The difference between love and endearment, Hermione found, was that the latter was easily confused with the former. And so when she realized that the supposed love that Ronald Weasley felt for her was just a childish infatuation, Hermione couldn't help but think that she had seen it coming.

And so, with a considerably lighter heart, Hermione, in the middle of the night, packed her bags with a wave of her wand and left. The only thing she had left behind was a letter (of course a rather long one because, well, Hermione wrote it), addressed, not to Ron, but to Ginny, her closest female friend…

Dear Ginny,

This is unexpected, I'm guessing. You would never have thought me to runaway right? But this is a matter of utmost importance, a matter which I can only expect you to understand, which is why I must implore you to not speak of the contents of this letter to anyone. I beg of you, beg, that you do not tell ANYONE.

Your brother, Ronald, and I are not in love. I love him very dearly, but as one would love a sibling, or perhaps a very very close friend, as he is to me. I understand that this may come as a shock, especially considering our, or rather his, continual need to shower me in affection and kisses. However, after doing some deep thinking, I have realized that it was not love that we felt for one another, but rather a deep fondness that I believe stemmed from our mutual childhood crush. But there was a deep lack of passion, which is a small part of the reason behind my departure.

I fell in love, Ginny, and not with my boyfriend. I know, I'm awful. You cannot begin to comprehend the self loathing I directed at myself as I fell deeper and deeper into the abyss of love. I'm certain you're furious with me, but I was, or rather I am, a woman in love. The heart is a cruel thing, my dearest friend, something I'm sure you understood when you realized you were in love with Luna. And so, I guess I'll tell you the story behind my leaving.

I fell in love with…

—

Bleep Bleep Bleep

Hermione groaned as her alarm went off, sunlight streaming in through the window. Reaching to shut off the alarm, her hand knocked over the glass of water on her beside table, spraying water all over herself and her bed. That should have been the first sign that the day ahead was going to be a bad one. Hermione shut off her alarm, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up.

Stumbling through her bedroom, Hermione made her way to the bathroom to shower before work that day. That day. Hermione knew she was forgetting something, but she could not, for the life of her, remember what she was forgetting! Hermione's lips quirked at the memory of Neville Longbottom during their first year at Hogwarts, and the trouble he went through with Draco Malfoy and that stupid Remembrall.

The smile fell quickly as she remembered what the day was. Today was the 4th anniversary of Voldemort's death. The Battle of Hogwarts. The Triumph of the Light Side. The entire Hogwarts community, and so many others, would be celebrating today. They would be celebrating and she would be calling in sick at work to avoid the witches and wizards alike who poured into the streets, both magic and not.

The day marked exactly 2 years and a day from when Hermione disappeared in the middle of the night. She wasn't always a coward, Hermione thought to herself, trying to think of a way to excuse her behavior of the last 2 years. The years she had spent completely reinventing herself in order to get away from the family she was so entwined with. Trying to ignore, and trying so very very hard to forget her indisputable and unrequited love for her ex-boyfriend's brother. Trying to forget Fred Weasley.

-FWHG FWHG FWHG FWHG FWHG FWHG-

731 days. That was how long Hermione had been gone. Fred pulled himself out of bed, the clock beside his bed reading 9:45. He was late for work. He also didn't particularly care. The loss of Hermione in the lives of the Weasley (and singular Potter) family was a hard one, Ginny and Fred suffering the most. Ron, being an arse, mourned Hermione for about a week before he had a new girlfriend hanging off his arm, simpering and batting her eyelashes at anything with an Adam's apple. Her name was Lavender.

And so while the rest of the Weasley family slowly moved on from Hermione's disappearance, Fred and Ginny stayed miserable. Ginny slowly detached from the family, furious that they gave up on Hermione so quickly, moving out of the Burrow and into an apartment with Luna in Diagon Alley. Fred, the most affected, withdrew into himself, leaving a startled twin and a sympathetic little sister.

Fred began making himself a cup of strong coffee, and as the water was coming to a boil, he stood outside on the balcony and pulled out a cigarette.

Nasty muggle habit. He couldn't help thinking, wincing at the memory of his very first cigarette.

*FB*

"I don't think this is the best idea, Fred. Cigarettes have been proven to cause numerous types of cancer, you know. They also taste disgusting." Fred turned and looked at the girl next to him, quirking an eyebrow.

"And why do you know what cigarettes taste like?" Hermione's cheeks flushed but her eyes met his steadily.

"My friend and I were in France last summer and we decided to try it. I felt like I was inhaling fire, and my eyes watered awfully." Fred laughed aloud, imagining Hermione gagging on the smoke.

"I'd like to try it. I saw a couple muggles in town doing it and I'm curious." Hermione sighed, giggling as he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Fine. Fine. But it's your lungs." Needless to say, Fred spent a good 2 minutes coughing and laughing. His second drag was better, and by his third he was barely coughing anymore. Hermione tutted, trying to conceal a smile.

"Don't you dare get cancer, Fred Weasley. Your mother would send me enough howlers to deafen my entire building. Now come along, Ronald is taking my out to dinner and I don't want to be late." Fred's smile fell as she turned. Of course. Ickle Ronniekins. Who would have thought that he would be competing with Ron for a girl?

*EFB*

Even then, when Hermione had no idea he loved her, they had an ease between them that he knew she and Ron never had. Their friendship blossomed after she shoved him out of the way of a falling wall during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Going back inside and chugging his steaming cup of coffee, Fred walked down to the shop.

Be happy! You run a joke shop. Fred reminded himself. Entering the shop, his brow furrowed as he realized there were no customers, and the lights were off. He checked the date on the nifty wrist watch he had gotten from Ginny last Christmas, and realized what day it was. The 4th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Of course.

Leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling, he groaned aloud. Bloody hell, the Ministry party was tonight.