Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading and keeping up with the story :D Since I reached 10 reviews, here's the new chapter C: Enjoy~
Hermione awoke to several quiet knocks on her door, but with every unanswered knock, the noise rose until it sounded like the person was beating the door down with their bare fists. Hermione groaned and squinted to see "4:16 A.M." appear on her digital clock. "Who could that be this early in the morning?" she wondered before rolling out of bed and heading for the door. When she opened it, Fred was standing in a pair of black sweats and a casual maroon t-shirt with a mischievous smile spread across his face.
"Good morning, Hermy," was all Fred said.
She narrowed her eyes at him, but all that groggily escaped her mouth was, "Don't call me that."
Fred responded by chortling at her morning voice and Hermione contemplated shutting the door on him and retreating back to bed, but the slender, blue-eyed boy smiled at her and stated, "I had to leave the shop early if I wanted to spend the day with you."
Had she not just been awoken from her slumber, her stomach may have flipped from happiness, but she merely rubbed her eyes and inquired, "Why four in the morning?"
Fred lightly chuckled and continued to further inform her, "You see, George isn't too keen on the idea of me skipping out on work. I believe he failed to realize that when I told him about our deal and so…" He paused to feign distress before he continued, "I had to escape while I still had a chance." He looked up and saw Hermione smiling at his dramatic end to his explanation. He grinned back at her and excitedly finished with, "I'll apologize to George later, but for now, go get ready. The dawn is just breaking and we have the whole day ahead of us!"
Hermione stared at him blankly and reached out and placed her hand on his chest. She felt his breathing cease and his body freeze under her touch and he looked at her with an expression mixed with shock and wonder when she quickly pulled back and said, "I was just making sure you were really here is all…" She looked up to see his head tilt slightly to the side in confusion when she quickly voiced, "Come in, and feel free to relax on the couch. Do you want a drink?"
"A cup of tea would be nice," he responded while walking passed her to lean against her kitchen counter.
Hermione put water in a kettle and with a flick of her wand it placed itself on top of a stove to boil. She turned around to face Fred who was watching her with a crooked smile on his face. "What do you have planned for today, Fred?" she questioned to break the silence.
He wiggled his eyebrows at the brunette and said, "That's for me to know and for you to find out, Hermy."
He watched her eyebrow twitch in irritation at the nickname and she replied with, "Call me that one more time, Fred Weasley, and I will-"
Hermione stopped when the Weasley twin walked nimbly over to where she stood and gazed deep into her eyes. "You look stunning in the morning, 'Mione," Fred intervened slyly. He loved the way she looked in her over-sized shirt that fell right below her knees. He guessed inwardly that it was her father's since he remembered her telling him the day before that both her parents were muggle dentists and the shirt she was currently sporting had a giant image of a wide-teeth smile with "CHEESE" written in bold black letters, though he quietly questioned how the dairy product had any relations at all with the smile.
A blush fell on her features and she murmured a, "Thank you," before pouring the boiled water into a cup and adding a tea bag to it before handing it over to the, now beaming, Weasley boy.
X-X-X-X
When Hermione was out of the shower and fully clothed in her muggle attire- a knit sweater and jeans, she looked at her refreshed, now wide-awake reflection in the mirror. She closed her eyes and muttered, "Day two…" under her breath before leaving the bathroom and walking towards her company in her living room.
She looked around and had to do a double-take around her flat before realizing that her assumptions were correct. Fred was nowhere to be found.
"Fred?" she called out into the empty apartment flat and she wondered if he had really just been a dream after all. She walked back to her bed, sat down, and rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. "He seemed so real," she sighed inwardly. A few moments later, however, her thoughts were interrupted by a few light knocks on her window. She jumped, startled at the sudden noise, and walked over to see Fred hovering on a broomstick.
She opened the window swiftly and chastised him in a hushed tone. "Have you gone mad, Fred? What if someone sees you? What if someone sees us?"
Fred merely grinned in response. "That's not likely, Hermione. Who in their right mind would be up at-" He stopped to shoot a glimpse at a wall clock behind her to read the time and continued, "4:54? Anyone who claims to have spotted two people on a flying broomstick will either be dismissed as suffering from hallucinations or sleep deprivation. Now, come along, 'Mione."
Hermione responded by taking several steps back and shuffling her feet. Fred looked her over before taking a shot in the dark, "Are you afraid of flying, Hermione- brightest witch of your age?" His tone sounded on the borderline of amused and surprised.
