One dreary, snowy afternoon at the Burrow, Hermione Granger walked down to the kitchen for breakfast. She was one of the last ones up, except Ronald, who was still happily snoring in his bedroom. Ron and Hermione had recently had a huge fight so they haven't been speakign to each other for the last few days.
Hermione sat in between Ginny and Fred, saying good morning to each and eating eggs from the plate Mrs. Weasley brought her.
"Hey Gin, what should we do today?" Hermione asked, it was far too cold outside to go out there.
"I don't know, maybe we could watch the boys play quidditch." Ginny replied.
"It's far too cold to do anything outside, are they mad?" Hermione whispered. Ginny shrugged her shoulders and got up, rinsing her plate and placing it in the sink. Fred and George were working on plans for their shop rennovations, Mrs. Weasley was cooking more food, Mr. Weasley was at work, Percy was writing about who knows what, and Bill and Charlie, who were also visiting for the holidays, were talking animatedly about the Chudley Cannons.
What is it with guys and quidditch? Hermione got up rinsing her plate, and went to a bedroom that she had never been in before. It was a decent sized bedroom, but it had double the things in it. Two beds, two dressers, two night tables, and two chairs. It had green and silver walls and all the furniture was a dark ebony color. It had tons of papers crumpled up in a trash can, and little knick-knacks all over. Some were trophies, some were little pictures.
Hermione didn't even notice someone come in behind her. Fred looked at her, and saw that she had changed over the summer. Her hair lung in little bronze ringlets, cascading down her back, her skin a flawless porcelin color, her eyes still the same chocolatey brown.
"Interesting room huh?" Fred asked from behind her. She jumped around facing him from two inches away.
"Yeah, but what's with the slytherin colors?" Hermione asked in a joking tone.
"Yeah, those just happen to be mine and George's favorite colors. What brings you here?" he asked her looking deep into her eyes. Hermione noticed for the first time how his eyes were a wonderful gray-blue color.
"I got bored and have nothing much to do today. I guess I could just go find a book though, sorry." Hermione said, starting to leave, but Fred grabbed her arm.
"Nonsense. I have nothing to do, so we could do nothing together. If you would like." he told her, his minty breath brushing her face. She nodded as he pulled her to his bed. They both sat with their feet up. With the door closed, Hermione noticed a Gryffindor flag on it. Nice little piece of Gryffindor in this Slytherin-like room.
Hermione in shorts and a tank-top and Fred in shorts, shirtless, sat talking on the bed for a while.
"So how has Hogwarts been without me and George?" he asked her in a sarcastic tone.
"It's been...well...not the same, I can say that much. Definitely more quiet, but kind of boring I guess." she whispered, looking down. This was the first time she noticed his sculpted chest, which must be from being a beater.
"Hey, I think that was a compliment." Fred said, poking Hermione's stomach. She laughed and he continued to tickle her. She tried to get him to stop but she just wasn't strong enough to hold both of his arms back at the same time. George walked in the door with a puzzled face. Fred had ended up on top of Hermione and her face was extremely red from laughing.
"George, my brother! Tickle fight, care to join." Fred asked, and to Hermione's horror, George nodded. He slowly paced over to her and looked over the scene. Quickly, he grabbed Fred's arms and pulled them behind his back.
"Hermione, all you can tickle buffet, this is your chance." George yelled, being sure for his mouth to be right next to Fred's ear. Hermione walked u to Fred, and with a Slytherin grin, she began to tickle his stomach. Fred was trying at first not to laugh, but he couldn't hold it in anymore. He was squirming in George's arms, and Hermione was tickling his neck, and his legs, and his feet. His face matched his hair before Hermione stopped.
They all sat on the floor laughing until their stomachs hurt. Hermione stood up and walked to the bed. The twins sat on either side of her and she looked into one's eyes. She knew it was George by the clothes he wore and the color of his eyes. His weren't as gray as Fred's, his were electric blue. She looked the other way and Fred's face was closer than she expected. She felt the bed shift and the door close
George had left the room, she could tell, and Fred had looked the other way now. She pulled her legs up o the bed and crossed them. She looked at Fred in silence, and he did the same. Minutes or hours could've passed by and they wouldn't have noticed, heck World War 3 could have broken out and they wouldn't hear a thing.
