Author's Note- Sorry about the wait, I've been working extra hours and trying to get to the gym and dealing with personal stuff so keeping up with the chapters is a bit difficult. No worries though, I'm still writing and still have plenty of ideas for where I'm going. I hope you enjoy this chapter ! (:
Disclaimer- It still isn't mine, much to my dismay.
George woke to whistling and a good amount of commotion coming from the kitchen. He groggily stumbled out to see what it was about.
"Freddie, what in the name of Merlin's pants are you doing?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and running a hand through his messy hair.
"I'm making you breakfast, Georgie!" Fred told him, continuing to clank pots and pans around.
Sinking down onto one of the dining room chairs nearest the kitchen, George watched as his brother whipped up a breakfast big enough to feed the entire Weasley family. "What's the occasion, brother?"
Fred set a heaping plate in front of George and then sat down across from him with his own. "Just a good mood is all."
"I take it last night went well then," he said, digging into his eggs.
"Brilliant, better than I could have imagined."
"So she liked the necklace?"
"Loved it."
"But Fred, it was just a necklace, why are you in such a chipper mood over it? Did it earn you a shag or something?"
Fred set his fork down and looked at his brother seriously, "George, I'm in love with her. I hadn't expected it to happen so soon. But we had such a good night, and then I saw her face when she opened the box, and I put the necklace on her, I just knew, ya know? And well, I told her, right then."
"You're joking? What did she say?"
"She loves me, too." Fred couldn't hide his happiness, it was written all over his face. George just shook his head and chuckled. They both finished their extravagant breakfast and went downstairs to open the shop for the day.
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"Should we wake her, do you think?" Ron asked Harry at the doorway of the girls' room. It was almost noon and Hermione was still sound asleep.
"Reckon we probably should," the latter shrugged. He walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Hermione, Hermione, wake up," he said, shaking her leg a bit.
Hermione stretched one arm up from under the covers and rubbed at her eyes. "Oh, what time is it?" she asked, stretching out fully this time and sitting up.
"'Bout noon," Ron told her as he sat down across from them on Ginny's bed.
"Goodness, why'd you let me sleep so long?"
Harry laughed, "You didn't get to bed until nearly four. We figured you needed some sleep, especially considering what you may have been up to before you got to bed."
"Harry Potter!" she scolded, "What are you implying?"
"Er, nothing," he said quickly.
Ron tried to cover Harry's tracks for him, "Sorry 'Mione, it's just that we're not used to you coming home so late, or having a reason to other than us. I mean, that sounded bad. Shut up, Harry!" he said as Harry began laughing at Ron's bad phrasing.
"I think what he means to say," Harry tried again, "is that we aren't used to you dating. We don't really know how to talk about certain subjects, or whether we even should."
Hermione smiled at them, "Boys, you're my best friends. I'm willing to tell you anything you'd like to know, but I'm assuming you won't want to know all of it. For your information though, Fred and I did not sleep together last night." Both boys sighed a sound of relief. "He did tell me he loved me though."
"It's about bloody time," Ron said.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"We've all seen it, right from the beginning. Besides, he's gonna ask you to marry him, he oughta at least love you first, right?" the words spilled from Ron's mouth like it was simplest thing in the world.
"Ron, there's a lot of people getting married now that don't love each other. The Ministry didn't give people much choice," said Harry.
"Yeah, but I still think you should give it a shot, ya know? Really try to learn to love whoever you're paired with, or choose to be with in your case Mione, 'cause then you're gonna be the happiest, ya know? Not everyone gets as lucky as you and Ginny, Harry."
Something clicked in Hermione's brain though and she couldn't help the next words that tumbled out, "Wait, Ron, have started to love Luna?"
His cheeks turned a brilliant crimson as he rubbed at the back of his neck, "Er, well…"
"Ron?"
"Mate?"
"Well, well, yeah, I 'spose I have a bit."
"That's wonderful!" Hermione couldn't hide her excitement. She was so glad that Ron was actually happy and moving on from her.