"N-no! I'm merely afraid of-" she took a second to gulp as she processed her fears and closed her eyes when she finished her sentence with, "f-falling."
She opened her eyes and saw Fred's smirk dancing on his lips when he replied, "Don't worry. I won't let you fall." He winked at her and waggled his eyebrows as he added, "Unless you're falling for me, of course, love."
Hermione rushed over to the window and smacked the tall, ginger boy who was on his broomstick and placed her delicate hands on her hips as she closed her eyes and declared, "We'll see who's falling for who, Fr-" but immediately opened her eyes at the sound of a shout that seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Hermione was scared out of her wits as she glanced frantically below; searching for the Weasley boy who she was sure was plummeting to the ground. Her train of thought was broken at the sound of laughter coming suddenly from above her.
Fred was still cracking up when he looked at Hermione's countenance to see not the slightest bit of amusement present. "Lighten up, Granger," he joked and reached his hand out for her.
Her eyes were still narrowed as she shook her head at the boy who had an apologetic expression on his face when he spoke up again, "I promise, Hermione Jean Granger, that I will not let anything happen to you on this broom ride." He flashed her a sincere smile before waiting for her to deliberate.
A few moments later, Hermione was sitting on her window sill, transferring her body in front of Fred on his broom stick. As soon as she was securely positioned in front of Fred, he reached out in front of her to navigate.
"F-f-fred?" Hermione stuttered upon looking at how high up they were. Her hands gripped the broom stick awkwardly as she had not been flying in years.
"Yes?" he replied with a concerned look on his face.
"I know we agreed for you to not advance on me physically, but I think we can both concur that right now is a lovely time to make one measly exception. Won't you agree?" she let out each word between deep, nervous breaths.
Fred reacted by chuckling and wrapping his left arm around the terrified girl in front of him, leaving his right arm in front of her to steer. He instructed her to grasp the broom firmly and to not look down for now, which she did obediently. His grip around her tightened when he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Just remember- I won't let anything happen to you. I promised, didn't I?" She barely had enough time to nod before the broom jolted forward.
Hermione screamed upon first feeling the broom's sudden movement, but Fred had succeeded in calming her with the sound of his mesmerizing laugh and enticing voice and the feeling of his arm around her, as if protecting her from all dangers.
X-X-X-X
When Hermione felt the wind stop blowing mercilessly against her, she opened her eyes to find herself behind a few rows of trees. Fred had helped her off of the broom and then proceeded to hide it behind a couple of brush before smiling at her with a devilish, mischievous expression.
"Now that wasn't too bad, was it?" He asked, trying to hide his laugh at the disheveled look on Hermione's face.
Hermione nodded in response and Fred clasped her jacket and began walking out of the trees to reveal a lake that had a trail which lead to a small town. Due to it being early morning, the space was unoccupied as Fred led her around until they reached a spot where several blankets which she identified as those identical to the ones she used when she slept over at the Burrow were strewn across the grass. On top of one of the blankets was a single basket and a mug of orange juice.
"Ginny helped a bit with the cooking and setting up," Fred explained, answering all the questions Hermione had not yet voiced.
Hermione grinned at him appreciatively and proceeded to sit down on several blankets and lay one on top of her to keep her warm against the early morning breeze. Fred sat across from her and offered her some of the contents of the basket, which included a few biscuits, a hearty helping of honey-roasted ham, sunny-side-up eggs, and pancakes.
"Look, 'Mione," Fred pointed towards the sky and Hermione saw that the sun was just peaking over the horizon. She admired the way the rising sun made the water shimmer and she glanced up at Fred whose eyes flickered from her to the sun in a heartbeat. She felt her face heat up and knew it wasn't from the morning light.
The sky's color began to soften with hues of pink, purple, and orange spreading around the sun, the hint of the sun's first lights illuminating the sky, causing the clouds to light up magnificently. Hermione's eyes had been stuck on the breathtaking sight when she sighed. "I always preferred sunrises over sunsets. It's just such a glorious sight to watch- so full of beauty."
Hermione glanced over to Fred who had shifted slightly and who now had his eyes softening at the sight of her, a small smile placed on his face. "I can name something else that I see right now that's beautiful." Hermione blushed scarlet as she looked away to watch the sun rise once again. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fred's face redden before, he too, turned away to face the rising sun.
