"Fred? Can I talk to you?" Hermione stepped quietly into the study. She could tell from all the papers spread on the floor that he was researching. The crease in his brow eased as soon as he saw her. She was glad. His face was not made for a frown. He didn't look natural with anything but a smile. Of course, she had seen a serious side to him, during the war. And during Umbridge's year at Hogwarts but it just never seemed right.
"Sure Mione. Anything you want," he stood up and quickly moved a stack of papers off a chair for her to sit down. She didn't look mad at him. That was a good sign. He had assumed she wouldn't even talk to him when she got home. He had planned on sleeping on the couch to give her space, if she even came home at all. But here she was, standing in front of him, looking as if the afternoon had never happened.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she started. "You can have your products here. This is your house too. I was just so mad earlier. I don't even know why it set me off so much," she played with her nails as she spoke. She, in reality, knew the truth. She was mad at the fact that she was having feelings for him, not the fact that a prank went her way.
"I've already talked to George and Angie. Any edibles will be kept in their kitchen. And anything that's not will be kept in this room. You won't have to worry about running into anything unexpected anymore."
"Thanks," she smiled. "I just wanted to tell you that I wasn't mad. I'll let you work," she got up and started to walk out the door.
"Hey Hermione?" he called as she stepped into the doorway. When she turned around he grinned. "You wanna help me?"
"With what?" she eyed him carefully, wondering what he could possibly want her help with.
"I'd like you to test something for me."
"No. No way, Fred," she backed up. "Nothing good can come from me using your products."
"Actually, it's not a joke product. It's for Angie. You see, she wants to start her own line of beauty products and has asked for some help from me and George, since we're so good with charms."
"Why can't you test it on yourself?"
"Because I'm not a girl. You see, it's a powder. You sprinkle it over you and it fixes your hair, does makeup for you and changes your clothes into a dress. It's been a pain to figure out but I think I've finally got it," he picked up a paper and looked it over again.
"Like fairy dust," she said quietly to herself, smiling.
"Fairy dust?"
"It's a muggle thing," she stopped and laughed. "Well, not really. It's a magic thing. But it's from muggle stories. Fairy godmothers make the girls beautiful. Usually with a wand, but that's beside the point," she added. "I'll test it for you. But if I go bald-"
"You will be my favorite bald fiance," he smiled. He grabbed a small satchel. "All you have to do is take a pinch and sprinkle it over your head. It should transform you completely. Or it might just do the hair. You don't know what a pain it's been trying to figure out how to get the effect without actually having it touch the face. And since you're my first test subject, I don't know if it'll actually work."
"Okay. Lets do it then," she sighed as he grabbed a small amount and sprinkled it over her head. She was instantly enveloped in a cloud of silver dust. Fred stepped back, hoping it wasn't going to do anything to make her mad at him again. Once the cloud faded, he could see her clearly. His jaw dropped in amazement. It had actually worked. He hair was elegantly swept up on her head. Her makeup was subtle but flattering. And she stood in a long, form fitting black dress that dropped lower in the front than he had ever seen her wear. "How do I look?" She asked, realizing she was completely transformed.
"Amazing," he smiled. "I can't believe it."
She walked down the hall to the bedroom and stared at the mirror. She barely recognized the girl in front of her. She ran her hand over her face, amazed, then over the dress, blushing when she realized how low it was cut. Her blush grew deeper when she saw Fred appear behind her. "Always trying to make girls show off more than they'd like, huh?" she laughed.
"Not at all, love. The charm is designed to best fit the body. I'd say it fits quite well," he grinned as he put his hands on her shoulders. "You look beautiful."
She looked away, smiling. "So why are you here working on it? Why isn't George working on it with her?"
"Well, she doesn't officially know that this is done. I thought it'd be a nice wedding present to give her a finished recipe she could start with," he smiled.
"That's really sweet, Fred. She'll be so happy," she turned around to face him. She looked into his face, etched with his natural triumphant smile. She was starting to understand why she was developing feelings for him. She could always just tell him, she supposed. They would be married either way. But having to live with him if he rejected her would be awful.
"You okay?" he laughed when he noticed her staring.
"Of course," she smiled, shaking off her thoughts. "Just wondering how long this charm lasts."
