Author's Note: I'm so sorry about the wait. Also that this chapter seems a bit more like fluff, even though there's a bit of development. I've been working more hours so it's harder for me to get as much writing done. I promise I'll try to be quicker with the next chapter.
Disclaimer: It's still not mine.
"Hermione! Why won't you just let me help you get ready?" Ginny begged her friend for the fiftieth time that afternoon. She had been trying all day to persuade Hermione into letting her get her ready for her date with Fred that evening. Hermione had been a bit more stubborn than the last time however.
"Because, Ginny," Hermione said, "you don't know where we're going this time, so there's no reason I can't prepare myself." She sighed and tried to go back to her book. Hermione had come upstairs to their room to try to get away from the younger witch, but realized she probably would have been better off going to what she had begun to think of as "her" clearing.
Ginny sat down on her bed opposite Hermione and looked at her for a long moment. She finally rested her chin in her hands, "I don't think that's the real reason." She didn't say it as a question or go any farther. It was a statement. She knew she was right.
Closing her book Hermione looked up at the redheaded girl she considered her sister, she knew she couldn't hide much from her. "You're right," she admitted. Ginny waited patiently, knowing that Hermione would continue in time. She did, "It's just that, well last time, all of that preparation and dolling up wasn't me. I don't want Fred to expect that all the time, and well, honestly, I'm afraid I'll disappoint him when I'm just me. It's better if he decides he doesn't want me now."
In a matter of seconds Ginny had risen from her bed and sat down next to Hermione. She looked at her seriously, "Hermione, listen to me. You're beautiful whether I get you ready or you do it yourself; you are by no means 'plain.' Fred absolutely adores you, we all see it. And besides, he sees you every day; he knows that you aren't going to be all dolled up every day. I don't think he's going anywhere. If he does, he's a tosser."
Hermione smiled gratefully at Ginny, she knew she was right and that she really didn't need to be worrying so much. She sighed, "I suppose I could use some help getting ready." Ginny squealed in delight and hugged her friend.
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Just before six o'clock that evening, Hermione found herself once again in front of the full length mirror in their room. She had chosen a simple black skirt that fell just above her knees and a pale pink tank top. She tucked her light blue cardigan into her beaded bag before returning to examining herself. Hermione had thankfully been able to coerce Ginny into letting her wear a pair of simple black sandals. Though Ginny had insisted on charming Hermione's hair so the curls fell a little more smoothly she had agreed to leave it be otherwise.
Ginny was taking one last look to ensure everything was in place when there was a knock on their door. "Who is it?" she asked.
"George," he answered.
"Oh, alright," Ginny said as she waved her wand, unlocking their door.
He stepped in and closed the door behind him before he turned to see Hermione, "Blimey, Hermione, you look amazing."
Her cheeks flushed pink to match her shirt, "Thank you, George. I just hope your brother thinks so, too." She turned back to the mirror to readjust her shirt and ran her hands down the edges of her skirt.
"He will, no worries. Speaking of my brother, he's downstairs waiting. Thought you might want to know," George told her as he turned to go.
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Fred was leaning against the wall next to the fireplace waiting for Hermione when George came bounding down the stairs.
"You're one lucky bloke, brother-mine," George laughed as he sank onto the couch next to Ron and propped his feet up on the table.
The minutes seemed to drag on forever. Fred felt like every moment apart from Hermione was a moment wasted. He found himself thinking about how he had never felt like this before. She was the first girl he had ever felt like he truly wanted to spend every possible moment with. It was new territory for him but he found it was territory he couldn't wait to explore.
He looked up to the sound of footsteps again and saw his little sister coming down the stairs, followed by Hermione. Fred was caught off guard by the amount of skin Hermione was showing. Though none of it was inappropriate at all, he was not used to seeing it. Normally she wore a fitted t-shirt and a pair of shorts. True, this skirt was longer than many of her shorts but it somehow seemed like she was revealing more now. Ginny motioned again for Hermione to spin, her skirt flowing out slightly and Fred's breath caught in his throat.
