Hey guys sorry about the wait on these last 2 chapters and please leave reviews I'd love to know what you think. Struggled with this chapter a little but i hope you like it!
Hermione could barely hold back her tears as she rushed from the room. She couldn't believe it. At all. Ron was gay. He was gay. The truth sliced through her like a knife, they could never ever be together. Never. He was all Harry's. And Harry, her best friend had betrayed her! How could he? How could any of this have ever ha-
"Hermione?"
It was Fred, she recognised his voice. He was just coming out of his bedroom door and was standing inches behind her. Hermione contained herself with immense self-control, dried her eyes and turned to face him.
"Yes Fred?" she felt her voice wobble and closed her eyes in spite of herself to prevent more tears coming.
Suddenly she felt long warm arms bring her into a hug.
"What's the matter 'Mione?" he felt her tears dampening his shirt and held her tighter.
"Oh I'm b-being s-so stupid. I'm s-sorry, Fred." she swallowed.
"Don't worry about it, this is George's shirt anyway." he felt her body shudder against him as she chuckled softly and closed his eyes feeling every touch, every move she made. "Now what's upset you, Granger?"
"I d-don't know if I should tell you. I think it's a, a secret."
"I'll keep any secret you tell me, Granger. You can trust me." he breathed into her hair. She pulled away slightly and raised her wet face to look up at his. She looked slightly startled and yet completely calm at the same time.
"Okay." Sounding resolute she broke away from him completely and started ranting, pacing as she did so. "Basically I've been well, I am" she clenched her fists into balls " in love with Ron but now I've just found out that" Fred shot his eyes down to the floor as he felt a wave of disbelief crash over him. Ron? Ron! She's in love with Ron?! Of course he knew that she wasn't in love with him, why would she be? But Ron? He'd noticed that she'd been down recently but not because of this- "Fred? Are you even listening to me?" Hermione was standing stock still facing him, almost four feet away and fuming. It reminded him startlingly of his mother in a temper and he had half a mind to back away. "Well?" she said, shrilly.
"Yes! Yes I was, sorry um" he cleared his throat "you were saying about" he tried to master himself by keeping his eyes firmly on the ground "about being in love with Ron." He glanced up at her quickly, saw her brows furrowing and glanced back down again too terrified that she'd see right through him if they kept eye contact for more than a second.
"Well yes" she said finally after a long pause " and about Ron being in love with Harry instead?"
"You what?!" his head shot up immediately, staring at her as if she'd just said that she was a death eater.
"Fred ssh! You're the only one who knows, apart from me. Keep it down!"
"Ron's gay?" he whispered dramatically at her. Hermione nodded. "With Harry?" She nodded again, looking the glummest he had ever seen her. Every fibre of his being wanted to make her smile but he knew he had to be careful around Hermione being the brain box she is. "Well I er, didn't see that coming."
"Neither did I." They stood there is stunned silence for a while, both sets of eyes fixed on the ground. "Fred?"
"Yes?" he betrayed himself and looked up at her. Her eyes were boring into his.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?"
"Not if you don't want me to, Hermione" He was staring right back at her and noticed that the use of her first name had changed her facial expression somehow.
"Thank you" she smiled, running over and throwing her arms around him as she did so. Hermione looked up into Fred's speckled face her smile faltering as she did so. "Fred? Wh-"
Hermione was silenced by Fred's lips. They were soft, warm and longing. And Fred's! She pushed him away instantly, staring at him.
Fred's face filled with colour, ashamed of himself he stepped back and avoiding looking at her. You stupid git he thought to himself. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What were you thinking she loves Ron. Not you. Ron. Idiot!
Hermione still hadn't said anything. He forced himself to look at her, she was still staring avidly at him as if she was only just seeing him properly. He opened his mouth to apologise when-
"Oh." It was Ron. Harry was right behind him his eyes flittering between the three of them and nowhere near as wide at Ron's.