"Should be approximately 6 hours. You can always remove the makeup and change your hair back before then. Your clothes will stay under the charm for the full 6. After that, it changes back to whatever you were wearing. But of course, if you have an all day event, sprinkling a little more on should fix it to stay longer. I think," he grinned.
"Well, I should go change. It's getting late. And my boss is awful. I have to work early in the morning," she smiled.
"Good thing he's so handsome then."
"He's alright I suppose. His brother is a little better looking though," she laughed when he narrowed his eyes, still smiling.
"What if the boss gave you tomorrow off so he could take you out tonight and show you off to his friends and family?"
"You want to take me out?"
"Sure. Why not? I always love to have a good looking girl on my arm."
"Who's going to open tomorrow?"
"Verity will do it. She owes me a favor anyway," he shrugged. "I'll go floo her, then head to George and Aneglina's. You wanna invite Ginny, Harry?"
"Sure," she smiled. It had been a long time since she had a night out. She was sure it would be good for all of them. She immediately disapparated and appeared moments later at Ginny and Harry's front door. Ringing the bell, she waited impatiently for them to answer. She hadn't thought about being outside. And she was cold.
"Hermione," was all Harry managed out as he looked at her. "Now might not be such a good-"
"Please? I'm cold," She smiled and walked past him into the living room, where she was thankful to see a fire. "So Fred and I were think-"
"What in bloody hell?" Ron looked at the girl who he had considered the girl of his dreams. He had never seen her look so beautiful. But he had heard Fred's name. He knew she was dressed up for him.
"Hi Ron," she sighed. Now she wished she had listened to what Harry was trying to tell her. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Of course not when you're dressing up for my brother," he rolled his eyes.
"Ron, please. Let's not ruin everyone's night. You know the whomperwhats are attracted to negative energy," Luna said.
"No, I think we should talk this out properly. Without a wedding as a backdrop this time," Ron replied, never taking his eyes off of Hermione.
"You chose that venue, Ronald," Hermione retorted casually.
"Guys are we really going to do this?" Harry sighed. Ginny simply kept her mouth shut. She was hoping Hermione would tell Ron what he needed to hear.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"What am I doing to you? I haven't done any of this," she frowned, getting irritated again.
"If you had been here, we could be together!"
"If I had been here, we still would be where we are now! I still wouldn't be marrying you, Ron, because I don't love you. Not in that way. And there'd be no way that I could do that to you. Or me," she added, softer.
"So you'd rather spend your life with my brother than one of your best friends?"
"Fred and I are going through the same thing. Marrying someone who we had no future plans with. But if I was with you, you'd spend your whole life with me, hoping I'd feel the same about you as you do me. And Ron, as much as I love you as a friend, I'll never be in love with you. We'd both be miserable wishing the other one wouldn't feel the way they did. And who's to say that it wouldn't make us hate each other?"
"I could never hate you!"
"You say that now, Ron. But being with Luna, you have a chance to be happy with someone who can love you. Don't you get it? It's better this way. I know you don't think so right now. But it's true."
"Maybe you're right," he nodded sadly. Maybe he did just need to actually accept it all. Maybe losing Hermione as a friend was much worse than losing the possibility of being with her.
Ginny and Harry looked at him, eyes wide. They couldn't believe this was actually ending without Ron leaving in a huff. Hermione herself looked shocked. Luna simply smiled, as though she believed he would come to this conclusion sooner or later. Hermione was about to respond when Fred appeared in the fireplace. He looked around, seeing Ron. "I was wondering what was taking so long, but I understand now," he looked to Hermione, as if to confirm if everything was alright, and was slightly relieved when she gave him a small smile.
"Fred what are you doing here?" Ginny asked before Ron could say anything. He may be accepting the loss of Hermione as a potential lover, but she was sure he was still not fully accepting of Fred being with her.
"Well, we were going to ask you to come out tonight," he replied slowly. He really didn't want to be saying this in front of his brother.
"Go ahead. I think it's time we left," Ron muttered, grabbing Luna's hand. "I'll see you guys around," he added before they disapparated.
"So then, do you want to go out with us tonight?" Hermione spoke first. "George and Angelina are coming too," she added hopefully.
Ginny looked to Harry, and the two seemed to share a silent conversation. "Sure," she shrugged, smiling. "It'll be nice to go out and have a little fun. We'll go get ready and meet you back at your house."
