DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.
A/N: I'm posting now because I've got requests. Thanks for appreciating FreMione! For those who say that FreMione stories are stupid, well, you don't understand Fanfiction. Just grab your HP books and stick with it. Fanfiction is not for you.
CHAPTER 2- Books And Ice Cream
"Remember the first day that I saw your face?
Remember the first day that you smiled at me?
You stepped to me and then you said to me
I was the woman you dreamed about.
Remember the first day that you called my house?
Remember the first day when you took me out?
We had butterflies, although we tried to hide it
And we both had a beautiful night.
The way we held each others hand
The way we talked, the way we laughed
It felt so good to find true love
I knew right then and there you were the one."
-"Brown Eyes"; Performed by Destiny's Child
July, 1987
Seven year-old Hermione Granger sat at one of the tables inside the ice cream parlour just a few blocks away from her parents' dental clinic. She was crying silently while eating her honey rosemary ice cream. One of the kids in her neighbourhood, Melanie Davidson, came to the same ice cream parlour and saw her. She teased her for having a bird's nest on her head and two large front teeth. She called her a beaver. Melanie Davidson only stopped when Mr. Roberts, the shop owner reprimanded her.
Hermione's parents were still at work and she decided to go to the ice cream parlour and eat while reading her new book. That was how her bully neighbour found her. Mrs. Roberts, the wife of the owner saw and comforted her and soon gave her an extra scoop of her favourite flavour.
"Ice cream's supposed to make your mood happy, my dad said."
Hermione wiped her tears with the back of her hand, but a checkered green handkerchief was offered to her by an unknown person. She took it and wiped her face with it. Then, she looked up to face the stranger who occupied the seat across from her at her table.
She saw a boy with flaming red hair, slightly round face, brown eyes, slightly big nose and fair skin. He looked a year older than her and was wearing a faded gray round-neck shirt. She had never seen someone with such red hair in person. Those red-haired people she saw were only on TV. And his eyes, Hermione noticed, were darker than hers. While Hermione's were honey coloured, this boy's were chocolate brown.
"Hello," greeted the boy with a smile.
She smiled timidly. "Hi. Thanks for the hanky. I'll just wash it."
"Keep it," he said politely and offered his hand. "I'm Fred. Fred Weasley."
Hermione, still shy, took the offered hand. "Hermione Granger."
She had never met someone as friendly as this person sitting in front of her. Kids in her neighbourhood and school would tease her by calling her 'mousey' or 'beaver' but no one cared for her. No one offered her a handkerchief whenever she cried.
The boy chuckled. "Your name sounds different... And your surname sounds like danger," he bantered.
Instead of being offended, Hermione chuckled as well. Suddenly, she felt comfortable with Fred; something she only felt with her parents.
He is a stranger, but he seems kind to me, she thought.
"I was named after one of Shakespeare's characters," she told him.
The boy frowned. "Shakespeare?"
"Yes, the greatest writer," she said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, yeah. My eldest brother, Bill, told me and George about that writer. He said they had to perform one of his plays. I think that was Mac... MacLiz?"
She chuckled again. "Macbeth."
"Yeah, that's it. I remember, Dad took me and George for the first time here in Mugg - I mean, London to look for that book."
"Where do you live?" she asked curiously.
"Devon," he replied, paying attention to his cup of ice cream for the first time. It melted already.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, looking at his cup.
"Nah, it's fine. Not your fault," he replied with a smile and removed the spoon. He lifted the cup and drank the melted ice cream.
When he finished it, Hermione giggled. He had chocolate cream around his mouth, so she offered her own pink handkerchief.
Fred's ears turned pink and accepted the hanky timidly. He silently cleaned his face. "Thanks. I'll just wash it."
"Keep it." She repeated his words.
"Thanks," he replied with a nod. "Where are your parents?" he asked after looking around the shop.
"At their dental clinic, just a few blocks away from here."
"Are they healers?" he asked with curiosity.
