Fred's POV

Fred was hoping that it was Hermione that would turn up at the Burrow, even though he knew it had been three years since she had stepped foot in the Burrow, he had just hoped that tonight she would.
Fred had really missed having Hermione around, and he knew too that deep down everyone else did as well, but he only even confined how he felt about the young witch to his brother George, and he knew that his brother thought that he should act upon those feelings, but the truth was, he didn't want to ruin his friendship with Hermione, or upset his brother Ron.

"Oh really boys, and what makes you think that?" She responded with a slight raise of her eyebrow at the two of them, snapping Fred out of his thoughts.
"You and mum were on edge earlier when no one turned up at 7 o'clock" Fred responded, grinning at her. "You both knew Hermione was coming didn't you?" Fred asked her, looking at her seriously.
"Of course I did, who do you think arranged it?" Ginny replied with a grin.
"I thought mum had done it." George responded to his sister.
"I thought of it, mum planned it, all I ended up having to do was meet Hermione in Diagon Alley today." Ginny told them both with a small shrug of the shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal.
"So that's why we saw Hermione walking towards the café?" Fred questioned Ginny, raising his eyebrow again.
"Exactly, now if you two don't mind, I have to help mum out." Ginny responded before turning her back from them and walking towards their friends and family.

Fred couldn't help but still think that Ginny and his mum were up to something, however, he mostly thought it was just Ginny planning it. But whatever it was, it seemed harmless. Fred was just happy that Hermione had finally came to the Burrow after three years, and that it didn't explode in arguments and that she was happy.
Truth is, since the battle of Hogwarts, Fred had been having nightmares about it all, and just by talking to Hermione, it all went away. And Fred had to thank her for that one day, sure the nightmares were still there, but they were a bit more bearable every time that he spoke to Hermione about them when he saw her. The thing is, Fred thought, even though he spoke to his brother George about these nightmares, Hermione was the only one who really understood them, because she suffered them as well. He loved his twin brother dearly, but George just didn't suffer with them as much as Fred did, and that made it a bit harder.

Fred stood by his brother George, and watched Hermione from across the room talking in a long animated conversation with Sirius and Remus. Fred knew for a fact that Hermione was having the time of her life catching up with those two, because even though Hermione visited Ginny and Harry at Grimmauld Place to see Sirius, Remus spent most of his time away with his son Teddy and Nymphadora Tonks, or was mainly at the Burrow helping out his mother whilst his father was at work at the Ministry of Magic.

"Why don't you just go and talk to her?" George asked his brother as if reading his brothers mind.
"Because she is catching up with everyone, she doesn't need me interrupting that." Fred told his brother, without taking his gaze off of Hermione.
"That's not what I meant." George responded, looking at his brother, who he noticed, wasn't paying attention to him at all.
"Then what did you mean?" Fred asked, finally looking at his brother.
"Oh come on Fred, you like Hermione, isn't it about time you told her how you felt about her?" George asked his twin, whilst nodding his head towards Hermione.

The thing is, Fred really did want to tell Hermione how he felt about her, but Fred knew that the time just wasn't right now. Hermione had only just walked back into the Burrow, back into all their lives properly, he didn't want to be the one that brought that crashing down and only for her to walk away again. Fred knew Hermione needed time to adjust to everything that was going on, and she also needed time to gather her thoughts, Fred wasn't going to be the one to set that off course, and make Hermione go straight back to square one again.

"You know exactly why I can't do that George, I've told you a million times." Fred responded, looking his brother directly in the eye. "Hermione doesn't need me to be the one to interrupt everything she has built for herself since the war, and it has taken her this long to associate herself with everyone again, I do not want to be the one to destroy that." Fred told his brother with a sigh.
"Well then the least you can do is dance with her." George responded nodding in Hermione's direction before going to join his wife Angelina.

Fred frowned for a minute looking at the spot where his brother had stood before turning his head in the direction of Hermione, and noticing that she was sat by herself. Fred looking around the room wondering where everyone was only to notice that they were all on the dancefloor, Harry was slow dancing with Ginny, his mum with his dad, Luna and Ron, Angelina and George. The only ones that weren't dancing were Remus, Sirius, Bill and Fleur but they were in a lengthy conversation of their own towards the back of the room.
That was when Fred decided to walk towards Hermione, maybe dancing with Hermione is what they both needed right now, and it would make things slightly less awkward, he thought.

Hermione's POV

Hermione looked towards the entrance of the gazebo, and noticed that the sun was setting outside and the stars were starting to come out. She turned her head back towards the dancefloor to where most people were apart from Remus, Sirius, Bill and Fleur and well, Fred who now seemed to be walking towards her.
Hermione found herself straightening up her skirt quickly before he came over, she didn't want to look untidy, but she didn't know why. It was just Fred after all, Fred who for the whole time she had been at Hogwarts, had probably seen Hermione at her worst and not as so batted an eyelid or laugh at her.
Fred had finally reached Hermione and sat down beside her, and for a minute or two, both of them just sat in silence watching everyone dancing and lost in their own thoughts. Hermione was thinking about Fred, and how he made her feel comfortable and relaxed just by sitting next to him, sometimes she wondered how he felt about her, but then she would shake the thought away because he probably didn't feel the way about her, the same way that she did about him.
Hermione breathed a sigh before looking at Fred quickly, only to find that he was already looking at her. She locked eyes with him, and searched them for any clue as to what he was thinking, god she loved his eyes. The way he looked at things and just paid attention to her the way no one else has.

"Hermione…would you like to dance?" Fred finally said, breaking the silence between them and not looking away from Hermione at all.
Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat, and slowly looked at the dancefloor, before looking back at Fred Weasley. Had he really just asked her to dance? Or was she imagining things in her head? Looking back at Fred, something told her that she wasn't imagining it at all.

"I would love to." Hermione responded with a small smile at Fred Weasley, and with that, they made their way to the dancefloor.