They were in such a deep trance, both silently thinking what to do next. Hermione got up and begun walking towards the door.
"Would you like to come outside with me?" Hermione asked in a cheery tone.
"Sure, but we'd better bundle up." he whispered. He grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on right over the shorts. Hermione walked to her and Ginny's room and got a pair of jeans. She put on two pairs of socks, and a hat and scarf.
Her and Fred met up downstairs, ready to go outside.
"I guess it's not too dreary to go out today." Hermione whispered to herself. Her and Fred stepped out the door, and it was beautiful outside. The whole yard covered in snow and ice, the trees had icicles on them, and it was simply gorgeous.
"Beautiful." Hermione stated.
"Yup." Fred said, but Hermione didn't know he was staring at her. They walked to the other side of the house and Fred got an idea. He conjured his and Ginny's ice skates, handing Ginny's to Hermione. She put them on and they went onto the lake. He was great at ice skating, but Hermione, on the other hand wasn't so great. Skiing she could do, but ice skating, no. She went unsteady for a second, but Fred was next to her in a heartbeat, and grabbed her hand to steady her. Her cheeks went red but she quickly looked away. Fred saw though, and smiled to himself. He let go of her hand and soon, she too, was swirling around the frozen pond, graceful as could be.
He wasn't looking for a minute, but he heard a big cracking noise and a scream. He whooshed around and saw a big hole in the ice. He got the skates off his feet and to his shirt and jeans off, so that he was left in shorts. He dove in the water, and there was Hermione's limp, froxen figure. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to the top, already feeling his lungs ghet tighter.
They reached the top, and he took off for the house as quick as he could without magic. They were in the warmth, but Hermione's eyes were still closed. He flopped her onto his bed, and took her jacket off.
"Ummm...GINNY!" he called out, not wanting to violate Hermione. Ginny came into the doorway.
"Yes?" the redhead girl asked.
"Can you undress her and get her into something warm? I didn't want to, she fell into the lake." Fred stumbled across his words.
"Yeah." she said. She dissapeared and then came back into the door with green fluffy pajamas. The boy stepped out for a couple of minutes before Ginny came out again.
"Are you gonna want help?" Ginny asked.
"No, I want to take care of her. Ginny, this is going to sound stupid, but I think I love her. I want her to see I'm not just the silly jokester everyone thinks I am. I want her to see me on the inside." Fred told Ginny. Ginny's mouth nearly dropped but she opened it to say aww.
"Okay Fred, good luck." the Weasley girl whispered, and then went downstairs. Fred covered the sleeping girl with a blanket and conjured a fire and sat next to Hermione on the bed. She looked so peaceful in sleep, but her lips and hands were blue. Fred grabbed her hand, and her eyes flicked open.
"I'm s..s...so c..c..cold." she forced out through her chattering teeth. He could hold her hands, but what could he do about her frozen lips? He acted quickly, pressing his lips to hers, and she didn't push him away.
Instead, her hands snaked up to his neck, and his went around her waist. He lifted her up so they were both sitting up. Fred pulled away, andthen remembered something important. He looked at his calender, and sure enough, it was Christmas Eve, the night he and the family would have the party.
"Hermione, tonight my family is going to have a ball, would you like to acompany me there?" Fred spluttered out of nerves. Hermione giggled and then nodded. She hugged Fred.
"Thanks for saving me." she whispered, and her breath tickled his ear. He wound his hand through her silk hair and they got up. They departed, so that Ginny could help Hermione, and all the other guys in the house could help Fred.
"Ginny, help me pick out something to wear tonight, I have a few skirts with me." Hermione started.