Instead of looking for words, Fred closed the distance between them. Sweeping Hermione into his arms he leaned down and kissed her fiercely, trying to convey what he couldn't find the words for. Several seconds later, the room filled with noises of chuckling and clearing of throats.
It took Mrs. Weasley bursting in to break them apart, "Fred Weasley!" she hollered, "Give that girl some air, for goodness sake. You'll suffocate her!"
Fred pulled away from Hermione's lips, but kept her wrapped tight in his arms. She bent her face against his chest, doing her best to hide her flushing cheeks as well as the giggling that was escaping her lips. Fred dipped his head so his mouth was right next to Hermione's ear, "Hold tight." Without another word to his family he apparated away, pulling his blushing girlfriend with him.
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When Hermione opened her eyes again they were in Fred and George's flat.
"What are we doing here, Fred?" she asked.
Fred flicked his wand. All the lights dimmed and dozens of candles appeared around the living and dining areas. "This, my dear, is our date." He motioned for Hermione to have a seat on the couch while he disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later he reappeared holding a bottle of wine. "Would you like some?" he asked, offering her a glass.
"I've never really had wine," she admitted. She took it anyways, taking a small sip. "Oh, this is quite good actually."
"I thought you'd like it," Fred told her. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes."
"Dinner? Did you order in or something?"
"I cooked," he said simply.
Hermione smiled, "I didn't know you could cook!"
"There are plenty of things you don't know about me yet," Fred teased her.
"Like what?" Hermione was willing to joke along, thinking he might tell her something important.
Fred sat down beside her on the couch and put his arm behind her shoulders, "Like the fact that I am finding you incredibly hard to resist in that ensemble."
The pink returned to her cheeks instantly. Hermione tried to flatten the edge of her skirt again and took another sip of wine. Fred pushed at the edge of her skirt where she had just flattened it. They played that game for a minute before Hermione finally looked up at him. She found a large grin pasted on his face and she couldn't help but laugh.
A timer went off somewhere in the kitchen. "Oh, better get that," Fred said as he got up from the couch.
Hermione sat alone on the couch sipping her wine. She contemplated their situation and how easily she relaxed with Fred. It was as if things were nearly perfect. She couldn't help thinking that this was how her life would have gone despite the Ministry's interference. The only thing Hermione found she was still wishing she could change was that her parents' wouldn't know any of this. They didn't even know her anymore. She took another sip of wine, banishing the unhappy thoughts from her mind.
Just then Fred poked his head out of the kitchen, "Dinner's ready."
Hermione rose from her seat on the couch and made her way over to the dining room table just as Friend was carrying two plates from the kitchen.
He noticed her wine glass was nearly empty. "More wine, lovely?" She nodded and he poured her another glass. Fred wondered whether she was simply enjoying the wine or if nerves had her on edge. He pushed her chair in for her before taking his own seat.
"This smells delicious, Fred."
"Thank you. It's just roast lamb over rice with gravy and some potatoes. Nothing fancy," he shrugged.
After her first bite Hermione looked up in awe, "This is wonderful! Did your mum teach you to cook?"
"No, she could never stand me in the kitchen. Said I made too much of a mess," he laughed lightly. "Taught myself mostly; George is a terrible cook and I was tired of eating take away every night."
"Your mum would probably think I was a nightmare in the kitchen then."
"Why's that?" Fred asked between bites.
"I still cook the muggle way. I never got the hang of using all the charms and spells, besides the fact that I only ever cooked at home with my parents. It can get quite messy though." Hermione laughed at the memory, but Fred could see the sadness that flashed across her eyes at the mention of her parents.
He tried to lighten the mood, while he didn't know what he could do about her parents yet he did know he could make her happy right now. "I'll make you a deal," he smiled when he saw the interest in Hermione's eyes, "I'll teach you to cook the magical way if you'll teach me to cook the muggle way."
"Deal," she agreed.
They spent the rest of the meal in silence, both enjoying the meal and each other's company. When they were finished Fred cleared the table and ushered Hermione back to the couch.
