A/N: This is my first Fred/Hermione story.. hopefully it's not terrible. If I write Fred too out of character, you can slap me with a flame, but hopefully you'll help me write him better. Anyways please review.
Chapter One
Make-Believe Adulthood
Hermione, Ron and Harry sat huddled around the moldy bedroom door, listening with a pair of Extendable Ears to the debate that was taking place in the downstairs hallway. They were at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, there because the order was still functioning, even without Dumbledore.
"Who can we get to go now that Angelina can't," Molly queried sounding very worried.
"I'm not sure," Said Tonks, but she didn't volunteer either.
"How about Hermione? She's smart and reliable, it'd be easy having her along," Fred said, and Hermione gasped when she heard this. Ron and Harry looked over at her with wide eyes.
"Absolutely not! She's too young," Molly said sternly and Fred snorted.
"She's of age, Molly. If she wants to, there isn't anything we can do to prevent it, and she would be a good candidate for the job," Said a new voice, it was that of Remus Lupin and he sounded a bit wary, now that he'd put up an arguement to Molly's claim.
"We should discuss this with her," Arthur said and all the people in the room murmered their assent.
"I'll just pop up there and get her," Fred said.
Hermione, Harry and Ron hurriedly yanked the Extendable Ears in through the crack underneath the door and Harry was just stuffing them into his jean pocket when Fred apparated into the room.
"Tut, tut, listening in to conversations? What on earth has your family been teaching you," Fred said levelling a dissaproving look at Ron.
"Sod off, Fred," Ron said glaring at his older brother.
"Hermione, you are wanted downstairs. Although I bet you already knew that," Fred said with a wink and he dissapperated with a crack.
"See you," Hermione said to Ron and Harry before she too disapparated and reapparated into the downstairs hallway.
"Hermione, dear, you can say no if you want to. It's mighty dangerous what they want to ask of you, and if I was your mother I would never allow it," Molly said as soon as Hermione was there.
"Stop, Molly. Let us explain to her what is going on first," Remus said softly from a dilapidated sofa in the corner by the staircase.
He was looking mightily weather and his hair had nearly all gone gray. Hermione hadn't seem him in a few months and she couldn't say the time had been kind to him.
"Hermione, we need someone, a female someone, to accompany Fred when he goes to Bristol later this week. It's a mission for the Order, Fred is supposed to milk information out of an old woman named Amy Henderson, she is the god mother of one Lucuis Malfoy and she has quite the store of information. She owns an old country inn in Bristol and you would be going to stay there for a week," Arthur explained.
"Me and Angelina were going to pretend to be newlyweds, but that clearly isn't going to work now," Fred piped up.
"And we've already booked your stay too, under the names Rachel and Arnold Daniels," Molly fretted.
"We could go as brother and sister," Hermione volunteered and everyone stared at her as though just realizing she was there.
"Brilliant! That would be just fine," Arthur said excitedly and though Molly glowered, she kept her mouth shut.
"See, that's why she's perfect to go," Fred said in a very I-Told-You-So way.
"So you've accepted the job?" Remus asked and Hermione didn't even need a moment's thought, she nodded eagerly.
She had been wanting to do something, anything useful, and now here was her chance.
That night, Hermione set about packing a suitcase for the trip. She put a couple pairs of jeans in her bag and turned to look at the two glum boys behind her. Harry and Ron sat on her bed, both looking put out. They had heard everything that had been discussed downstairs and now they were sulking like two toddlers.
"You get to go away for a week, on an important mission, while we're stuck here? How is that fair," Ron said discordantly.
"I'm sorry, but I really want to do this," Hermione said grabbing a stack of neatly folded socks and placing them in beside her jeans.
"You know why they picked her, Ron. She's clever and brilliant at magic, plus she's a girl, which is what they wanted," Harry said and Hermione smiled at him.
Ron still looked sullen, but he nodded.
"I hope you don't have to share a room with my brother. He's a terrble slob," Ron said suddenly picking at the bed spread and looking at the floor.
"Oh, I'm not sure if I am," Hermione said, and she was suprised that no one had told her that little detail.
The more she thought about it though, the more she knew, there wasn't any possible way she wouldn't be sharing a room with Fred. They had booked the hotel when Angelina had been going, and to convincingly play a married couple, they'd of course have to stay in the same room. That as far as Hermione went with that line of thought, because Harry had thrown a cotton shirt at her head, hitting her squarely in the forehead.
"Hello, Miss Granger. Nice of you to join us," Harry said and Hermione shook her head to bring herself back to reality.
"Sorry, I was just dazing off," Hermione said and Harry laughed.
"Yeah, I noticed. Ron left by the way, got bored with you staring at that point in the wall and said he was peckish. I was going to do the same, but I thought I might snap you back first," Harry said and Hermione smiled gratefuly at him.
