Chapter Two

21 Days to Fall in Love

Hermione rolled over on the bed, the soft sheets caressing her skin. Wait, bed? Sheets? SKIN?

She shot up into a sitting position and immediately regretted it. The room swam before her eyes and she could feel a migrane coming on.

"Bloody hell," she groaned, closing her eyes as she slowly lay back down.

"Owl Rita Skeeter. Hermione Granger just swore." She heard someone chuckle to her right.

Her eyes opened once again, turning her head to see Fred sitting on the bed beside hers.

"Fred?" she breathed heavily, sitting up slowly and resting her head on the headboard. "The one and only," he smiled over at her.

"W-what happened"

Fred looked at her curiously for a second before moving to the bed she was on. "You passed out. Ron caught you and brought you up here..."

Hermione tilted her head slightly, her bushy hair falling over her shoulder. For some reason, Fred seemed angry.

"Where's Ron now?" she asked him.

"Oh he went to Lavender's place. They need to start planning the wedding. As do we," he added in an afterthought. Hermione couldn't den she was angry-just slightly, about Ron being engaged to Lavender Brown. She was getting married to his older brother, after all.

"Oh...okay," was all she said. "Well where's everyone else?"

"Doing the same with their significant other, seeing as we only have two months to be married." Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek as ideas went through her head. Though she was most definately not a girly girl, she had secretly been planning her wedding since she was nine years old.

She had always dreamed of love at first sight, having to catch her breath whenever she saw the one she would marry. Her heart beating faster and slower at the same time. As she looked at Fred, she felt none of those things. Sure, he was bloody attractive, funny, and smart. He wasn't cocky, but confident. All the things she liked in a man. Though she had to admit, when she was a student, she had always had a little school-girl crush on him. But she did not love him. She was not in love with him.

But that all had to change. She had to marry him, have kids with him even. Then realization hit her like a properly aimed expelliarmis. She had to have sex with Fred Weasley. She couldn't help but shiver at the image that came into her mind at that moment before she shut it out completely. He would be her first.

Yes, she, Hermione Jean Granger, was in fact, a virgin.

The concept of having sex with someone had very rarely interested her. Sure, she thoughtabout it sometimes, but she had never purposely thought about it. The farthest she had ever been with anyone was that night sixth year. Slughorn's party, under the misletoe with Cormac Mcaggen.

She had hated that night, just the thought of his groping hands and wet, sloppy kisses terrified her.

It was only when Fred cleared his throat she remembered he was in the room with her. She must have looked like a complete idiot, staring off into space.

"Oh sorry. I was...thinking," she said to cover up her silence as she tried to remember what Fred had last said.

"I noticed..." he said, looking at Hermione curiously.

"Oh. So I guess we should start planning our wedding..."

"Yeah. I was thinking maybe the Saturday after St. Andrew's Day? That way your parents and mine can talk more, seeing as they've already met so we don't have to go through the awkward in-law meeting," he cracked a smile.

"I think that's a good idea...So it's the...ninth of November now so wehave until the...thirtieth until the wedding so we have...twenty one days-"

"To fall in love," he finished her sentance with a small, shy smile.

Thanks for reading! I would like to thank Preetoaca Raven Potter Weasley for catching my spelling mistakes. I knew marriage didn't seem right as marrige. :) And also ctc for reminding me Bill is older than Charlie. I knew that, but I guess I didn't really think about it when I wrote it. Thank you both so much. Please review! I'll have the next chapter up asap.