Hermione pulled back, her eyes wide. Fred looked at her warily and leaned back, as if waiting for her to blow up at him. She quickly stood up, "I've got to go"
"I'm sorry, actually no I'm not, but that's not the point, I shouldn't have just done that" Fred ran a hand through his fiery hair.
"No you, it's just that, I-" Hermione was actually speechless, something Fred was not too used to. She let out a quiet, nervous laugh, before moving to exit the room, millions of thoughts running through her mind.
"I've wanted to do that for a while now, believe it or not" She heard him from behind her.
"Don't" She didn't turn around.
"Don't what?"
"Don't make things more complicated than they have to be, Fred"
"I'm not trying to make things complicated I just, I don't know, wanted to forget about everything for a minute" He regretted the words just after they left his lips.
"So I'm just a distraction?" Hermione whirled around, hand on hip. There was a tinge of disappointment mixed in with her anger.
"Yes! I mean no! Never, you're way more than that to me, you could never-" Fred's face scrunched up with frustration. His hands were held up, as if to defend himself.
"I'm one of your brother's best friends! You can't just kiss me." The last two words came out as a whisper. She ran a hand through her mess of chocolate colored curls.
"It won't happen again" Fred mumbled. Hermione nodded, "Good. Because we, you and I, can't happen. Ever."
She stood up straight, gave him one more small nod, and left the room. Fred let out a long sigh as he threw himself back on the bed.
Hermione shut the door behind her and leaned up against it. She hadn't hated the kiss. She had even kind of liked it.
Why the hell did she have to like it?
"Hermione?" Her head whipped around. It was Ron.
Shit.
"Why were you in Fred and George's room? Did you get Fred to talk?"
"Er, not really" She bit her bottom lip. Ron shrugged, "Oh well."
Ginny ran up the stairs and joined them, grinning.
Seriously?
"What are you smiling about?" Ron gave his younger sister a suspicious look.
"I'm just excited to get back to practicing"
"What, quidditch?" Hermione and Ginny sent him a glare, "Oh! You mean-"
The door opened from behind Hermione.
Fred walked past, pausing for a moment to greet the younger three, "Hi Ron, Ginny," pause, "Hermione."
He didn't make eye contact.
"Hi" The three replied in confused unison.
Hermione could feel guilt rushing over her. She knew she had every right to tell him no. But that wasn't why she felt guilty. She felt guilty because she had lied to him when she said that they could never be in a relationship. She actually kind of wanted to be in a relationship with Fred Weasley. She shook her head, it wasn't a possibility, it couldn't be a possibility.
"You're out of your room" Ron stated dumbly.
"How perceptive you are, Ronald" Fred rolled his eyes and kept walking. Ron blushed.
"Is George downstairs?" Fred looked at Ginny. She nodded. He left.
"That was weird" Ginny frowned.
"Yeah… was he like that while you were in there Hermione?"
"You were in his and George's room?" Ginny asked.
"I-" Thankfully, she was cut off by Molly shouting that dinner was ready. Ginny and Ron shared a look as she quickly made her way past them.
What the hell had she gotten herself into?