"See you at dinner," He called as he walked out the door.
Hermione put some underwear into her suitcase and zipped it up. It hadn't taken her long at all, and now she was all packed.
The next morning Hermione and Fred were getting a briefing on their trip. Hermione sat perched on the edge of a small wing-backed chair, intently listening to Remus. Fred, on the other hand, was sprawled across an armchair, still in his pajamas, he yawned occasionally and saw Hermione fighting not to do the same.
"Hermione, you're twenty and you've been working in the magical cosmetics market. Your father is James and your mother is Martha and you live in Surrey. Here is a packet, tells you everything about yourself, and I mean everything. Study it on the train ride to the inn, believe me you'll need something to do," Remus said handing Hermione a large yellow folder.
"Fred, here's yours," Remus said handing Fred a blue folder.
"You're twenty-three, and you work for an American company called Encom Magical Inc."
"What about this woman, is there anything we need to know about her," Hermione queried.
"I hate to say it, but we're related," Fred said from his chair, "Distantly of course."
"Will she recognize you?"
"I've never met her, but the flaming hair is a dead give away that I'm a Weasley," Fred said.
"We'll think of something," Hermione said waving her hand dismissively.
"There's a slight problem," Molly said as she came into the room, eyeing Hermione and Fred.
"What is that," Remus asked.
"They look nothing alike! They don't look like siblings," Molly explained gesturing to Fred with his extremely vivid hair and then to Hermione with her more low-key appearance.
"Mrs. Weasley that's easy to fix," Hermione said and she pulled her wand from her pocket," We can spell his hair to be brown. It fixes two problems at once, actually. That way Miss Henderson won't know he's a Weasley and we will hopefully look a bit like we could be related."
"Good idea," Remus said and Hermione nodded.
Turning to look at Fred, Hermione flicked her wand once and then did a small little wave with it, then put it back in her pocket. Fred reached up a hand to feel his hair, but nothing seemed different.
"I guess that will do, you do look a sight like brother and sister now," Molly admited.
"I do hate to see the hair go though, it's so... vibrant," Hermione said eyeing Fred who didn't look quite as bosterious with coppery brown hair.
"It will keep him out of trouble, and he'll blend in better," Molly said and Hermione nodded.
"Well, I think that's all for now. You are leaving in two days time on a train, you will stay they for a week, or more if it takes that," Remus said moving towards the door.
"It shouldn't," Fred said confidently.
The evening before they were to leave for Bristol, Hermione felt she needed to talk with Fred, get everything settled. She sought him out and found him in his temporary bedroom. He was just throwing things into a trunk and Hermione cringed at what that was doing to his cotton shirts.
"Fred, may I speak with you," Hermione queried shyly and Fred turned from his dresser with a boyish grin on his face. It seemed a bit off though without his amazing hair.
"Sure, Hermione," He said and he sat on his bed and stared at her with rapted attention.
Hermione blushed and shuffled her feet under his studiously tense gaze. He was doing it just to get her to laugh, but instead it was making her feel uncomfortable.
"Why... why wasn't Angeline able to do it," Hermione finally ground out and Fred relaxed back onto his bed and leaned against his half packed trunk.
"Oh nothing too sinsiter. Her parents weren't happy about it," Fred said and Hermione nodded, because that made sense.
"How did you get picked for this?"
"Oh, George said he'd take care of the shop and Lee's helping him, and the Order needed me. Seemed like a worthy cause at the time, but now the more I hear about how I'm supposed to be sucking the warty toes of some old lady, I'm not so sure I should have agreed," Fred said with a completely serious expression.
Hermione started laughing.
"I told mum, that maybe she could talk to Percy, toe-sucking always was more of his thing, but she got cross with me when I suggested it. Doesn't take me seriously for a moment, which is ridiclous when everyone who knows me, knows how humorless I am. Exploding toilets were always more my twin's thing, but no one believes me. I think that's the curse of looking like someone else," Fred said with such fake depression that Hermione held her side as she laughed for several minutes straight.
"Are you really bringing that ridiculous thing?"
Fred looked over at her as he was stuffing a large moose-head hat into his trunk.
"Of course, I don't go anywhere without him. Seymor is the ultimate babe magnet," Fred said haughtily.
Hermione giggled and tried to be serious by rolling her eyes at him.
"Well thank you for the interesting conversation. I will leave you to your packing now, goodnight," Hermione said as she opened the door to his room to leave.
"Goodnight, Hermione. See you in the morning," Fred called sincerely, but Hermione fought more giggles off because although he hadn't said anything funny, his rear end was currently in the air, as it seemed he'd dived face first into his trunk.
She only allowed herself a chuckle when she was safely out in the hall.
