A/N: This is just a short little Fremione piece to help me get my Fremione muse back. Bex gave me the idea, though it is a belated birthday present for Summer. I think there will probably be another chapter coming along soon though. This is also for the Scavenger Hunt Competition and probably a few others as well... I need to remember which ones! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.
Fred didn't notice when he first realized he cared for Hermione as more than a friend. He had started showing off more around her, and he had definitely noticed when she stopped telling him off for his pranks after she became a prefect. He definitely noticed when she got a bit rebellious after Dumbledore's Army started up, though that idea had been hers in the first place.
She had actually approved of his pranks against Umbridge, and he overheard her praising their shield hats one night to Harry and Ron. Fred tried to act like he didn't notice too many things about her though. He liked to think that he was cooler than that. But George picked up on his crush after he admitted that he didn't want to interrupt Hermione's studying time during the Easter holidays.
Fred tried to brush it off because Hermione was his little brother's best friend after all. But they both knew that George knew better. Sometimes he thought that George knew himself better than he even did.
He had been frantic with worry when he found out that Hermione had been hurt in the Department of Mysteries. His worries caused him to become distracted with his work, and George sighed impatiently one night. "Look, why don't you sneak into the hospital wing and visit her? You aren't helping us out here by worrying like this."
Fred looked at his brother. "No, I couldn't leave you alone. We just opened the shop after all," he began to protest, but George waved him off.
"I could close the shop and do inventory for a few hours until you get back. You just broke a few items earlier. I'm doing you a favor. Go see your girl."
His heart flipped when George called Hermione his girl. She wasn't his girl, but Merlin, he wished she was. "I'll be back in a few hours," he promised.
George rolled his eyes at his promise. "Take your time," he said as he pushed Fred out of the door.
Fred finally managed to sneak up to the Hospital Wing within a few hours time, but Madam Pomfrey had been reluctant to let him in. "There's just no point in talking to a sleeping patient," she complained.
"I just have to see if she's all right. Please… just five minutes," he begged her.
She studied him for a moment before sighing and finally stepping aside to let him in. "All right… but if I see one sign that shows you're disturbing her, you're leaving."
Fred breathed a sigh of relief and nodded as he walked in. He took a seat next to Hermione's bed and was instantly reminded of the time when she had been Petrified in her second year. The thought caused him to bow his head for a moment and he had to order himself to not think about that. Fred had liked Angelina at that time, but he had still been worried about her then.
He sat there in silence for several moments before he finally placed his hand in hers. "Hermione… don't die on us now. I know I've picked on you a lot during the past year, but the truth is…" he sighed as he looked down at her. "The truth is that I care for you. So please give me a chance to tell you for real." He leaned down and kissed her forehead lightly, praying that he would really get a chance to tell her sometime soon.
He had no idea that Hermione had woken up when he left. He had no idea that she had placed a hand on her forehead after he had kissed her. He had no idea that she had stared at the doorway, hoping that he would come back for a visit again. If he had known that, he wouldn't have left her there at all.
A/N: Thanks for reading!