Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.

A/N: A great, big "THANK YOU" to everyone who's reading this story and have enjoyed it so far. I'm so glad that you all are having fun reading it just as I'm having fun writing it! And to all the people who know me in real life and are keeping up with the story, I love you so much :D

That being said, enjoy chapter seven! C:


Fred was well-aware of the fact that he was not going to get a wink of sleep that night with the heavy burden of the day's events weighing down on him, so he decided to take a walk while George was in a complete state of slumber in his room. He walked across the dark room of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes as he thought to himself, "I wonder what Hermione is doing right now…" before briskly leaving the shop. He watched the stars flickering in the sky when he knew he had to see the girl he pushed away earlier that morning.

He apparated just outside of her flat when he heard a muffled sound coming from the other side of the entrance. He pressed his ear lightly against the door and he could have sworn on the great Merlin's favorite pair of pants that he heard sobbing coming from the other side of the door, followed by a male voice which said, "Hermione, for the seventh time, it's not your fault you kissed him." Fred had tensed upon hearing a boy's voice, but was able to figure out it was Harry and immediately calmed down. He heard Harry add, "It's not like they're twins or anything…" sarcastically and he heard Hermione sniffle before letting out a little laugh.

Fred was determining whether to just go back to his and George's flat or stay when, all of a sudden, the door to Hermione's flat opened unexpectedly and Fred was facing his younger brother, Ron, who had a shocked expression which slowly twisted until he did not have any emotion except for anger left upon his face.

Fred looked behind Ron to see Hermione with her knees pulled up against her chest as she sat on the couch next to Harry who was rubbing comforting circles around her back. Ron was glaring daggers into his older brother when he muttered, "I need to talk to you," and didn't care to wait for Fred's reply as he ushered him outside and closed the door.

"Ronnie-" Fred began in a low voice, but Ron swiftly cut him off. "Don't call me that," he barked with his jaws clenched and he continued. "Hermione and I have been over since a little over a year and a half ago on mutual terms, but that doesn't mean I still don't care about her." He looked seconds away from throttling Fred when he roared, "I wasn't even aware of the fact that you had any interest in Hermione until she came apparating into Harry and my flat, tears welling up in her eyes from bloody guilt!"

Fred's eyes narrowed at his aggravated younger brother as he solemnly said, "Listen-," but Ron had intervened to counter back. "No. You listen here, Fred. I don't mind if you are sincere about your feelings for Hermione. Whatever makes her happy, right?" Fred noticed Ron's hands ball up into fists as he quickly finished, "But if you make her cry again, see to it that I'll be the one who makes her happy."

Before Fred had the chance to retaliate, Ron had muttered something about having to go back to the Burrow under his breath before apparating, leaving Fred alone to dwell on his little brother's outbursts. He wasn't sure if he felt more hurt or angry as he contemplated everything that he had let sink in. He slowly approached Hermione's front door and knocked before he heard her soft voice say, "Come in."

He entered the room and the corners of his mouth pulled down into a frown at the sight of her eyes which still had evident traces of the tears she had been shedding upon them. He looked around and noticed that Harry was gone. "He floo'd back to his and Ron's flat," she explained before standing up to walk to the kitchen. "Do you want some tea?" she asked, trying to mask her obvious emotions of hurt and regret from the tall, blue-eyed boy.

Fred strode over to where she stood and pulled her into his arms as he lightly allowed his fingers to comb through her wild, brown hair. He felt her stiffen in his arms and she wrapped her arms gingerly around the boy's waist. Fred's grip only tightened when he heard two words escape from the distressed girl who was now letting her emotions get the better of her. "I'm sorry."

He swiftly planted a kiss upon the top of her head and left his mouth there to whisper, "You have nothing to apologize for, love." He murmured more consoling words as he buried his face in her hair and was breathing in the scent of lavender and vanilla when, suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he voiced it. "I know everything was a mistake, 'Mione, but I can't help but wonder why the mistake should have happened in the first place…" He waited for a moment to think about how to word his question and finally spoke out, "Why did you waltz into the shop expecting to kiss me?"