Harry knew exactly what Hermione was thinking because he was thinking the same thing, "That really is brilliant, mate."
The trio spent a good portion of the afternoon in Hermione and Ginny's room talking. It was the first time in a long while that they finally felt like things were how they were supposed to be. There were no dark forces at work; they weren't planning to break in somewhere or save the world or brewing polyjuice potion. They were simply three teenagers, best friends, talking about significant others and jobs and goofing around. It was a good afternoon.
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All day at the shop Fred had been in an unusually cheerful mood. He had been whistling, suggesting pranks to customers, and even occasionally singing to himself. Though it had driven George slightly loony, he was happy for his brother. George knew that Fred had never been this serious about a girl and he was glad it was Hermione that had finally gotten to him.
As Fred and George were closing the shop and setting up the wards that evening, an idea occurred to Fred. "I've just realized!" he exclaimed.
"Realized what?" George's features were puzzled.
"We haven't pulled a proper prank since I woke up," the first explained.
The second thought for a moment, "Hmm, you're right brother. I think it's past time we do something about that."
"Yes, yes. But who gets the honor and what prank will it be?" Fred mused.
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"Are the boys coming for dinner tonight?" Arthur asked Molly when he arrived home from the ministry.
Molly wiped her hands on her apron, "Oh, it wouldn't surprise me dear. I don't think Fred likes to be away from Hermione much."
"No, doesn't seem so," her husband agreed.
"It is so nice that things are working out, I was so worried…" she let her voice fade.
Arthur walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, "I know sweetheart. They really did a number on the wizarding community this time. But things are indeed working out. No need to worry anymore," he assured her as he placed a kiss on her forehead. She sighed and leaned into him, knowing he was right.
Sure enough, two loud cracks sounded on either side of the couple just moments later.
"Oh, goodness!" their mother exclaimed. "Do you really have to apparate in every time?"
The twins looked at each other then back to their mother, "Yes."
Molly shook her head, "Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you two go and fetch the others, I think they're upstairs." With two identical cracks, the twins were gone.
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Fred and George landed with a thud on Hermione's bed. George managed to just miss Hermione's lap but Harry was not so lucky. He ended up with Fred sitting across his legs. The two wizards exchanged extremely confused and then embarrassed looks as the others laughed at the mishap. Fred got up quickly, shoving George over he plopped down nearly on top of Hermione.
When everyone had calmed their laughing Hermione spoke, "I didn't know you were going to be here for dinner."
"Can't keep him away from you I'm afraid," George chuckled.
"Speaking of dinner, Mum said it's nearly ready and that we should come up and get you lot," Fred said. He stood and pulled Hermione up with him.
"Do you mind if we walk downstairs?" Hermione asked before Fred could get any ideas about apparating downstairs again.
"I suppose if you insist," he told her. He made sure the others left the room first however. Once they were gone he turned to her, "Sorry I didn't tell you I was coming for dinner. Wasn't planning on it, to be honest, but er, I missed you." He ducked his head slightly, as if it wasn't something he should be admitting.
Hermione reached up on her tippy toes and pecked Fred's cheek, "I'm glad you came, I've missed you, too." The smile returned to Fred's face and he took her hand, leading her downstairs.
.
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After dinner, Fred and George announced that they had stopped to pick up desert on their way over. To say that everyone was suspicious was an understatement.
"What's to say you didn't slip something in it, or it's not one of your joke chocolates?" Ginny asked as she eyed the small piece of fudge George had handed her.
"Because we're eating them too," Fred explained.
"So?" Ron asked, "That doesn't mean anything, just means you make sure yours didn't have anything in them."
The twins rolled their eyes, "Alright, if it'll make you lot feel better, you can pick out the ones we eat," George offered. The rest of the table looked at each other, each trying to weigh their options.
Harry shrugged; he knew the twins wouldn't put anything too awful in it if they even had. "Alright, but Hermione can't have a say in the pick. No offense, but you're kind of on their team now," Harry said.
