Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. FRED/HERMIONE

Hermione rolled over and groaned into her pillow, wondering what had woken her up. It was too early to go open her bookshop and she had stayed up late reading. In other words, she wasn't happy that she was awake.

She had just made the decision to roll over and go back to sleep when the doorbell rang again.

"Who would be over at—shit!" Hermione leapt out of bed as she remembered that Fred was due to come back from France that morning.

"I can't believe I forgot!" she chastised herself as she rushed to make herself look half-decent.

Typically, Fred and Hermione had a Saturday morning marathon to watch the History network. She had been thrilled years ago when he revealed his guilty pleasure. She had quickly suggested they watch together sometime. After the first watch-party, it had quickly become a weekly tradition for the pair.

Fred had been out of the country for the past two months as he and George set up a new branch of Weasleys Wizard Wheezes in Paris. Ron and Lavender had decided to move to the city of romance after their wedding and Fred and George had been quick to take the opportunity to expand their business. They had quickly bought a shop and opened up the new branch with Ron in under a month, but they had stayed longer to make sure that he had a good grip before letting him run it on his own.

Hermione pulled on an old t-shirt and yoga pants before throwing her curly hair into a messy bun, recognizing there was no time to de-tangle the mess.

After quickly checking her reflection in the hallway mirror, Hermione ran a few steps and used her socked feet to slide across her tiled floor in an attempt to get to the door before her guest left. Ripping the door open, she revealed Fred Weasley, prankster extraordinaire, leaning against the door-frame.

"So," he chuckled, giving her a once over. "How was your nap?"

"Oh shut up, and come in," she made a sweeping gesture to usher him inside. He chuckled again and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek in greeting as he walked in.

Hermione suppressed a sigh as she closed the door behind him. They weren't dating, but she wished they were.

The facts being what they were, Hermione was in love with her best friend's older brother and had been for a long time.

Unlike the majority of Fred's admirers who liked him because he was funny, hot, and becoming richer everyday, Hermione loved him for who he was.

She loved the sound of his voice when he laughed at one of his twin's witty jokes. She loved the spark of electricity she felt when he touched her arm. She loved his warm smile and the way he was subtle about how he went out of his way to be kind and thoughtful to anyone who needed help. She loved his passion for what he did and the drive he had to bring joy to people's lives every day.

Truth be told, she'd been in love with Ron's older brother longer than she'd been Ron's friend. Fred had been the first kid to show her kindness as a child when he had helped her get her trunk onto the Hogwarts Express.

In fact, most of her career as a novelist had been fueled by her feelings for him going unfulfilled. After all, how do you tell one of your best friends that you've loved them since the first day you met. What was she supposed to do? Write him a letter?

And suddenly, she was inspired.

Fred had arrived at Hermione's flat an hour and a half ago, and they had done…absolutely nothing.

Hermione had opened the door, looking like he had just woken her up. He laughed when he realized that he actually had. He gave her a warm greeting with a kiss on the cheek, and within 5 seconds, she had gotten that look in her eye. She had promptly turned around and gone to her room to grab her journal.

Fred rolled his eyes as he closed the door and headed towards the kitchen. He knew the drill. He had known her since she was eleven after all. That look meant that she had had an inspiration and had to document it before she lost it. That was one of the things Fred loved about her. She was just as passionate about her writing as he was with his store's products.

He quickly made a large bowl of popcorn and grabbed a soda from the refrigerator, knowing she'd take a bit of time to finish jotting down whatever idea had popped into her head. Within 15 minutes of arriving he was at home on her sofa.

After another five minutes, she had come back out of her room actually dressed, with her journal tucked under her arm. Quickly swiping a handful of popcorn as she passed the remote to Fred, she snuggled into the fluffy chair and started scribbling in her notebook.

Fred shrugged in deference and turned on the TV. She typically didn't take too long and he figured she'd finish jotting down a few notes for whatever idea she'd had for her next book and then would hang out with him.

Two hours later, she didn't seem to be any closer to finishing than when she started.

Typically Fred loved sneaking glances at Hermione while she worked. Seeing her in her element was addicting to him. The way she tied her wavy curls into a braid over her left shoulder left her face free to secretly admire. Fred was reaching his limit though. There was only so much he could take of watching her bite her lip before he wanted to do it for her.

Fred had been secretly in love with Hermione since her fourth year. Ten years later, and those affections hadn't subsided. From the way her hair was never tame, to the ridiculous way her tongue left her mouth and did a silly dance when she was deep in concentration, Hermione was by far the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

The thing that really got him about Hermione was that she never tried to change herself to be liked. She was who she chose to be and people could either accept that or reject it, but she wouldn't let that effect her. She was sensitive enough to be hurt by bullies, but she didn't let them influence her decisions or actions.

Unknown to her, Fred still made sure that the bullies paid for it though.