"If you think you're getting a repeat of the other day, Fred Weasley!" Hermione shook her finger at him accusingly.
"You mean to say you wouldn't enjoy that?" he joked. "Would you like more wine?"
"Perhaps one more glass, much more and I won't be able to go home tonight without your mother scolding me," she said as she held her glass out to him.
He filled their glasses and sat beside her, "So stay here tonight." He said it so easily it surprised even himself. "I'll sleep on the couch, you can have my bed," he clarified before she thought anything bad of him. Fred couldn't help himself though, "Unless of course you'd like to share the bed." He waggled his eyebrows towards her, taking a sip from his own glass.
Hermione laughed at him. She made to shove at his arm but he caught her hand before she could. He set his own wine glass down before taking hers from her and setting it beside his. "Fred, what are you-"
"Shh," he interrupted her, bringing his lips to hers. He kissed her gently, not wanting to get carried away yet. "I've got to tell you something," he said as he pulled away from their kiss. He saw the look of fear flicker across Hermione's features. "No, no, nothing bad," he promised. "Hermione, I've never felt this way about any girl. And, if you don't feel the same, it's okay. I understand that you didn't have a lot of options and maybe I was just the best of them, but whatever the case was, I feel so lucky that you chose me."
Fred pulled a long box from the side of the couch where he'd been hiding it and handed it to Hermione. She took it carefully, untying the pink ribbon from it. When she pulled the lid from the box a small gasp escaped from her lips. "Fred, it's… it's gorgeous." She looked up at him. He was smiling at her, clearly pleased with himself. "Thank you," she said as she leaned forward and kissed him.
He took the box from her and carefully lifted the necklace from it, moving it to around Hermione's neck. The latter turned her back to him and pulled her hair to the side so he could easily clasp the chain. Once he had done so he laid his hands softly on her shoulders and left a trail of gentle kisses from the base of her neck up to her ear. Hermione could feel his breath against her ear and shivered at the intense feeling.
"Mione," he whispered softly, "I love you."
She turned her face to him and could see nothing but the blaze of honesty in his eyes.
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Several hours later Hermione was creeping through the Burrow, crossing her fingers that no one was a wake. Fred had offered to apparate her right into her bedroom but Hermione was afraid that besides just waking Ginny, it would probably stir the rest of the house as well. She was nearly to her door when she saw a shadow move on the stairs just off her landing. Immediately Hermione stood still, and out of instinct reached for her wand.
"Late night?" Ron chuckled as he moved out of the shadows.
Hermione slumped against the wall, "Ronald, don't scare me like that." She tried to scold him but found she was far too tired to do so with much force.
"Well, just so you're not screaming in a minute, George is in your bed. Good night," Ron waved lazily as he continued past Hermione, headed for the bathroom.
She rolled her eyes and pushed her door open quietly. Sure enough, there was a Weasley tucked under her blankets. Hermione laughed lightly to herself and knelt down next to her bed. "George, George, wake up." She shook his arm, hoping he wouldn't wake Ginny when he came to. "George!" she said a bit louder. Hermione sighed, considering her options. She decided that first she would change into her night clothes, that way if anyone did happen to wake she wouldn't look suspicious. Keeping in mind that George was still in the room and could wake at any moment, Hermione slid her pajama shorts on under her skirt before sliding that off. Rather than fighting with her tank top she simply slipped a larger shirt over top of it. As she walked back towards her bed she caught a glimpse of herself in her mirror and realized with a bit of horror what Ron must of thought when he saw her hair all mussed. On the inside, Hermione was dying to flatten her hair a bit but knew it was a tad more realistic if she had been sleeping.
Kneeling beside her bed again, Hermione tried shaking George's shoulder once more. "George, c'mon, please wake up," she begged him in a harsh whisper. He merely grumbled a bit and rolled over. She sat back on her heels, trying to think of what to do. She considered just crawling into bed with George, but that wouldn't look good in the morning. She also considered just sleeping on one of the couches downstairs or even going up to the boys' room. For a split second she considered just going back to the flat and taking Fred up on his offer to stay there. But again, when everyone woke in the morning and George was the one in Hermione's bed, they would all know she was out late or even better, not come home at all. No, she would have to get George out of her bed. Realizing that her ankles were beginning to hurt, she sat down on the side of her bed. That was when it came to her, though she wasn't sure it was possible. It was worth a shot though.