Now Hermione rolled her eyes. She had been just as suspicious as the others at first, but after the twins had offered to let them pick which ones they ate, she felt considerably less so. The rest of the family still looked a little wary, but agreed they would all give the desert a try. After all, it did look delicious. Ginny reached forward, picking out a chocolate and handing it to Fred. Ron did the same for George. Harry, deciding it was better safe than sorry, even picked one out for Hermione. She briefly considered waiting for the twins to eat theirs but decided to trust them. She popped the chocolate in her mouth at the same time Fred and George did.
Everyone stared expectantly but nothing happened. "See, told you they were fine," Fred told them. When another minute passed and the three still had not turned into birds or begun speaking a different language, the rest of the family each took a chocolate and continued their conversation normally.
"Jeesh, you'd think we could never just be nice, Freddie," George jabbed at his brother's ribs with his elbow.
"Yeah, Georgie, looks like they don't trust us anymore," Fred laughed.
Hermione just sighed and laughed softly at them, popping another chocolate into her mouth.
"And apparently we've got Mione on our team now," George continued.
"How long do you think it'll take to turn her to the dark side?" Fred asked.
She shook her head, "Don't get your hopes up boys."
Fred put his arm around her shoulders, "You just wait and see, love. You'll be helping us before you know it."
"I don't think so," she shook her head again, laughing at their persistence.
"Sure, sure," George chuckled.
"On a different topic," Fred said, turning his attention to just his girlfriend, "Feel like going out after dinner?"
"Where to?"
"It's a surprise."
"Of course it is."
.
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"Fred, I don't know about this," Hermione said uneasily as she stared at Fred standing there with his broom. "I really don't like flying…"
"Mione, who have you flown with?" he asked.
"Well, Ron and Harry and I've tried by myself." Her mind was filling with memories of their various attempts at flying with her.
Fred stepped towards her, "Right. Harry is a brilliant flyer but I'm sure he wasn't too cautious with you and Ron, well, he's a bit thick. He probably wouldn't know how to make you comfortable if you were flying on a carpet." He held his hand out to Hermione, "I won't let anything happen to you."
Hermione knew that was true. She took his hand and climbed onto the broom in front of him. Her hands tightened in a death grip around the broom, terrified of the moment their feet would lift off the ground. Fred slid on behind her, holding onto the broom with one hand and keeping his other arm wrapped firmly around her waist. When he was in position he whispered in her ear, "Shut your eyes."
Doing as he asked, Hermione shut her eyes and tried to concentrate on the feeling of his hand across her stomach rather than the fact that they were now leaving the ground. She could feel the slow and steady incline and appreciated that he was not zipping skywards like Harry had so often done.
"You're alright, see? Open your eyes, Mione," Fred said softly.
The small village of Ottery St. Catchpole was nothing but a glow of lights beneath them. Hermione's breath caught in her throat; she couldn't believe how beautiful it was. As she admired the town below she found her grip on the broom loosening slightly. Fred noticed too, but he didn't loosen his arm around her middle. Leaning back against his chest Hermione turned her head just the smallest bit so that she knew Fred would be able to hear her, "It's beautiful, Fred. Thank you for this." He knew what she meant; there was no need to explain. He kissed her gently to let her know he understood.
By the time they landed again in the yard of the Burrow, Hermione had all but let go of the stick. She chose instead to continue leaning against Fred and trust that he would hold onto her. Never before had she felt so comfortable in the air. She hadn't imagined she ever would.
As Hermione dismounted the broom stick she found her legs were shaky and she wobbled a bit before Fred reached out and caught her arm. Looking up, she smiled at him gratefully.
"Not so bad, right?" Fred asked her.
"No, not so bad," she agreed.
A few seconds later their moment was interrupted by Ron walking out into the yard. He took in the scene, "Blimey, Fred, you're not trying to get her on that thing are you?" he asked, pointing towards the broom.
"Already did little brother," he told him.
"No, no way," Ron shook his head. He knew how much Hermione hated flying. He looked at Hermione, waiting for her to tell him he was right.