"No, silly. Dentists." She laughed at the thought of her parents, being called 'Healer Granger'.
He frowned and gave her a questioning look. "Doctors for teeth," she added.
"Oh," was all he said.
"How about you? Where are your parents?"
"Mum's at home with the rest of my siblings. Dad's supposed to give me a tour around Mugg - I mean, London and look for another book for Bill but he received an owl, I mean a call from work to investigate on a certain house, so he had to go. He told me to wait here," he explained.
"Where does he work?" she asked.
"Er..." The boy looked hesitant.
"Oh, it's all right," she replied with an apologetic look. Probably a detective or policeman, she thought.
"What was the book you're getting your brother?"
"Any book about the life of the Queen," he replied casually. "Bill needs it at school."
Hermione reached for her book bag. She had several book selections there: history, biographies, children's stories, novels and even comic books. She always brought her books whenever she would come with her parents at work. She would spend a lot of time inside the ice cream parlour and read. Mr. Roberts didn't mind.
She finally found what she was looking for, the book entitled The Crown with the photo of the Queen on the cover. She handed it to Fred. "Here. Give this to your brother."
Fred's eyes widened like saucers and ears turned pink again. "Uh. It's all right. That's too much, Hermione."
She pushed the book to him. "Take it. I've read it a couple of times already."
"But your parents might get mad," he reasoned.
"They would get mad if some bully kid took the book from me and ripped it. But they'd be happy if I tell them that I gave it to a nice person whose brother needs it."
Fred looked at her timidly but smiled. "Thank you. Now, I have two souvenirs from you."
She grinned. "Do you come here often?"
He shook his head. "No. But I can ask Dad to take me here again next week. I can stay here while he works."
"That'd be great!"
Hermione and Fred continued talking for the next hour. She told him everything she knew about London. While speaking with Fred, she also caught Mr. and Mrs. Roberts looking at them with smiles on their faces. Hermione understood why. It was the first time she ever had a friend.
.
Hermione excitedly entered the ice cream parlour, followed closely by her parents. This was the day she would see Fred again! Since she returned to her parents' dental clinic the day she met him, she couldn't stop talking and thinking about him. Her parents were glad that she finally found a friend, but a bit worried since it was a first time. Hermione thought that the only way she could only assure her parents that Fred was really a nice boy was for them to meet him.
Hermione went to her usual spot and found out that it was occupied by three red-heads already. She spotted Fred, but when their eyes met, he didn't smile back. He frowned slightly. Then, the boy who was sitting across from him stood up and walked towards her.
"Hermione!"
She turned to the boy. "Fred?" she frowned and then looked to the other 'Fred' sitting at the table.
Fred followed her gaze. "That's George, my twin brother," he said laughing.
"You have a twin? I didn't know," she asked sheepishly.
"Sorry, forgot to tell you, but I did mention his name, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did." Then, she turned to her parents standing behind her. "Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet Fred Weasley. Fred, they're my parents."
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger! It's very nice to meet you," said Fred politely.
Hermione's parents, Rose and Hugh Granger, looked down at the boy kindly and shook his hand.
"My dad's here, too! I'll introduce you!" He gently held her wrist and led her to the table. Fred introduced Mr. Arthur Weasley, his father. He wore eyeglasses and was already bald, but Hermione could see with the few hair he had that he was also a redhead. He was a kind-looking man. He looked excited and inquisitive when he met her and her parents. He also thanked them for the book she gave for his other son, Bill.
Then, she met George, Fred's twin. They were identical from hair up to the last freckle. But when Hermione looked closely, George had square-shaped face and a bit shorter than Fred. He also didn't have Fred's scar above his eyebrow.
Soon, after the pleasantries, the three children were left by the adults who needed to work. Hermione sat beside Fred and George positioned across from his twin.
"Hey, I have something for you," Fred said, pulling a box from his rucksack. "Homemade mince pies, made by Mum. They're for you and your family. She was so thankful for the book."
Hermione's face brightened with the joy she felt. "Really? Your mum's so nice!"