Hermione felt her stomach drop and, for once, she did not know the answer to a question as she was left completely and utterly speechless. She knew she could not tell Fred about her dream and her thoughts of supposedly being allegedly in love with him since she was still immersed in uncertainty as to whether her feelings were true or not.

She mumbled something into Fred's shirt, to which Fred responded by holding her at arm's distance and sending her an encouraging smile. "What was that you just said?"

"I was feeling spontaneous," Hermione half-lied to the Weasley twin. It was a fib in the sense that she was hiding the bit about her dream and her feelings for him, but it was also the truth since she was definitely feeling spontaneity course through her veins in the moment she had accidently kissed George, thinking he was Fred.

Fred raised one eyebrow questioningly, and delightfully chuckled. "Still feeling spontaneous, Hermy?" he inquired. Hermione's heart nearly leaped out of her chest cavities until she heard the wretched nickname to which she reacted by lifting her arm and smacking the boy on his arm repeatedly.

"You sure know how to ruin a moment, Fred!" she exclaimed as a corner of one side of her mouth pulled up into a crooked smile.

He grinned and leaned down to come face to face with the girl and whisper, "I got you to smile, didn't I? This is the first smile I've seen from you in the past 24 hours. I hardly think I 'ruined the moment'. As a matter of fact, I reckon that I just saved day three, 'Mione."

Hermione's mind dwelled on Fred's words- particularly "day three"- when she unexpectedly felt the boy's lips press softly and delicately upon her cheek which was now flushed with scarlet.

Fred's mouth curled into a smile when he felt her cheeks immediately heat up underneath his lips and he slowly backed away to see Hermione with her mouth gaping, clearly shocked at the Weasley twin's sudden action. He looked up to read the time on Hermione's wall clock as he glumly informed her, "It's 10:53, 'Mione…Perhaps I should be on my way." His marvelous hands dropped to his side, and he turned before he felt two small, tender hands clasp onto his arm. He gazed down at her and his eyes softened immensely when he heard her breathe out, "Please stay."

Fred smiled in understanding and nodded as he turned to face her yet again. "I'll sleep on the couch, then," he told her and Hermione's features automatically fell as she realized that she was possibly taking away the boy's good night's rest by keeping him here. She glanced from the couch to her bed room and finally offered, "You can sleep in my room, if you want."

Fred shook his head and replied bitterly, "Only a prat would take up that offer and be able to sleep well at night knowing he was letting the lady sleep on her own couch in her own flat."

Hermione shifted and cleared her throat before she answered, "No, I mean…my bed is rather big for someone as small as me." When Fred realized what she was implying, Hermione watched a bright red spread from his cheeks to his ears.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Fred. I didn't mean for you to take it that way," she uttered as a light blush was creeping up her cheeks and she looked away.

Fred chortled before lightheartedly joking, "I hadn't even thought of it that way, 'Mione, but now that you mention it…" The bright witch's eyes quickly shot daggers into his gaze before he could finish his sentence, and she pronounced every word solemnly as she voiced, "Don't you dare."

Fred raised both hands in the air, as if he was surrendering. "It was only a joke," he informed her, laughing at how tense she was.

He walked over nimbly to the bed and sat down, looking over at the girl who was currently having a war inwardly with herself. "Oi, are you sure you don't want me to sleep on the couch? I don't mind at all, really." Hermione looked nervously up at the boy as she sat down on the other side of her bed and replied with a smile, "It's alright, Fred."

She lifted the covers, adjusted herself until she was in a comfortable position, and peeked over her covers to watch Fred reluctantly lay down on top of her bed sheets. He saw her head tilt slightly from underneath her blanket and he explained, "You're letting me sleep in your bed. The very least I could do is respect your privacy as you're sleeping."

She nodded gratefully and muttered, "Good night, Fred," as she closed her eyes. Her face was half-covered by her blanket, but Fred could sense a smile behind her words. "Good night, 'Mione," he replied in a gentle voice.

He took in the image of her still form lit up elegantly beneath the moonlight peering in through her window as he closed his eyes and thought, "Maybe I'm actually going to sleep well tonight, after all…" with a pleasant smile on his face as he allowed himself to slowly plunge himself deep into sleep.


In the next chapter: Tension appears between Fred and yet another one of his brothers. What happens when Fred and Hermione sleep next to each other?