"He did, Ron. It was actually quite pleasant."
"Really? You always hated flying with Harry and me," Ron was still in disbelief.
Hermione looked up at Fred again then back to Ron, "I know, but it felt different with Fred." That's when she realized Ron was holding a letter. "Did you need something?" she asked, indicating to the envelope in his hand.
"Oh, right," Ron said, remembering why he had come looking for Hermione in the first place. "Here, this came for you while you were gone. Think it's from McGonagall. Looked like her bird, anyways."
She opened the letter and read over it quickly, "We better go find Ginny. They're postponing reopening Hogwarts until after the Christmas and New Year holidays."
.
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Hermione had gathered the others to tell them all at once about Hogwarts. She decided it would be easier than having to explain the same thing repeatedly to each member of the Weasley family.
"Oh goodness, that certainly makes planning a wedding easier!" Mrs. Weasley let go a breath of relief.
"But why are they putting it off?" Harry asked. They all knew Professor McGonagall would have to have a good reason for doing this.
After readjusting her leg, which was tucked under her on the sofa, Hermione explained it to them. "She said in her letter that even though the castle is almost completely repaired, she was afraid to start the term with the current events. Professor McGonagall knows that the new law would be affecting a lot of the students, especially those who had the option to not return at all and feared that it would mean we would make the choice to not go back. She also said they were going to try to do their best to sort out a way to accommodate couples that had to marry but wished to return to school. They'll be using the next few months to do that."
"When are they telling everyone? The term would be starting in just a few days. She's cutting it awfully close, don't you think?" Ginny said.
Hermione consulted the letter again, "Professor McGonagall said it would be announced in the Prophet in the morning, but they were also sending letters to every student tomorrow afternoon."
"That's a lot of owls," Fred mumbled to himself. He was so near to Hermione though that she heard and a giggle escaped her lips. Harry raised an eyebrow towards Hermione, curious as to what she had giggled about. She shook her head though, indicating that it was nothing.
It was so absurd. Even though she had not been planning on returning to Hogwarts, the thought that it would not be open for first term was impossible. Hermione trusted that Professor McGonagall knew what she was doing and this was for the best, but the whole situation seemed like it had gotten horribly out of hand. Having to postpone a semester because of the quantity of students being forced to marry was simply ridiculous. Hermione found that she was extremely grateful for Fred at that moment. His humor broke through her stress and his hand resting on her knee comforted her.
She leaned into his shoulder and set her hand on top of his. If the others noticed, they didn't let on. It seemed Hermione and Fred had been as easy to accept as Harry and Ginny.
.
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When Mrs. Weasley finally sent them off to bed that night, Fred and Hermione lingered in the living room again.
"When are you going to stay at the flat with me? I've got a much bigger bed than that old cot, you know," Fred asked her.
Hermione laughed, "That's actually something I've wanted to talk to you about…" she looked around, trying to make sure that they were alone. She lowered her voice so only Fred could hear her, "I think… I mean, I know, I'm ready," she stumbled over the words. "But, I want to be properly engaged before I start staying at the flat with you."
Fred blinked a few times, "Mione, are you saying that… you want to…" Normally words and comments came easily to him but they were failing him at the moment. The thought of being intimate with her had scrambled his thoughts.
"Yes," she squeaked.
"Blimey, I wasn't even suggesting that. I just thought it'd be nice to be able to hold you all night."
Her cheeks flushed and she bowed her head, "Oh, well, I mean, if you don't want to, I understand."
Before she could say anything else Fred quickly brought his lips to hers, when he pulled away he looked her in the eyes, "Hermione, I want to. I just want you to be sure."
"I am sure. Like I said, I just want to be properly engaged. But that is no reason for you to rush into asking me. You'll ask me when you're good and ready to, do you understand?" she asked, the authoritative Prefect tone breaking through her embarrassment at the situation.
He nodded and kissed her again. "I'll see you in the morning," he told her.
"Why in the morning?" she asked quizzically.