"She thinks you're nice, too," said George with a mischievous smile in his lips. "Fred won't stop talking about you."
Fred's ears turned pink. "Keep your mouth shut," he told his twin before turning to her. "Don't mind him, Hermione. What do you want to do today? Aside from eating ice cream?"
"How about going to the park? It's just a few blocks away from here," she said with excitement.
"Sure. But first, let's order ice cream!" said Fred. "What flavour do you recommend?"
"Honey rosemary is my all-time favourite, but the flavour of the day is chocolate almond," she said, looking at the counter.
"Well, we can have-" the twins said together, causing Hermione to almost jump in her seat.
"One scoop of honey rosemary," said Fred who smirked at her reaction.
"And another scoop of chocolate almond," finished George who winked at them.
Hermione laughed, looking amused with the twins. "Do you always speak together and finish each other's sentences?"
"We do," they said again.
"Like all the time," said Fred with twinkle in his eyes.
"But only Fred would speak a lot about you," quipped George with a mischievous smile. Then, he muttered 'ow' and reached for his foot under the table. Hermione guessed that Fred kicked his twin. Hermione told Mr. Roberts their order and soon, three cups of ice cream were served.
"So, can you tell me about your other siblings? I've only heard of Bill and George," she told Fred while eating.
"We're seven children. George and I have three older brothers and two younger siblings," Fred began.
"Bill's the eldest. He'll be in sixth year, high school, in September," said George.
"Then, there's Charlie, going fifth year. Mum and Dad were so happy because he was also made prefect like Bill," Fred said.
"Next is Percy. He'll be starting school this year," said George.
Hermione frowned. "What do you mean, he'll be starting this year?"
"Er, we're home-schooled until ten. We go to school for the first time at eleven years old," replied Fred.
"That's the rule at Mum and Dad's former school," supplied George.
"That's also where our brothers go."
"And who are your younger siblings?" she asked with interest. She was an only child, that was why.
"Ron. He's seven," replied Fred. "Just like you."
"And Ginny's six," supplied George.
"Only one girl? Wow!" she exclaimed.
"The first Weasley girl after many generations," said Fred.
"Everyone loves her. She's everyone's apple of the eye," said George.
"I bet she's a sweet girl," she said.
"She is," they said together.
"She would even cry whenever our brothers would leave for the boarding school," Fred told her.
"Which school do your brothers go to, by the way?" she asked casually.
"Uh, they go to a boarding school-"
"Called 'Hogwarts'."
"In Scotland."
"It's an exclusive school," finished George.
"Haven't heard of it," she said with a frown. She liked reading a lot and never heard or came across of a school named 'Hogwarts'.
"Like what George said, it's an exclusive school. The tests were performed very early and when you reach eleven years old, you'd get a letter of acceptance," explained Fred.
She nodded quietly. "Did you take the tests, too?"
"Yeah, we did. We passed and we're just waiting for our letters," said George eagerly.
Hermione felt a bit sad. She felt silly, because it was only the second time she had been with him, but she was expecting that they'd be true friends in the long run. But if he would be going to this school in Scotland, she might never see him again after this summer. She brushed her thoughts away when Fred asked her if she could bring them to the park. For a while, she forgot about her worries.
After eating ice cream, they went to the park and played together on the swing and slides. Fred pushed her gently on the swing and George was on the swing beside her, laughing happily. They also played hide-and-seek. Hermione pouted when she was the it because she couldn't find the twins. They were sneaky and hard to find.
After an hour of playing, they ate the pies Mrs. Weasley made for her. She left some for her parents and then they bought refreshments. At four o'clock, they returned to the parlour to meet Mr. Weasley. When the redheads left, Hermione returned to her parents' dental clinic.
.
Hermione was reading one of her favourite books again when she heard the chimes. She automatically looked up, expecting a group of redheads, but there was only one who entered.