Fred snuck another glance, and immediately regretted his decision. Her bottom lip was back to being chewed in thought and he needed another distraction than another comedy rerun. At the same moment he opened his mouth to ask if she wanted him to reschedule, she looked up and caught him staring.

"Did I catch you staring or was it you who caught me?" she asked with smirk.

"Not sure," Fred replied more smoothly than he felt with his stomach practicing flips for the Olympics. "I was just wondering whether you were going to chew through your lip or finish writing first," he mused, making her blush. "I come back from being away for two months and you ignore me for your diary," he teased.

"It's a journal, Fred," she smiled as she firmly corrected him, "definitely NOT a diary." But then she smiled good naturedly and continued, "I'm almost done. And no, you can't read it, so don't ask."

At her light hearted laugh and the sight of her lip sucked back between her teeth, Fred lost all semblance of self control and did one of the most daring things of his life. He leaned towards Hermione and…

While giggling at Fred's childish mutterings, Hermione looked back to the journal on her lap. She just wanted to edit a few more lines and then she'd put it aside for later. She shook her head to clear her mind and saw her journal disappear from her lap. Without having to look, she lunged, tackling both herself and Fred to the floor.

Fred was quick to stand but Hermione was tangled in her blanket on the floor.

"Fred, please… Come on… Give it back! You don't want to read it anyway… PLEASE?" Usually, Hermione wouldn't care if Fred read one of her stories. She actually loved his constructive criticism, since he understood how much it meant to her to get an honest critique. He expected the same thing from her when he asked for her opinions on his products. Just not this one. Hermione was not above begging when her rawest, deepest, darkest feelings were in the hands of the biggest prankster alive on the planet.

Standing, she lunged for the notebook again, using his other arm as a boost to try to reach it, bringing the two quite close as she attempted to reach the book with her short stature versus his tall frame and long arms.

In the middle of one of Hermione's jumps, Fred surprised her by bending down just as she jumped up to grab her around the waist. He caught her mid-air before standing back up to his full height. Startled, she immediately reached out to grab something to support herself, but since the rushed motion was unexpected, she wound up slung over his shoulder, hands on his waist as he spun them around.

An involuntary peal of laughter erupted from Hermione as Fred spun her around. At the sound of her laugh, Fred paused. Before Hermione had time to process what was happening, Fred had her pinned to the couch as he tickled her sides with fervor, attempting to make her laugh more. He was succeeding.

Fred only let her go when she was red from lack of oxygen from laughing so hard.

She picked up the journal from the floor where he had abandoned it as he flopped on the floor laughing at her appearance. She just rolled her eyes and went to put her journal back in its proper place on the bookshelf in her bedroom.

Fred followed her to her room and leaned against the door-frame as he watched her reverently put the book back on the shelf.

"Why don't you want me to read it?" he asked.

"I just don't want you to read the rough draft this time," she shrugged. "Is that so wrong?"

"You've never hid a story from me before… Ohhh… Are you finally writing a juicy story?" he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"No Fred," Hermione rolled her eyes. This is not a juicy story. Just wait until it's done and I'll let you read it to your heart's content later on."

"How do I know you won't show me a different story later on?" he asked. At the look on her face, he smirked, knowing he had caught her. "Careful Mia, you don't want to lose your poker face to reveal your shock at my mind-reading abilities," he teased.

"I'm only shocked that you think that I would be that dishonest with you," she countered, dramatically. "Don't you trust me?" at his expectant and discrediting stare, she rolled her eyes. "Besides, why do you want to read it so much anyways?"

"I want to know what you're hiding from me," he replied easily. "We've told each other everything for years. Ever since Hogwarts. What is there that you can't talk to me about Mia? You know you can trust me with anything, yet you're choosing not to. That makes me curious."

That did it.

"I don't keep anything from you Fred! You know everything about me, yet I sometimes feel like I barely know you. You keep a part of yourself locked away where I can't decipher or learn about you. But I have ONE STORY that I want to keep to myself and you won't let it go. If you knew what this story was about, you'd be running for the hills."

"What?"

At his confused expression, Hermione sighed and gave up. She handed him the journal.

"Just take it home and read it," she told him. "You can keep it overnight since you have to go anyway," she told him as she gestured to the clock.

Fred glanced at the clock and realized she was right. He had to leave immediately if he was going to make it in time for his lunch meeting with his brother.

"I'll see you first thing in the morning," he promised as he stepped towards the Floo.

Fred was under no false illusions as he stepped into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He knew how important this must be to her. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to read her hesitance or feelings… An idiot like his younger brother when he was 16. Fred knew that she never shared her journal with anybody and she was essentially giving him the key to her most inner thoughts.

Fred rushed through his shift and handed the shop off to his twin and Verity. He knew he was doing a half-assed job at work, but he really just wanted to get home to read.

