Chapter 1

Midnight Wonderings

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I was dark and lonely at night especially when she couldn't sleep. Hermione was currently at The Burrow, she had arrived there three days earlier and had wandered around every night since. Not able to fall asleep until well after three o'clock in the morning. Hermione didn't know what her body was waiting for or what it was readying itself for. She made her way to the kitchen for a quick midnight snack and was surprised to see Fred there munching on an apple.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, startled.

"I live here again, remember." Came Fred's sarcastic reply. Fred had moved back in just before summer started, giving the loft above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to George and his new wife.

"Yes, but what are you doing up and in the kitchen?"

"Couldn't sleep and I got hungry. What are you doing up?"

"Insomnia, it's a bitch and I got hungry."

Fred offered her another apple that was sitting next to him and she took it gratefully. Hermione sat in a seat across from him and put her bare feet up on the table in front of her. Fred looked at her for a moment, thinking of how relaxed she looked when she wasn't worrying about anything. They sat eating their apples together in silence, Hermione ate hers slowly drawing out the time until she would tire enough to fall asleep. Fred was the first to break the silence.

"So why do you stay up so late? I hear you walk past my room every night."

"I don't know, it just seems that no matter how hard I try or how much I do to tire myself out I just can fall asleep. It's like I'm waiting for something to happen. But that probably sounds stupid to you." Hermione sighed, she didn't quite know why she was telling Fred this, he had never done anything to make her think that he would keep her secrets.

"It doesn't sound stupid, not at all. In fact, it seems that I've been doing the same thing." Fred laughed at how stupid he sounded. Hermione didn't want to hear about his petty problems like his sleeping habits but he felt like he could tell her. Like he could tell her everything.

The silence between them stood before Hermione asked a very random question. "What color are your eyes?"

"Green." He told her, the question apparent in his eyes.

"Just wanted to know, I figured we needed something to break the awkward silence." Hermione explained. "Mine are-"

"A coco brown, yeah, I know. I've gotten in trouble with you enough to know how you act, when you're offended, how to offend you, and quite a few other things that you would be surprised of."

"Wow, you're more perceptive then I would have thought, but I bet with all that you think you know about me you don't know what I desire most."

"To learn?" Fred asked.

"No." She shook her head and looked down as if ashamed. "To belong. Everything I've ever done, the learning, the questions, the reading, I did it all to show that a muggle-born can be just as superior as a pure-blood. A lot of good it did me though, that's still anyone every sees is a muggle-born bookworm, eager to learn and caring only for her studies. No one ever sees what I wish them to see."

Fred took in what he had just heard and wanted to comfort her. "Do you know what I see?" Fred asked, when she nodded he continued. "I see a beautiful woman who is eager to learn and loves what she knows. Someone that could and would, given the chance, best any pure-blood wizard alive. I even think you could give Dumbledore a run for his money. Not to mention, probably me and George too. Hermione you are as good as any pure-blood but what you need to do is relax and loosen up like you are right now and then maybe others will see it too."

Hermione contemplated what he told her. "That was sweet but it doesn't help. I want to be seen like that by everyone. Did you know that before I came to Hogwarts and started to prove myself that I was a lot like you?"

"I can't picture Hermione Granger with bright red hair and freckles, playing pranks on random people." Fred grinned at the face Hermione made at the thought of her with red hair and freckles.

"That's not quite what I meant, I meant I was relaxed and didn't care about much. Hogwarts changed me, I really don't even recognize myself anymore. I can look in a mirror and it's me but its not who I used to be and I miss it."

"So why not just go back. Go back to how you used to be, relax do a couple pranks with me and George."

"I don't think I could, I've been like this to long, I think I've forgotten how to have fun anymore."

"You changed from being fun to being who we know now, what's holding you back from being fun again?"

"I think it's the longing to prove myself. But you've heard about what I want most, what about you? What do you desire most in life?"

"I promise you that by time you leave The Burrow to go back to school I will make you do something that nobody would have ever expected. But to answer your question, the thing I want most in life is my own family. I want a wife who I love and can make me desire her no matter what she's wearing or what she's doing. Little children running around a big yard that surrounds a wonderfully big house, maybe a few animals, too."