"Hey, Fred!" she greeted enthusiastically when he walked towards her. His hair was ruffled because of the summer wind. He was wearing black trousers and orange shirt that matched his hair. "Where's George?" she asked.
Fred placed a hand on his chest. "You wound me, Hermione. I thought I'm the handsomest," he said in a faked hurt tone.
Hermione giggled as Fred sat down across from her. "You're identical twins. How can you expect me to say who's more handsome?" she said. "So, no George today?"
Fred smirked. "No George today. He wanted to stay at home and play with our brothers," he repeated her words with a nod. "Just Fred and Hermione."
Hermione felt her heart beat became faster and he cheeks flushed but ignored the feeling. She knew that kind of feeling. She was having a crush on Fred Weasley!
"What're you reading?" he asked, looking at the open book on the table.
"Your brother's adventure," she joked.
Fred frowned. "My brother?"
Hermione held the book to show him the cover. "Charlie And the Chocolate Factory?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you heard of this story? It's popular," she said matter-of-factly.
Fred blushed and Hermione suddenly wanted to pinch herself for embarrassing him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, you mentioned that you were home-schooled," she said sheepishly.
He offered her a small smile. "That's fine. So, what is it about? Can I read it when you're finished?"
"You can take it. I was just re-reading it; to kill time," she replied and pushed the book to his direction. "Show it to your brother."
He nodded. "Thanks. So, want some ice cream?" he asked, clearly eager to change the topic.
"Yes, please. I think I'll try a different flavour this time. Banoffee's the flavour of the day."
"Banoffee, then," he agreed.
Moments later, the two children were eating a cup of banoffee ice cream and talking about Charlie Bucket.
"Shall we go to the park?" asked Fred.
"We shall," she agreed and packed her things. Fred helped her and he even carried her heavy book bag for her. He also opened and held the door for her like a true gentleman. Hermione's different feeling in her stomach only increased.
.
"Don't your siblings get jealous because you're always going with your dad in London?" she asked.
They decided to go to the park after buying two cones of ice cream from Mr. Roberts. They sat there on the ground, enjoying the nice weather.
"It's just my fourth time," he reasoned. "They also get the reward they want. For example, Percy would have a new book for behaving well and helping Mum take care of Ron and Ginny. Charlie's got new er, bat and ball... He likes baseball. As for Bill, Mum would always allow him to go to the village near our place to meet his friends."
"And George?" she asked.
"He likes playing Quidd - I mean, baseball with Charlie."
"Why do you like coming here?" she asked.
"Isn't it obvious? 'Cause I already like London, silly," he teased and rolled his eyes.
Hermione playfully hit him on his upper arm. Fred laughed and instead of grabbing his hand to stop her, Fred swung his arm on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
"Mousey's got a boyfriend? You've got to be joking, Annie!"
Hermione quickly turned around when she recognized the voice. She saw the two people she disliked the most: Melanie Davidson and Annie Peters. They were all shooting her insulting glares.
"Hey, beaver! Where'd you get him?"
"She didn't get me. I befriended her," said Fred sternly beside her. His arm was still on her shoulder. "She's a nice person, unlike you. And don't you dare insult her again!"
Melanie looked at Fred angrily. "I will say whatever I want to say. She's got a bird's nest on her head she calls hair. She's got two large front teeth that even her parents who're dentists couldn't fix... Or maybe won't fix. She's a bookworm!"
"But her hair and teeth could be fixed, unlike your attitude. Rotten," reasoned Fred. "And she's got a boyfriend. You don't."
Before the two girls could reply, Fred turned to her. "Come on, 'Mione. Let's get away from these girls with rotten attitude." He gently grabbed her wrist and they walked to her parents' dental clinic.
When they turned to the left corner, Fred stopped to look at her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yes. I'm used to their bullying. You didn't have to defend me back there."
"'Mione, you're my friend. You're a nice person. I can't just keep quiet while someone's insulting you," he said matter-of-factly.
"Th-thanks," she said in almost a whisper. She wasn't used to having someone defend her. She would usually end up going home and crying in her parents' arms. But today, she saw Fred defend her. He even called himself her boyfriend.