Once he was finally alone in his room, Fred took out her journal and opened it up towards the back. He wanted to respect her privacy as much as possible.

The only reason he had been so insistent about reading her thoughts this time was because he knew it had to be about him. She had been struck with inspiration upon seeing him and he wanted to be sure he hadn't been misreading her for months. Fred was desperate to make her his, but he was scared to death of losing her if he wound up being too forward while she only saw him as Ron's older brother who liked the same history shows as her.

Spoiler: he couldn't care less about what they watched as long as he was with her.

Fred knew that Hermione was an amazing writer. She wouldn't be a best-selling novelist if she wasn't. But there was nothing on heaven or Earth that would have prepared Fred for what he read in most recent entry in her journal.

Fred, it read, I'm writing this because I'm scared. I'm scared because…I don't want anyone else to have your heart. As silly as that sounds, I don't want anyone else to be the one you love. I'm scared because I am so stupidly in love with you and I don't want anyone to take my place by your side. I want to wake up with you by my side. I want you to hold me in your arms as you kiss me senseless. I want to be someone you love as your other half, not your younger brother's best friend.

Despite that, I'm sitting here as your Saturday morning buddy who watches the damn History network… Which I'm sure you know is FULL of inaccuracies. But I digress. I want nothing more than to open my heart to you and use my Gryffindor courage to just lean across the couch, grab your face and snog you senseless, but I don't know where I stand with you. I don't know what I mean to you.

Despite everyone's assumptions, I don't know everything. I am actually uncertain about a lot of things but I am certain about this: No one could love you like I do. You must know this… Who else would not only support your pranks, but encourage them?

You mean the world to me. No matter what anybody says or does, you will always be in my heart… But I'm beginning to wonder if I should give up on this silly crush and move on… I mean, I've seen you every week for three years and you've never shown any interest… I guess that's why I'm laying my feelings so plainly on the page. So I can metaphorically close this chapter and move on.

I highly doubt your spot in my heart will ever be replaced, but I hope I can try to fill the hole a little bit. You hold the key to my heart and you have since we met. No matter how much we fight, things will be okay because we always apologize and try to work it out afterwards. We've never let anything stay sour between us.

Do you realize that despite all of your silly pranks, I've never heard you say a negative thing about me? Do you realize how addicting (and sad) that is? I never have to worry about pretending around you. You always accept all of me as I am. You always have…

And damn it. How could I not fall in love with you? You're brilliant. Every single damn prank you come up with is borderline genius. You and George have a gift. But you also have more than that. You have kindness and sympathy. You have a heart meant to joke and heal.

Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was well beyond my control. When I first met you, I never imagined that I would have such strong feelings for you. I never thought that I would have dreams about you or miss being by your side or get butterflies in my stomach when someone mentions your name. When I first met you, I never thought that I would love you.

Everyone says that love hurts, but that's not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts. Losing someone hurts. Watching the one you love get hurt, hurts. Everyone confuses these with love, but in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all the pain, and makes us feel wonderful again.

When I started writing this, I was planning on giving this to you to read, but now I doubt I'd ever let you glance at this. Could I sound any more like a love-sick teenager? However, I've realized that one thing I am absolutely certain of is I can't live this life without you. So as I write this letter, I send my love to you. Please remember that I'll always be in love with you, but I understand that you don't feel the same about me and that's okay too.

xox Hermione Jean Granger

Fred finished reading the letter. He was so dumbfounded, he didn't know how to process what he had read.

Hermione loved him. A lot. And he loved her. More than he could say. But Hermione didn't think Fred loved her, so she was going to give up on her feelings.

Not gonna happen!

Fred looked at the clock by his bed and then looked outside. To anyone else, it'd be way too late to go bother her now.

He didn't care.

Shrugging, he put his shoes back on and grabbed his wand and phone. He quickly threw the powder down in the fireplace and stepped through the Floo into Hermione's living room.

After dusting himself off with a quick wave of his wand, Fred glanced around the main living area of the flat. He quickly confirmed that she had already retired to bed. That made sense since it was after two in the morning.

Fred crept over to her cracked bedroom door to listen for Hermione's steady breathing. Once confirming she was asleep, he decided to enter quietly.

He was momentarily struck dumb at the sight of her. She was curled into a tiny ball and had tear stains tracking down her face. Fred felt like an ass since he knew it was his fault she had been crying.

But Fred had a plan to make it right. He was going to prove her assumptions about him wrong and he wouldn't be Fred Weasley if he didn't make it memorable. But in reality, it was way too early to do anything now.

He took off his jacket and shoes and crawled into bed beside her. Gathering her into his arms, he watched her sleep for a few minutes.

After about 5 minutes, she started stirring at the feeling of extra warmth. She wriggled for a moment and felt a set of strong arms around her.

She froze.