Hermione smiled at the image that played in her mind. "That sounds wonderful. So what's stopping you?"

"I haven't found a woman that I desire enough to marry. I've lusted, hell, everyone does that, but I haven't found someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with yet. What about you, do you want a family?"

"Yes, I've always pictured myself settling down with the man of my dreams and having a few kids. Living in a big house, maybe working as a teacher or for myself, I really haven't decided yet. What do you think the woman of your dreams should look like?"

Fred looked thoughtful as he pictured a beautiful woman in his mind. "I always thought of the girl of my dreams as beautiful, wavy hair, dazzling eyes, and lips so full and wonderful that I just want to keep kissing them over and over again." Fred looked up and gave Hermione an evil grin. "A wonderful form, too. Not anorexic skinny but just enough body fat to give her form…And big boobs!"

"Fred!" Hermione screeched, raising her voice as loud as she dared. She threw a towel at him that happened to be lying nearby when her mind registered what he had said.

Fred caught the towel easily out of the air and set it back down on the table. "So what about you, Hermione, what's your dream man?"

Hermione sighed, she hadn't given it much thought as to what type of guy she wanted, she always thought that if she loved someone it wouldn't matter what he looked like but if she would have been able to pick who she could love she did have certain features in mind.

"I want a man who is always desirable. Strong, but doesn't have those bulging muscles. Sweet and can always determine what I want and when I want it. Somewhat long hair, not long like mine, but kind of short-long, like yours. And since we're on the verge of having a very perverted conversation, someone who can give me all the pleasure in the world and pain when I want it."

"Pain, huh?" Fred raised his eyebrows. "Kind of kinky, don't you think?"

"Ah, but Fred remember, there is no pleasure without pain. I just happened to be a little more fond of it the most girls I know." Hermione laughed, "I don't know why I just told you that. Promise me you won't tell anyone or use it against me somehow."

"I promise, nothing you tell me while we sit here tonight will leave the sanctity of my mind, as long as you promise to do the same."

"I promise." Hermione pledged, raising her left hand, solemnly swearing to it.

X

Fred and Hermione sat for three hours talking about what they hoped their futures would be. Both of them had the desire to have at least three children and more if their significant others approved of it. Hermione felt it was wonderful to finally have someone she felt she could talk to and tell all her secrets to and not have to worry about them leaking out by way of gossip. Fred felt that it was nice to once again have someone to confide in, now that George was out of the main picture. He realized just how much he missed having his own personal confidante.

The two departed at three o'clock, Fred heading for his room and Hermione for Ginny's, they had resolved quite a bit about each other that barely anyone knew. Mainly their deepest, darkest desires that neither would dare tell anyone, but now it felt good to get them off their chests. And so they parted ways with lighter consciences. Fred left Hermione at Ginny's door with a kiss on the cheek and a question of meeting again the next night to talk some more. When she agreed he walked away back to the other side of the house where his own bed awaited him.

Hermione opened the door quietly to Ginny's room and lay down on the bed that was designated hers and sighed. She felt better now then she had in years, everything about her that was always threatening to explode was suddenly off her chest and it seemed like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. It felt good. Hermione fell asleep at almost the instant that her head hit her pillow. Dreams of Fred invaded her mind, dreaming of her dreams with Fred fulfilling everything she could ever want.

X

Fred wandered back to his room with Hermione in mind. She was so passionate about things that he would have known she was into if not for their talk tonight. He wondered how someone that seemed to only be involved in her studies would even think about have the things her heard tonight. Hermione would be spontaneous, if only she knew how to do it and still be on the top. An image popped into Fred's mind of how she could be on top and still be spontaneous, but he shook it out before it had a chance to imprint itself upon his memory. Up until this night he had always thought of Hermione to be a younger sister, but now he wasn't so sure. Fred fell asleep with Hermione on his mind and her doing everything he could ever want and all simply because she loved him.

To Be Continued…

A/N: This story was just a random thought that popped into my head one morning. I have a basic outline of where I want it to go but I'm not sure how exactly it will end up though. But I do hope that it seems original enough and not overly used and some stories that I've read seem to be. As always reviews of how good or bad this story really is are all welcome, but I do hope that you'll be a little nice to me. Please review and until next time…

Bleeding Black Roses