go and spend it with them. Hermione leapt at the chance to see her surrogate family again. Fred especially... lately – things between the two of them had been different, there was more friction, more chemistry; the way he looked at her and the way she looked at him had changed. To her, he was becoming a lot more then the prankster she shares her school house with...
She kissed her parents' goodbye before apparating straight to the Burrow, misjudging it once again and landing in the pond. Tramping through the fields, soaking wet and now – rather grumpy, she couldn't shake Fred from her mind. She arrived at the front door of the burrow, surprised by the lack of noise – she knocked quietly on the door, praying someone was in. It was April and not very warm so she just wanted to get out her soggy jeans and shirt and get into something a lot warmer. After about thirty seconds – the door opened, and it was just who she was hoping it to be,
"Hermi-" he broke off and laughed softly, placing his warm hand on her icy shoulder, "The pond? Fancy a swim before you arrived?" He teased her as he guided her inside to sit on the sofa,
"Oh, funny Fred. As a matter of fact – I decided you took so long in the bathroom every morning, I would have a bath now." She desperately tried to keep a serious face but she ended up laughing, hiding her face with her tangled, wet hair.
"Smart one there Granger." He winked before summoning her a towel, sitting next to her. He wrapped the towel around her shoulders carefully, running his hand across her shoulder blades before placing it back in his lap,
"Where's everyone else?" she asked, blushing slightly due to his touch,
"Oh, they went to Diagon to grab some last minute supplies" He smiled warmly, causing her eyes to wander down to his lips then back up to meet his gaze, "But I offered to stay behind, knew you would be early." He laughed gently, making her smile and brush her teeth over her bottom lip. It was silent for a while, she had forgotten how cold and wet she was; she shivered slightly, drawing Fred's attention back to her,
"Oi, they call you the brightest witch of your age right?" He asked sarcastically,
"Yes, it has been said about me before" She nodded, matching his sarcasm with her own,
"Well, how is sitting in wet clothes 'bright'?" He stood up laughing, "I'll make some tea, leave you to change" He winked again; she found his wink endearing, charming even. He left the room slightly reluctantly and headed for the kitchen. She rummaged through her case to find some dry, warm clothes, pulling her soggy shirt off over her head and slipping her clinging jeans down to a puddle of damp fabric on the floor. Redressing herself in a woollen knitted jumper Molly had made her last Christmas and an old pair of jogging bottoms she packed for an emergency.
Fred re-entred holding two steaming mug of tea, sitting back on the sofa and handing her a mug after Hermione dropped down onto the sofa, tying her dripping hair back into a tight bun,
"I prefer your hair up" He commented, causing her to blush faintly, "Just shows off your face more" He nodded, taking a sip from the cup, she found herself doing the same – taking a small, careful sip before leaning back on the sofa,
"Right, I'll remember that..." She smiled but he remained serious,
"Honestly Hermione, I think..." He paused, frowning lightly as though he had forgotten his sentence, she too turned serious – curiosity getting the better of her,
"What do you think Fred?" She asked, slightly quieter than before, but as he took in a shallow breath there was a vibrant green light filling the room.
"Fred! Did you de-gnome the garden like I asked? Oh never mind, alright Hermione, dear?" Molly's joyful voice filled the room as she stepped from the fireplace first. It was always humorous when the Weasley's travel by Floo powder as for the next two minutes, slowly, the fireplace was acting as a doorway to the rest of the Weasley family. Hermione greeted them all with a handshake and a hug for Ron, Ginny, George and Bill. She always felt welcome at the Weasley's – it was like her second home. Once everyone had arrived home safely, Molly ushered them all into the kitchen, seating everyone at the table; Hermione was sat in-between Charlie and Bill and opposite Fred. Molly made a speech about how we should be thankful for having such a loving family, how they were blessed with everything they owned... but Hermione stopped listening, watching Fred who was evidently distracted by winding Ron up. She watched him in something like awe, how he could be so relaxed all the time... she laughed quietly to herself and clapped when Molly say back down, cutting a marvellous cake into ten generous slices, handing them around the table, Hermione receiving the first piece.
"Thank you Molly, for the cake and the hospitality" Hermione smiled sweetly, causing Fred and George to laugh,
"It's only cake Granger" George teased, causing Hermione to throw a playful glare at him,
"It's not like you're moving in!" Fred joked, but he didn't seem like he was enjoying it as much as George, but both of them laughed and started to eat their cake. The kitchen was full of conversation, everyone talking about individual topics but pitching in to each other's conversations occasionally. Fred however was pretty much silent – unusual for him, normally he is the life of the party, always up for making people laugh. His words were ringing in Hermione's ears, what was he trying to say earlier before the flood gates opened and the house filled up...
Later that evening, after another banquet of delightful food, Hermione was in the shared bathroom, brushing her teeth in the mirror with the door unlocked, his words still playing on her mind. After rinsing out he mouth, she took her bun out and let her curls fall around her face uncontrollably; she frowned at the state of her, turning from the mirror to remove her bracelet and rings she had dawned especially for the evenings meal. She stood playing with her last ring – twirling it around on her index finger when the door crept open,
"Sorry, I have to brush my teeth" Fred shrugged until his eyes wandered up from the floor, up Hermione's thin physique and up to her eyes, meeting her gaze again,
"Oh... Well, hey there" He joked, standing very close to her, reaching around her to get to the sink to retrieve his toothbrush, his cheek softly brushing against her lips and cheek, his chest against her. She finally found a plus side to a small bathroom. He stood up straight again but not stepping back, one of his legs between Hermione's. She suddenly came over all warm and flustered, being so close to him...
"You... you're bathroom is two small" She choked out, eyes moving down to his lips again,
"Actually..." He started, leaning in closer "It's just the right size" He winked, inches from her face, his hands either side of her body, holding him steady against the sink. She stayed as still as possible, she went to say something but he reacted before she could draw a breath, pressing his lips to hers – causing her to inhale sharply but she wasn't shocked or bothered, instead she kissed back softly; resting her hands on his biceps, pulling herself against him even more. His kiss changed, becoming more demanding and harder, pushing her lips apart carefully so he could taste her. She accepted him, moving her arms to loop around his neck, pulling him as close as possible – trying to gain a small amount of control, he smirked in the kiss – dropping one of his hands from the sink onto her back, holding her against him as he playfully bit her bottom lip, causing her to let out a small gasp followed by a moan. He laughed slightly, pulling back from her to admire her flustered face,
"Is that what you were going to say earlier?" She whispered, fanning herself with her hand,
"Sort of" He shrugged, leaning in and kissing her lips lightly, moving her hands to her hips, moving her aside to get to the sink, "But I wasn't planning on that" He laughed, leaning on the sink still facing her, pulling her against him, drawing her in for another kiss, but she locked her arm against his chest,
"This will change everything won't it?" she frowned slightly as he smirked once more,
"Well, let's see shall we?" He laughed, pulling her against him quickly, stealing another kiss.