"You'll see. Good night, darling," he said as he placed a kiss on her forehead and apparated out of the living room.
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The following morning Hermione woke up to two identical pressures on the side of her bed. She opened her eyes to see Fred and George sitting there waiting for her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Told you I'd see you in the morning," Fred said.
"Thought I'd stop by as well," George shrugged like it was completely normal for them to be sitting on her bed at eight in the morning.
"Had to talk to dad about something before he left for the office," Fred offered.
Hermione sat up in bed and realized that she probably looked like a mess. She tried to run her hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face, but wound up tangling her fingers into the unruly curls.
George glanced at his watch, "Oh, Brother-mine," he caught Fred's attention.
"Brilliant," he answered.
"Ten," The first began.
"Nine."
"What are you counting for?" Hermione asked.
"Eight."
"Seven."
Ginny was just waking up and taking in the situation, "What are they doing?" Hermione shrugged and shook her head.
"Six."
"Five."
"Whatever it is can't be good," Ginny said.
"Four."
"Three."
"Boys?" Hermione was beginning to worry.
"Two."
"One," they rang out together. At that moment they heard a loud clang upstairs followed by a string of hollers and curses.
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"OI, BLOODY HELL," Ron hollered. He was struggling against his blankets, unable to break free from their hold.
"WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME?" Harry was equally upset by the fact that he was trapped beneath his comforter. He was more annoyed by the fact that he couldn't get to his glasses, however. "What is going on, Ron?"
"I don't know, it must be Fred and George," he growled, still fighting to free himself.
Upon hearing their names the twins, followed by Hermione and Ginny, strutted into the bedroom. "Problem boys?" they asked in unison.
When the girls saw Ron and Harry's predicament they could not stop the giggles that overcame them. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide the laughter unsuccessfully.
"GET US OUT OF THIS YOU GITS!" Ron yelled at his older brothers. They merely smirked in response.
"What Ron means to say," Harry started, "is would you mind letting us go?" He had stopped fighting against it and now was just waiting for the twins to tire of their prank.
"What do you think, Brother?" George asked.
"Dunno, seems like Ron's pretty comfy, huh? What'dya think girls?" Fred responded, turning the question to Ginny and Hermione.
Ginny had a mischievous look in her eye, "What do you say you let Ron go and leave me alone with Harry?"
"Whoa!" Both twins held their hands up.
"Too much information!" George told her.
"NO way little sister," Fred shook his head. With a wave of his wand both Ron and Harry were released from their cocoons. Ron immediately was swearing at Fred and George. Ginny sent a wink towards Harry and left the room. Hermione just shook her head and followed, leaving the boys to their bickering.
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Fred caught up to Hermione in the hallway. Making sure there was no one around, he grabbed her arm from behind and spun her to face him. She let out a small gasp as Fred pushed her against the wall and pressed his lips to hers. When they broke their kiss he still didn't pull his body away from hers.
"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
"You look bloody sexy when you've just woken up," his voice was deeper than Hermione had ever heard it. When she realized it was because it was filled with desire she blushed bright pink. Fred kissed the rosy patches on her cheeks until she started laughing.
"Are you going to be back for dinner tonight?"
"Yeah, of course," he told her, "We're actually gonna tell mum and dad about the new shop tonight. We're getting close to having enough stock. It took a lot less time than we thought it would."
"How long do you think it'll be before you can actually open it?"
"A couple of weeks, probably."
"That's brilliant, Fred," she said. Hermione was truly happy for him and George both.
Still pressed closely against her, Fred had other things on his mind than discussing the shop and dinner. He traced his hands up her sides to her shoulders and back down again before leaning in for another kiss. They didn't break apart until they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"See you tonight!" Fred kissed her once more before disappearing with a crack, leaving Hermione out of breath and alone in the hallway.
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Author's Note: I want to specially thank Janelle (timeywimeymione | tumblr) for giving me the idea about having Fred take Hermione out for a fly when I was having trouble thinking of date ideas.