"'Mione..."
She looked up to him and took his hand to squeeze it. "Thanks, Fred. You're such a good friend."
He grinned, looking pleased. "'Cause you're a good person, too. Don't mind them. My brothers Bill and Percy also likes reading. They are bookworms too."
"Really? I hope I'd get to meet your family one day," she replied emotionally.
Fred's smile faltered. "I hope so..." Then, he sighed heavily. "Uh, there's something I'd like to tell you."
He looked hesitant and Hermione became nervous. "What is it?"
"Er, Mum will be busy starting next week with Bill, Charlie and Percy. They'll be leaving on the first of September... Dad asked me and George to look after Ron and Ginny. So..." he trailed off.
Hermione was so nervous now, but she patiently waited for Fred to speak again.
"Er, I might not come here anymore," he said sadly. Hermione felt like crying. She won't be able to see him again.
"But, I want to write to you. Dad said he can bring my letter to your parents' clinic... If that's all right with you... And them. Your parents," he said sheepishly.
Hermione beamed. Fred wanted to correspond with her. "Of course, it's all right with me and my parents!"
Knowing her parents, they would really want her to have friends and they already said that Fred was a nice boy. They wouldn't stop her from exchanging letters with him.
"Let's get back to your parents' clinic, then." He offered his hand and Hermione took it.
.
July 1988
"Come on, Ginny! Hurry up!" called Fred Weasley at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hang on! I'm trying to find my cloak!" shouted his only sister from the second floor.
"Gin, it's summer. You won't be needing it," he yelled back.
Ginny finally stepped down the stairs, holding her travelling cloak. "Are you a wizard, or not?"
"I am. But-"
"We're going to Muggle London," said George from behind.
"Which only means-"
"You have to act like a Muggle," finished George.
"So, Hermione won't be wearing the jumper Mum knitted for her?" she asked in confusion.
"Gin-Gin, the weather in Muggle London is different-" started George.
"From the weather in Diagon Alley," he finished.
"Why?" she asked.
"Diagon Alley was charmed. It doesn't rain there and even if it's summer, it's not too hot," he explained gently.
"Are you kids ready?" came their father's voice from the kitchen.
Their mother emerged from the kitchen to look at the three of them. "George, dear, are you sure you don't want to stay here and play with Ron?"
George gave them an evil grin and Fred knew what was coming next. "I can play Quidditch anytime," he replied. "It's not everyday that I get to see my twin blush in front of a girl."
Fred playfully hit his twin brother on the arm. "You keep your mouth shut!"
"Fred, language!" scolded his mother. "Now, you boys behave. Make sure that you won't do the same mistake again. Don't tell Hermione about Hogwarts again or anything about magic."
"Yes, Mum," the three of them chorused.
"Very well. Fred, give this to her," she said and handed him a box of what looked like sweets.
"Thanks, Mum!"
.
Hermione just stared at the picture of Paddington Bear in the book. She wasn't reading. She was actually waiting for Fred. After a year, they would get to see each other again. They kept in touch as much as possible. They would write to each other every week. He would tell her about his siblings and what he usually does at home. On the other hand, Hermione told Fred about school and the books she read. She loaned him children's books for his two siblings, Ron and Ginny.
Based on his stories, Hermione felt that Ginny was a nice girl and wanted to meet her. She became fond of Fred's little sister and wanted to meet her, too.
She heard the chimes. Hermione looked up nervously and spotted three people by the door: two were twins and a little girl; all sporting flaming red hair.
Hermione instantly recognized Fred, the tallest by an inch, because his chocolate brown eyes smiled when he saw her. Yes. When Fred Weaey smiled, his eyes would smile, too.
"Hermione!" he called while walking towards her.
She stood up but stayed where she was. "Fred!" When he finally reached her, he reached for her hand and squeezed it. "You got taller!" she commented, realizing that her head used to reach Fred's cheek, but now, it could only reach his shoulder.