"I have a ton of dresses Mione, no need to worry." Ginny smirked at the girl. She walked into her walk in closet, it may have been small, but there were a ton of clothes Ginny had bought with money from her part-time job. She came out with a dress in a dustbag, and by the looks of it, it was a big dress too. Ginny grabbed a large bag which contained makeup accessories and hair products. With all the hair mouse and gel she had, you would think she was related to the Malfoys. Oh wait, aren't all pure bloods related? Oh well.
Meanwhile, all the boys, except for the Weasley father, were crowded around Fred. Charlie lent him a suit that was all black and the vest was a deep green color. They were helping him do multiple things at the same time. Him and Hermione already had gifts for everyone, but Bill came in with a small box and tossed it to Fred.
When Ginny was done and told Hermione to look into the mirror, Hermione couldn't recognize herself. A girls in a long, deep green dress stood there, with curly hair, high up in a ponytail,with porcelin skin. Her eyes were smoky, but had green in them. Her brown eyes, which were usually boring, popped. A tiara, which hadtons of diamonds on it and loked just like something a princess would wear.
Fred looked at himself in the mirror, and there stood a man, who looked much like his lder brother, Bill. He had shorter hair, but his eyes were a gray blue color that looked like ice in a fairytale. His hair wasn't as red, but it was a little more brown. He had no idea how they managed that one. He looked like a gentleman, in his tuxedo.
It was soon time for everyone to be downstairs. Hermione and Fred still hadn't seen each other yet, and guests were arriving. To everyone's surprise, the Malfoys were there, and so were a lot of other pureblood families. Hermione went back upstairs to find Ginny, who was wearing a floor length, just like Hermione, except Ginny's didn't poof out like Hermione's and Ginny's was silver.
Ginny went downstairs, but Hermione was too nervous. She decided that sooner or later she would have to, so she went down the stairs. In the back yard, there was a giant tent set up, which was probably magically enhanced to keep cold air out. Hermione stepped in and was greeted with a large ballroom. Everything was white, except for the numerous ice sculptures around, which were charmed not to melt.
There was a staircase in front of Hermione, and as soon as she stepped further in, all eyes were on her. She slowly stepped down the stairs, hearing tons of whispers.
"Who is that?" on wizard whispered.
"She looks like someone I know." another said.
"She is beautiful." a voice said that was all too familiar. It was Fred, and Hermione's cheeks went red as soon as she realized this. She slowly walked down the stairs and felt everyone's eyes burning holes through her. She walked into Fred's arms and they kissed each other. Everyone accepted this and went back to the party, except for one person.
"What the bloody hell?" Ron yelled in their faces.
"Fred, how could you do this to me? Hermione why would you go behind my back with my own brother?" he shouted and his face matched his hair.
"Ron I didn't go behind your bck, and you are here at the party with Lavender, so wouldn't that have been going behind my back. Are you aloud to go on dates but I'm not? I didn't think so. I like Fred, who just so happens to be your brother." Hermione shouted at him. He looked at his feet and walked away.
Fred and Hermione began swaying slowly to the music, and that's is what they were doing for the next two hours. Hermione's stomach growled, and Fred went to get food.
"Hey Granger." Draco said sitting down at the next table.
"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione asked annoyed.
"Well, I always thought you had this thing for the other younger Weasley, but his older brother? There are so many better guys out there." Draco told her.
"There may be better guys, but there is no better man than Fred Weasley." Hermione stated. Draco looked slightly annoyed and then left. Fred came back with two glasses of water and two plates of turkey for himself and Hermione. They both ate slowly and then went back on the dance floor. It was nearly midnight, and also almost Christmas day.
Fred took her into the middle and everyone cleared away. He grabbed a small box out of his pocket. He knelt down on one knee, and opened the box.
"Hermione Jean Granger, I love you and have love you every second since I met you. I will continue to love you every second of forever, and would like you to be my wife." Fred said. Hermione had tears dripping down her face and she nodded her head yes. Fred stood up and kissed her in front of everyone.
"Merry Christmas, love." Fred told her slipping the ring onto her finger.