"Shhh," she heard a man whisper. "It's just me. You're fine. I didn't mean to startle you. Go back to sleep." She immediately relaxed upon recognizing the deep male baritone.

"Fred?" she asked, pushing away from him slightly to look him in the eyes. "What are you doing here at…what time is it?"

"It's two in the morning. Much too early for you to be awake," he mock-chastised.

"TWO? What are you doing here at two in the morning?"

"Watching a beautiful girl get angry at me," he replied smoothly.

"No one is beautiful at two in the morning," she retorted. "Besides, I know you said you'd be back first thing in the morning, but isn't this a little excessive?" she asked, snuggling into his warm chest. She didn't know why he was here, but he was warm and her room was cold. Fred smiled at her.

"I'd have to counter that," he whispered, staring pointedly at her. Hermione blushed.

They were silent for a few minutes before Hermione whispered again.

"What did you think?"

"We'll talk more in the morning," Fred replied, pulling her closer. "Just go back to sleep."

Hermione didn't have the energy to respond as sleep pulled her under. The last thing she felt before the Sandman sent her back into the realm of dreams was a warm kiss pressed to her forehead.

The next morning, Hermione stirred to the smell of coffee and the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove-top. The space beside her in bed was still slightly warm, so Fred couldn't have been up for long.

She rushed to battle her unruly curls into a braid and threw on a sweatshirt over the camisole she wore to sleep. She walked into her en-suite and splashed some water on her face before brushing her teeth. She quickly washed her hands for breakfast and dried them on her pajama pants as she joined Fred at the dining table.

"Hey," she said shyly. She didn't know what else to say after what had happened between them the day before.

"Good morning," Fred smiled brightly at her as he handed her a plate with a slice of toast, a small pile of lox, two poached eggs and some fruit slices. "I don't know about you, but I slept great."

He sent her a wink before digging into his plate of over medium eggs served with an impressive mound of bacon.

"But—how did—?"

"I hope you don't mind that I used your kitchen," Fred smiled at her. "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast, so I picked up some ingredients at my place."

"Of course I don't mind," Hermione immediately protested. "I haven't had a breakfast this nice at home in ages. What I meant to ask was what did you think about what you read?"

"Don't you think that can't wait until after breakfast Mia?" Fred asked after taking a swig of his pumpkin juice.

Hermione almost caved to his request when he called her that, but she remembered herself.

"I really can't, Fred. I need to know where you stand. You came into my home and crawled into my bed last night and I really don't want to make assumptions about what that means. I really need to hear you tell me where you stand."

"You want to know what I think? Fine," Fred replied as he put his fork down. "I loved all of it except for one glaringly obvious error."

"Oh?" Hermione was crushed, obviously thinking he meant that her being in love with him was wrong somehow. Instead of being sad though, she turned angry. "And what, may I ask, was so wrong with it?"

"What?" Fred was confused, then it hit him how she could take his words wrong. "No! What you're thinking of was my favorite part!" he responded fervently.

"Then please explain to me what was so wrong about—"

"My feelings, Mia!" Fred cut her off before she could get any farther. "Okay? I meant you were wrong about my feelings."

Hermione glared harder. "I'm well aware of where your feelings stand, Fred Weasley. I even mentioned that in my letter. I don't expect you to crawl into my bed and make me breakfast just because I like you if you don't—"

She was cut off by Fred's mouth covering hers in a desperate kiss. Without thinking, she immediately kissed him back.

When he felt her respond, he pulled away.

"Now, do you still believe I don't love you like you love me?" Fred asked.

"You love me?" she asked, confused.

Fred smiled and kissed her forehead

"Do you need more proof?" he asked with a crooked smile, sending her heart into an irregular rhythm.

When he gathered Hermione into his arms again, she took that as an invitation to pour all of the passion and love she felt for him into an endless kiss. Her emotions were quickly matched with his own passion, making this the most passionate, breathtaking kiss of Hermione's life.

When his tongue traced her bottom lip, she quickly granted access, and soon tongues were engaging in a new battle of dominance. Used to previously only fighting with words, both now fought with love and passion.

As the sounds of their sighs and moans surrounded them, Hermione predicted this would be her favorite Christmas yet. After all, she had already gotten the best gift she could imagine… Now she just had to take it to her couch, unwrap it, and enjoy.

So this WAS my second story! I originally wrote it as a Camp Rock fic on my page (where it still lives), but OH MY GOODNESS I had no editing skills then… I literally had posted it with "w/o" instead of "without" at one point!

And the content was SOOO cringy! I literally shuddered at the knowledge that I wrote it at points. Now it's only somewhat cringey, but much better written… If you don't believe me, check out the original version.

I've now rewritten it as a Harry Potter fic and rewrote EVERYTHING that was there before. It makes me happy to breathe new life into my old works!