"Thanks," he replied sheepishly.
"'Cause he eats a lot, like a dragon," commented George from behind. "Hello, Hermione."
"George!" she greeted. "Dragons aren't real."
"But Charlie said-" squealed a female voice but George placed his hand to cover the girl's mouth.
"Charlie was only telling you a bedtime story," smirked Fred.
But Hermione didn't reply. She turned to the girl. Like Fred and George, she had chocolate brown eyes and freckled face. Her flaming red hair was shoulder length. "Hello! You must be Ginny."
George removed his hand. "Yes. It's nice to meet you, Hermione!" she replied with excitement. "Fred wouldn't stop talking about you! Thanks for the books you loaned us!"
"You're welcome," she replied kindly. "And thanks for the jumper and scarf. Fred said in his letter that you helped your mum in making it."
George's eyes widened like saucers. "Hermione's got a Weasley jumper? That's news!" he said in an exaggerated tone, making Hermione giggle and Fred slap his twin.
"Come on, you two! Let's have ice cream!" she told them and took Ginny's hand. "Ginny, what flavour do you like?"
.
After having their ice cream, they went to the park and played. Hermione and Ginny occupied the swing sets while Fred and George pushed them gently.
"Don't you go to parks?" she asked Ginny who was completely amazed by the playground. She was being pushed gently by Fred from behind and George was behind Ginny.
"No. We live in a secluded area. The nearest house was a kilometer away. That's why it's hard to play with Luna," she told her.
"Is she home-schooled, too?"
"Yeah. Well, almost everyone who passed the Hogwarts entrance test."
Her smile faltered when she heard the name of the school. She will never go to the same school with Fred. They would always be like this: writing to each other and meeting every summer.
He's the only friend she had. After last year, Hermione was so sure that she wouldn't have friends at school. Her classmates accused her of being a freak after she made the chairs and table move when she was angry. Well, that was how her classmates and teachers saw it. She wasn't so sure if she did it. But one thing was made clear: she was different aming others.
"Hey, are you all right?" asked Ginny.
She gave her a small smile. "Yes, I am," she lied smoothly.
.
August 1989
Hermione walked briskly on the road going to Mr. Roberts's ice cream parlour. It was half past two and she was running late. She was supposed to meet Fred at two o'clock, but she had to help her old Grandma Jean in taking a bath. She was living in Essex but chose to stay at their house for the summer break.
It was her last meet up with Fred before he goes to the boarding school in Scotland. They were planning on spending the time with George and Ginny and play at the park again. She was sad because Fred said that they wouldn't be able to correspond while he was at school, but she also felt excited to give her goodbye present: his old checkered handkerchief with his name embroidered on it. She made it herself with the help of her grandmother.
The moment she entered the parlour, her eyes immediately scanned the room for a group of redheads, but she didn't find anyone.
She went to their usual spot and waited. An hour passed but still, no sign of any Weasley. At four o'clock, she left to her parents' clinic, slightly heartbroken.
Where is he? Why didn't he come? Is he all right? I hope nothing bad happened to him or any of his family.
Or maybe, he didn't want to say goodbye.
"Hermione, dear?" came her mother's voice when she entered the clinic.
Hermione drifted away from her musings and forced a smile before facing her mother. "Hi, Mum."
"Hello, honey. Mr. Weasley came and told me that Fred had to stay at home today for some domestic reasons. He wanted to personally apologize to you."
Hermione sighed and nodded. At least there's a valid reason, she thought. But she still felt sad for not seeing him today.
.
She couldn't sleep. It was almost midnight. She had been thinking about Fred.
I'm never gonna see him again, she thought sadly. When he goes to Hogwarts, he would forget about me. He would meet new friends.
Hermione felt like crying again. Fred was her first and only true friend. She gained two more friends because of him: George and Ginny. If her friendship with Fred would end, George and Ginny would be gone in her life, too.
She sighed. Why does it have to be this way? I have friends, but they aren't from here.