Hermione cast a silencing charm on their room and pulled her blanket off George's slumbering body. Hoping it wouldn't wake Ginny, Hermione wrapped her small hand around George's wrist and they were pulled into thin air.
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Fred heard the telltale crack of apparition and assumed it was George finally arriving home. It wasn't until he heard two voices arguing that he rose from bed and started towards the living room.
"Oi, what'd you do that for?" George was complaining as he rubbed his elbow. Fred couldn't help but laugh at his brother who was sat in a pile next to the coffee table.
"I didn't land you there on purpose!" Hermione was defending herself, but stopped when she realized Fred had joined them.
He took a long look at her, "Couldn't stay away, love?"
She shook her head, "Your brother was asleep in my bed and wouldn't wake up," she explained.
"Why couldn't you just leave me there, then?" George wined.
"And what was I to do?"
"Dunno. I reckoned when you hadn't come back by one you were probably staying here," he told her as he struggled to get to his feet.
"Wait, wait," Fred interrupted them, "did you apparate him here?"
"Yes, and since he was lying down I miscalculated the landing and he hit the coffee table slightly."
"I thought you didn't want to apparate in case you woke everyone?"
"Well, Ron saw me sneaking in so he knows and I'm sure at least Harry will know. But I put a silencing charm on the room before I left; at most I woke Ginny."
"While you two have a lovely chat about this, I'm going back to bed," George said.
"Your bed!" Hermione said sternly.
"Sure, sure," George chuckled as he headed towards his bedroom.
Fred pulled Hermione into his arms, "Now that you're back, are you sure you don't want to stay here tonight?"
Hermione sighed, "I'm sure. Ginny will probably be confused why she was woken up but I'm not there."
It was Fred's turn to sigh this time, "Alright, goodnight again, love." He kissed her forehead and she turned, disappearing on the spot.
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"OH, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!" Hermione yelled when she apparated into her room and found that both Ron and Harry were sat on her bed.
"Good thing we didn't take that silencing charm off, eh?" Ron said.
Hermione put her hands on her hips, "What are you doing on my bed? I just got George out of it!"
Ginny tried to suppress a giggle and Hermione turned on her, "What are you laughing about? Why did you get them?" she asked, pointing towards the laughing boys on her bed.
"I heard a crack and woke up and you weren't there," Ginny managed to get out between giggles.
"Yeah, what if you'd been kidnapped or something?" Ron said.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, "So you assumed I may have been kidnapped from my own room and you thought the right choice of action was to sit on my bed and wait for me?"
"Hermione," Harry started, "no offense, but shouldn't we be the ones lecturing you? After all, you're the one trying to sneak home at three in the morning."
"That is completely irrelevant. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to go to bed. Something the two of you should be doing right now also. Go," she told them sharply, pointing towards her door.
"Blimey, looks like Fred hasn't loosened her up near enough yet," Ron chuckled as they left the room.
"I heard that Ronald," Hermione said flatly.
When she was sure they had returned to their room she closed her own door and flopped down onto her bed with a sigh.
"So, busy night?" Ginny teased her.
"Oh, shut up," Hermione said, throwing a pillow towards Ginny's head.
"But really, how was it?" she asked seriously this time.
Hermione sat up and thought about how much she wanted to tell Ginny. On one hand she was as good as her sister, on the other, she was actually Fred's little sister. She put her finger under the color of her shirt and pulled out her necklace.
Ginny gasped, "Hermione, that's beautiful! Fred gave you that?"
She nodded, "Yes, and well… Ginny, he told me he loves me." Hermione's cheeks flushed just thinking of the intimate moment.
"What did you say?" the younger witch exclaimed.
"I said I loved him too," she smiled.
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