"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly sounding rather shrill again " What are you doing here?"
"We were going to bed. Question is-"
"Oh! I bet you were going to bed. The pair of you. Trying to get a little lovey dovey before Ginny comes up!" she spat at them, Harry had never seen her look madder.
"Yeah!" Ron snarled at her "What's your problem, eh? Harry said you were fine with him being gay, why not m-"
"Because it's different with you!"
"Why?!"
Because! Because I-I-"
"Go on!"
"Ron." Harry said warningly, squeezing his arm lightly.
"I-" But Hermione couldn't say it. She couldn't. A different face kept swimming before her eyes now. Ginger and freckled, yes but with a shorter nose and brown eyes. Fred. "I don't know" she said quietly.
"Oh really? Seemed certain of it a minute ago. How could the brilliant Hermione Granger not know something? Heaven forbid(!)" he finished, sarcasm mixing in with his spite.
"Give it a rest, Ron!" Fred had whirled round to face his younger brother.
"No I bloody won't! I want to know what her problem is."
"Her problem?" snapped Hermione.
"Probably the fact that you won't shut up." Fred sneered at him.
"What's happening between you two then?" Ron was squaring up to his big brother.
Fred's face went a shade of scarlet that Harry had only ever seen once before on Ron. Harry looked over at Hermione, she was staring at Fred wearing an expression he couldn't read.
"Fred and I just had a bit of a mishap, didn't we Fred? As much of my fault as his. Nothing to see." Hermione's eyes only glazed over Fred's and fixed on Ron's.
"Right, yeah. Mishap." said Fred. Neither Ron nor Harry seemed to accept this as an explanation judging by the cynical expressions on their faces. However, they strode past Fred and Hermione and up the stairs to the attic bedroom in whispers leaving them alone again.
"Reckon they bought that?"
"No" Hermione sighed. She looked up at Fred smirking and found herself laughing, laughing like she hadn't done in weeks. Fred laughed too and they kept on laughing until they grew hoarse.
Hermione was wiping a tear from her eye, leaning against the wall as she caught her breath. "Seriously though, Fred. What was that kiss?" She looked over at him, still panting.
"I'm sorry. I saw an opportunity and I took it. I shouldn't have."
"What do you mean?"
"You already know the answer to that one, Granger. I'm mad for you. You see right through me, I always wondered why you ignored it but now well, now I know why" he sighed and slid down the opposite wall to the ground, not once taking his eyes off her as he did so.
"I thought I was being ridiculous."
"Not in that sense, no. Anyway what's wrong with being ridiculous? Ridiculous is fun. Don't you think?"
"No." she laughed slightly.
"Well maybe I could change your mind, if you forgive me."
"Forgive you?"
"For kissing you?"
" Oh that! I didn't mi-" Hermione gasped and stared over at Fred watching his eyebrows rise and his eyes widen. "I mean I er-" she felt heat rising in her cheeks. 'Oh god oh god, she thought 'shut up for heaven's sake'. Fred seemed to have crossed the room very fast.
"I thought you liked Ron?"
"Me too" she reached up and kissed him. She started to pull away when his hands found her back and pulled her closer. What was she doing? Wasn't she in love with Ron? No said a small voice from the back of her mind. It seemed to grow larger with every single one of Fred's touches on her back, her neck, in her hair, up her inner thigh…
"Fred!" she gasped. She thought she heard an irritated grunt and smiled to herself "What are we doing?"
"Well I was about to get you off Granger, but you had other plans."
"Oh shut up! You know what I mean. We can't do this."
"Why not?" he asked blankly.
"W-well erm, I uh I don't know" she said slowly. She didn't love Fred, no. Or like him nearly as much as she had liked Ron. But Fred was fun, happy, kind, very attractive and well she thought frankly, straight. And he was 'mad for her'. Hermione smiled slightly and looked up at Fred's cheeky face. "Okay, maybe." Taking his hand, she followed him into his room.
