My Best Friend's Brother


Just a series of one shots exploring a relationship between my favorite pairing, Fred and Hermione.

And no, I haven't stopped "Finding Yourself", just trying to give myself a little inspiration into the relationship between these two.

Check out my other Fremione stories if you get a chance. :)


Hermione blew the dust off a particularly filthy book and immediately regretted the decision as she started feeling a familiar tingling in her nose which resulted in something of a sneezing fit. Darn allergies. She loved working at the bookshop, but even with magic she had yet to find a reasonable cure.

"What's the matter, Granger?" a voice called from the doorway. "Using one of our skiving snack boxes to get out of work today?"

Hermione whipped around to see Fred Weasley standing there smirking at her, a realization that made her cringe at the thought of her red, watery eyes and runny nose. He had a knack for catching her in her worst moments.

"Fred. What are you doing here?"

"Well, apparently saving you from dust mites." With a quick flick of his wrist Hermione watched in shock as the back storage room went from covered in a thick layer of grime to sparkling clean in an instant.

"What-" she asked, looking around clearly startled.

"It's a simple cleaning charm. What's the matter with you? You never miss anything and that is definitely not difficult magic." She turned to see him watching her, eyebrows furrowed, as if by studying her the answers would come to him.

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I've not been quite myself lately is all." She placed the book back on the shelf and attempted to gather her thoughts. That was not the whole truth. She had been perfectly fine until Fred Weasley had taken it upon himself to visit her at the shop nearly every day she worked for the past month. Although she would never admit it, his presence was unsettling. She tried to tell herself it was because she was worried of what prank he might be trying to pull, but she knew there was more to it than that.

"And why is that, Granger?"

"I don't know." She could feel the warmth gathering in her cheeks and rushed to busy herself with her work before he noticed. She leaned over her parchment and quill, writing furiously, allowing her hair to fall into her face. This was Ron's older brother. Ginny's older brother. Her best friends' brother.

"Hey, take it easy. You're going to tear a hole in that parchment, maybe the table. What are you doing anyway?"

"Research for the book I am writing. Why are you here, Fred?"

"Can't a bloke visit a neighboring shop during his break? Isn't that good for neighborly comradery or something?

"Neighborly comradery?" she asked before bursting into laughter. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It seems like a good idea to stay friendly with the other businesses on the street."

"So, been spending loads of time with Madame Malkin and the Gringott's goblins, have you?" she asked. "I had no idea. What is it you all talk about?"

"Hey, it's not my fault if some people's company is preferable to others."

She rolled her eyes. She was used to his playful flirtation by now. "And I suppose George is suffering over at Florean's? A few too many ice creams?"

He grinned. "The Weasley twins are always willing to do whatever it takes for the cause."

"What's your cause then?" she asked.

"I've already told you-"

She glared at him and then rolled her eyes once again. "You really expect me to believe that you are coming here every single day in order to create some kind of friendship club between all the shop owners of Diagon Alley?"

"Well, no. Not between all the shop owners." He glanced over at her giving her a look so pointedly that she felt like she needed to pause to catch her breath.

"We…we're already friends, Fred," she said, silently chastising herself for stuttering. The last thing she needed was for him to realize the effect his little game was having on her. She turned around and walked across the room, partially trying to process their conversation, but also knowing that her feelings were probably readable by anyone that looked at her face. She had never been great at keeping her facial expressions under control. Besides what would Ron and Ginny say? Or anyone else for that matter? Fred Weasley and Hermione Granger? They certainly weren't the likeliest pair.

"And maybe I don't want to be just friends with you," he muttered, causing her to pause right in the middle of reaching for another book off of the top shelf. Could he be saying what she thought he was saying? Her mind racing, she realized she was still standing with her arm high above her head and must look completely ridiculous. Before she could move, however, she felt him come up behind her, the close proximity of their bodies blurring her thoughts and causing her heart to pound. He reached over her, grabbing the book, and as a result, when we she turned to take it from him, they were only inches apart.

He was taller than her so she found herself staring right into his chest, not daring to meet his eyes yet. That turned out not to help at all as his t-shirt was just tight enough to show off the broad shoulders and ripped muscles that were no doubt a result of years of Quidditch.

"Hermione," he said softly, "I…that is, I…"

Somehow, his hesitation gave her the boost of confidence she needed to look up at him. Meeting his eyes, she saw a yearning there that she had never before seen from Fred Weasley. Not even his latest prank had caused this much focus or intensity.

Swallowing hard, she found her voice. "Fred?"

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face before rubbing his hands across his own face in frustration. "Blimey, I'm bad at this," he said, emitting a short laugh.

"Bad at what?"

"This." He leaned down suddenly, closing the short distance between them as he placed one palm on her back and brushed his lips softly against hers.

She was stunned at first, as the realization sunk in that Fred had just kissed her, but, as Hermione nearly always did, she quickly regained her wits. "I don't know," she said with a shy smile, "I thought you were pretty good at it."

It was Fred's turn to be surprised. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess you'll have to show me again. For research purposes, of course."

"Oh, of course. Anything for research." He grinned and leaned down to recapture her lips with his own.

When they finally broke apart, Hermione sighed and laid her head against his chest in a warm embrace.

"So," she said after a moment, "how are we going to break the news to your family?"


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