Fred could have sworn he heard a, "Thank you," muttered under the bright witch's breath, but he wasn't too sure if he had just imagined it or not. He deliberated in his head whether or not to say, "You're welcome," but decided against it as he continued to admire the brunette from the corner of his eye. He loved the way the morning rays made her face glow and her hair shine as her wavy locks fell down her shoulders. Suddenly, Hermione glimpsed at Fred and their eyes locked with the other's. He couldn't help adoring how her brown orbs were gleaming against the light and the way the faint pink blush spread across her countenance made her features soften. She smiled earnestly at him and he realized he already had a grin placed on his face when he looked away.
X-X-X-X
After the two had eaten to their heart's content and watched the sun go up, they proceeded to lie down on the blankets next to each other and simply stare out at the vast, endless blue sky. Fluffy, white clouds were spread out generously, creating shapes that were currently leaving Fred and Hermione to point out the different images they saw.
Hermione had given up after Fred had answered, "Arnold the Pygmy puff" for the fourth time, pointing at several different clouds, while she on the other hand, had a long and musing thought process on whether a certain cloud could have taken the form of a fire-breathing dragon or a lost puppy huddled into a blanket.
Hermione slightly shook her head and thought inwardly to herself, "Fred sure is immature..."
All of a sudden, she saw the boy's hand shoot towards the sky and point at a cloud that took his interest and he voiced thoughtfully, "That cloud looks like two otters holding hands as they sleep." He turned his head to smile at her and inform her, "You know, my dad went to a muggle zoo once and there he learned that otters like to hold the other's paw while they sleep to not drift away in the water."
A small smile crept along her face and she answered back with, "I read about that in an encyclopedia once before. It's kind of funny…My patronus takes the form of an otter, you know?"
Fred lifted himself up with his elbows to look over to her and grin before replying with, "I remember," to which Hermione responded by raising an eyebrow and tilting her head in a confused manner. Fred light-heartedly chucked and explained, "Back at Hogwarts, during the D.A. meeting when Harry was instructing us how to use our patronuses against the dementors, I saw you as you sent out your patronus." He stopped to smile at the recalled memory, and finished with, "I could never forget how happy you looked- the way you smiled as your patronus circled around you. You're very stunning when you smile, 'Mione." Fred lay back down and continued watching the clouds with the speechless girl beside him.
The silence that followed was not one that was tense, but rather the opposite. Hermione was deeply appreciating the moment she was sharing with Fred. Hermione was aware of the fact that she and Fred didn't have to run their mouths in order for them to have a jolly good time and, although she adored the moments when both parties were talking about everything and anything, she couldn't help but feel a wave of content crash over her as the two were quietly spread out on the blankets.
They were enjoying the comforting silence when Fred broke it by speaking up, "So, flying and falling?"
Hermione turned her head to look at the boy whose head was facing her. "What about flying and falling?" she asked, a bit bewildered as to why the boy had mentioned it so suddenly.
"That's what you're afraid of?" he answered back.
She turned away to look back up at the sky and responded, "Y-yes."
When he didn't say anything else, Hermione decided to speak up. "What are you afraid of?" she voiced.
Fred's eyebrows furrowed as he thought carefully. He began, "Losing George." He shifted uncomfortably and continued, "Up until I was a first year at Hogwarts, I was terrified of the dark." He smiled lightly as if recalling a funny memory, but then his smile quickly vanished when he finished, "Lastly…" he paused to look down at the girl who was currently still gazing up at the sky. "I'm afraid to die." Hermione looked up at Fred upon hearing this and saw his eyes were closed when he added, "There's just so much things I can do with my life. Places to see, people to meet, things to get done, I want to do it all. I'm afraid that all of that can just disappear in a flash."
Fred did not expect to feel a delicate hand on top of his hand. Hermione softly caressed his well-defined hand and allowed her thumb to rub circles onto the back of Fred's hand where veins were visible through his fair skin. She gave his hand a slight squeeze and when he opened his eyes to look at her, she sent him a reassuring smile, which he responded in holding her hand even tighter.
They spent the rest of the day, fingers laced with the other's, talking about their many fears, dreams, and ambitions, holding on to each other as if they were each other's anchor- creating a strong foundation for the other, keeping the other stable, and not allowing them to be whisked away by their heart's heavy burdens.
In the next chapter: Hermione contemplates about her true feelings towards Fred.
