Chapter Four

Hermione snuck out of the house that evening, while the sun outside was setting, casting a warm glow over the countryside. She carried a book with her into the garden, where she settled down by some rose bushes. Crickets chirped as she flipped slowly through the pages, reading over counterspells to other love enchantments and antidotes to love potions. The light was almost gone when she heard footfalls behind her. She turned around to see Fred walking towards her. She laid her book open on her lap as he lowered himself to sit down beside her.

"Listen, Hermione," he began. "About earlier today, I shouldn't have said anything like that."

"You just told the truth. I can't hold that against you. It's okay."

"But it's not okay. I was too harsh on you."

Hermione looked up into his face, a soft smile on her lips. "Thank you, Fred." Fred looked down on Hermione. The last rays of sun shone on her face. Her lips looked soft and pink and her brown curls fell around her face, framing her pale face. He began to smile, and Hermione gave him a questioning look. "What's wrong?"

Fred shook his head. "Nothing's wrong." He looked down at the book that was sitting in her lap and saw a few of the subjects on one page. "What are you doing?"

Hermione turned her attention to the book. "I'm trying to see if there's anything from other love spells and potions that would help our situation." Fred opened his mouth to once again tell her there was no counterspell when she said, "I know, I know. There isn't something for our condition. But I thought maybe something else could lessen its affects, or maybe slow it down even more."

"Why, you don't want to be next to meeeeeee?" Fred asked playfully, snuggling up next to her. Hermione laughed and playfully shoved him aside. "Oh my!" Fred exclaimed. "Did you just attempt to joke back?"

Hermione shoved him once more, a bit more forcefully this time, and grinned. "I'm not as pathetic as you may think."

"But my lady, I never said you were pathetic," Fred said, leaning closer to her. "Just that you could use a bit fun in your life."

Hermione breathed in; she could smell him, he was so close to her. "Who says I don't have fun in my life?"

Fred's lips moved closer to her ear. "You haven't experienced fun until you've spent a day with me."

A shiver ran up Hermione's spine as his breath tickled her ear. She took another sharp intake of air and held it. She turned her face slightly towards his. "And why is that?" she asked softly.

"Because I know how to really have fun," he answered. He reached up and rolled one of her curls between his thumb and index finger. She finally met his eyes. Her heart was beating wildly inside of her chest as he leaned closer to her.

"FRED! HERMIONE!" Ginny's voice cut through the air. "Are you two out here? Mum wants everyone inside!"

Hermione jumped up quickly, grabbing her book. Fred looked up at her, seeing the tinge of blush on her cheeks. Hermione look at him for a few seconds, wondering what she should say. When she found nothing, she just turned and hurried inside.

The rest of the evening was going by without much out of the ordinary. Fred and Ron were playing a game of Exploding Snap, George was making his own commentary to the game, and Harry was laughing along. Hermione and Ginny sat in the corner away from the group, closer to the fireplace, half paying attention, half carrying on their own conversation.

"What were you doing outside?" Ginny asked. "I hadn't seen you for an hour before you came in."

"I was just doing some reading," Hermione said.

"Figures," Ginny said. Out of anyone else, this would have offended Hermione, would have made her feel judged, made her feel easy to read, but from Ginny, she knew it wasn't mean-hearted. "Mum sent Fred out to look for you but of course he can't carry through anything."

"Right," Hermione said. "Ginny, listen. I was wondering…have you ever seen Fred with a girl before? Like, how he acts?"

Ginny snorted. "More like when have I NOT? He's a bit of a player, that one. Always whispering into girl's ears, always making them giddy and giggly. Makes them act like right idiots, he does." She looked over at Hermione, her eyebrow raised. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Hermione answered quickly, but her cheeks were red. Ginny kept looking at her like she knew that there was more than Hermione was letting on. "Seriously, Ginny, it's nothing!" Hermione averted her eyes, but found that they fell on Fred. She quickly look back to Ginny, whose face was full of revelation.

"Hermione! Really?" Ginny grinned. "Oh, don't even tell me that you've fallen for the goon!"

"No! Certainly not! Just, something happened. And let's just say, it's going to be hard to avoid him from now on."

Ginny nodded. "So this is what you weren't telling me earlier today?"

Hermione sighed. "You're too perceptive for your own good."

"It's more a curse than a gift, really," Ginny answered, and both of the girls smiled at one another. Their conversation lulled and they both turned their attention to the boys. Hermione was watching Fred. I'm determined to keep my distance from you. You're not going to do that to me again, like you do to other girls. Besides, my reaction…was because of this spell. Not because of you, because of this spell. That's right. She nodded to herself, choosing to believe this rather than admit that it may have been a mixture of both. I've got my eye on you; you're not going to catch me off guard again.