Tap, tap, tap.
Hermione was drifted away from her musings when she heard noise from the window. She slowly got up from her bed and walked towards the window. Through the glass, she saw two figures outside: Fred and George Weasley, both riding on... Broomsticks?
She quickly opened the window. "Fred? George? How did you find me?" she asked in awe.
"We have ways. Now, step back, 'Mione," said Fred. "I'm coming in."
She took a few steps back and Fred got off his broom. He climbed on the window and made it to her room. George caught his broomstick. "I'll be waiting down there. See you, Hermione!"
Fred and Hermione nodded and George flew away. When Fred turned to face her, she opened her mouth to speak. "Flying broomsticks? How?" she asked in confusion.
"Can we sit?" he asked sheepishly. "I can tell you everything."
She went to her bed and sat there while Fred took the chair and pulled it in front of her. Hermione took notice of Fred's outfit for the first time. He was wearing a cloak.
"What's going on, Fred?"
"Hermione, what I'm about to tell you is a secret. You shouldn't tell anyone," he said seriously.
She frowned at first but the realized that Fred trust her because they were friends, so she nodded.
"When I say anyone, that includes your parents and grandmother."
She nodded again. "Yes, I understand."
He gave her a small smile. "Thanks. Now, where shall I start?" he said in a low voice.
"Maybe, start explaining how come your broomsticks were flying?"
"Magic," he said promptly.
She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain more.
"Our family is different, Hermione, that's why we live in a secluded area and home-schooled until we're old enough to go to Hogwarts."
"So, you can only go to Hogwarts if you can perform magic. Is that correct?"
He nodded. "Yes. I can't tell you everything. I'm not allowed. But I wanted to see you. George tried to stop me from coming here, but I can't leave for Hogwarts without seeing you. I took the risk and decided that I will tell you just a bit about my kind."
Hermione wanted to ask more about magic. She wanted to tell him about the strange things she could do, but decided against it. No one in her family could perform magic, unlike Fred.
"Why didn't you come today?" she asked.
"Mum was mad at me and George for pranking our brother, Ron," he replied sheepishly.
She raised an eyebrow. Fred bit his lip. "Er, we turned his teddy bear to a spider."
"And?"
"It's the second time we did it. Ickle Ronniekins is afraid of spiders. Mum was furious, and so was Dad. They didn't allow me to leave the house. George and I spent the day gardening."
"That's not good, Fred," she said but not unkindly.
His ears matched the colour of his hair. "Er, we thought it was just a harmless prank."
"Do you prank your brothers a lot?"
"Yeah. Kind of... Mum would always call us 'little pranksters', just like her twin brothers. You see, we were born on April Fools."
She giggled. "Never thought you had it in you. You never pranked me."
"I can't. You might cry and never forgive me," he replied in a serious tone.
She beamed. "You're my friend. I will always forgive you."
He smiled and reached for her hand to squeeze it. "Thanks. Well, it's getting late and I want to tell you one more thing."
Hermione felt her cheeks blush at his touch. "Yeah?"
"I want us to continue writing to each other. In Hogwarts, we use owls. Is it okay if an owl flies on your window to deliver a letter?"
Her eyes widened. "You mean, you have owl posts? Cool! Sure. As long as it will show up at night."
He nodded. "Okay."
Then, George flew by her window. "Hey, loverboy! It's time for us to leave."
They both stood up. Chocolate brown eyes met honey eyes. Hermione felt a pang of sadness in her chest. She would be seeing him next year. She sighed and did something she never did before. She hugged Fred. He quickly returned the hug and she felt his lips on the crown of her head. After a few seconds, they pulled away.
Hermione remembered her present for Fred, sitting on her bedside table. She gave it to him.
"For you," she said sheepishly.
Fred accepted the little package. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Goodbye, for now."
"Take care," she replied and turned to George. "You too, George."
George smiled and waved. Then, Fred climbed outside and rode his broom. Hermione watched as the twins flew into the dark night.