Hey everyone, this is my first fic ever so don't be too harsh :)
My name is not in fact JK Rowling or else Sirius would be alive *sobs*
Everything is the same except Percy died in the battle not Fred, and Hermione and Ron never kissed.
That's it so please enjoy!
People were dying all around him.
Ginny.
Molly.
Percy.
George.
Then he saw her. Hermione was laying on the cobblestone, unmoving. He felt as though he couldn't breathe, as though a light had gone out inside of him. He rushed up beside her and begged for her to open her eyes. His eyes stung with smoke, and a tear slid down his cheek.
I never even told her…
Fred was used to getting girls attention, and had a way of making each one feel as though she were the most special person in the world without even knowing. But he never felt anything when they flirted. He simply loved making people smile, and hers lit up the room.
He knew he would never have her, she saw him as a big brother, not knowing how much he loved her.
And now she was gone.
He was still crouched over her body when Bellatrix came up behind him. A green light shot out of her wand and hit the wall directly in front of him and it came crashing down, down, down…
He awoke in a cold sweat, shaking uncontrollably. Tears began streaming down his face, blurring his vision. He shivered at the memories, reminding himself that it was all a dream.
Well, not all of it. Percy. He thought. Sitting up in his bed, he let out a sob. He tried to make things right. He struggled to his feet before taking a shaky breath. He took careful step towards the common room, and then another. He looked at his clock, 2:30 am. Not even a gryffindor would be awake at this time.
He was wrong. Curled up in a chair was Hermione. Fred stood in the doorway, looking at her when she looked up at him, noticing the tear stains.
"What's wrong?" She asked quietly. He shook his head letting another tear fall to the ground.
"I had another nightmare." He said, still looking at the ground. She moved to the couch directly in front of the still roaring fire. She motioned for him to sit.
"Tell me. I have experience with them myself." She smiled weakly and conjured a steaming mug she then offered to him. "It's tea." She explained.
He took a seat next to her and was about to thank her when she turned and rested her legs in his lap.
He was shocked. He had never been this close to her alone, and this almost made his heart stop. He decided to take a risk.
Hermione never took chances. At least never with boys. But she was feeling brave tonight. She didn't know what it was, but she had been thinking about how she almost lost both her own life and so many close friends, and she realized how easily it could come to an end. She swore to herself not to let her overworked brain get in the way of living, and just as she decided that, she looked up and saw a figure staring at her.
When he stepped into the light of the fire, she saw Fred. Her heart gave a jump, filling her with warmth. The fire made his golden red hair look like flames and in the light she thought to herself, He is who I need.
She looked at him, and the lack of usual spark in his eyes made her heart drop.
"What's wrong?" She asked, not bearing to see him so broken.
"I had another nightmare." She saw a tear drop, and found herself fighting back tears as well. She knew exactly what he meant. She too had nightmares about Malfoy Manor and had given up trying to find sleep. She stood up and moved to the couch. She patted the seat next to her.
"Tell me. I have experience with then myself." She forced herself to smile, trying to appear brave for him. She thought about what gave her comfort, and quickly conjured a mug of tea.
She told him what it was and motioned for him to sit again. When he sat, she placed her legs on his lap, curling them around his waist so her feet were perched on the arm of the couch.
She was mortified at herself. How could she be so foolish as to do that. She nearly bolted out of the room seeing his surprised face, but made herself stay where she was after seeing him smile.
He didn't say anything but very cautiously rested his hand near her leg, and began tracing invisible shapes in the crook of her knee, not knowing how he was turning her whole leg into jelly.
Without moving his hand, he looked into the fire and took a raspy breath.
"We were all at the last battle. Everyone was dead." He let us a sob, breaking her heart. She reached out to hold his hand, looking him in the eyes. She let his cry until he could breath. "My whole family, 'Mione. All of them. Gone." She felt a tear roll down her face.
"Fred,"
His heart all but stopped when she said his name. Through that one word, he felt like the Earth had stopped spinning, and he knew he had to keep going.
"They were all dead. Then I saw you." She looked up and met eyes. "You were laying on the ground, and something inside me died. I thought I had lost you, Mione." He saw that she was crying by now too.
"I realized how easily I could lose someone, lose you. I have to tell you."
She shook her head and his heart dropped to his stomach. He thought...could've sworn.
She must've seen the look in his eyes because she shook her head again.
"No, Fred, you don't have to say anything. I know."
She leaned forward, letting their heads fall together. She pressed her lips into his and kissed him with a gentle passion. She smiled into the kiss before letting their lips meet once more.
She ran one hand through his flaming red hair, and pressed the other to his chest, finding a smooth plane of muscle beneath his thin t shirt. Quidditch had done him well. She felt dizzy and moved both hands behind his neck.
He put both hands behind her waist, before moving them up, trailing his fingers up her back, sending shivers along her spine. He felt truly safe in her arms and let her guide him to a laying position on the couch, with him snug against the back and her facing him on the outside.
She rested her head in the crook of his neck and one arm on his chest. It was like this that she fell asleep, confident that she would have a peaceful night.
Just as they began to doze off, they heard someone gasping at the doorway. They broke apart quickly, Fred moving his hands back to her legs which had been entwined with his.
George walked into the light slowly. He looked petrified.
He stuttered to get a word out in order to his twin.
"I...I, I... Hermione?"