Part 12:

There were toffee apples for dessert. The type of toffee that coats teeth together with sugar sweet tendrils that drift out onto lips and chins. The living room was packed, as it always was, but Hermione had taken special care to sit as far from Fred as the small space allowed. Ron was near her, separated only by the small side table, and Hermione could hear his slobbering, sucking bits at the last bits of apple flesh lingering around the core. Just as she turned to look at him, a spray of juice from the fruit he was devouring hit her on the cheek, right below the eye. She did her best not to make a face. Perhaps the only thing that hadn't changed since their Hogwarts days was Ron's vulgar eating habits. It had always disgusted her, even on their dates. She felt her lip tug up into a half smile as she realized that in, more ways than more, Ron kissed about as sloppily as he ate. He was all teeth, and tongue, and spit; there were no table manners there. It was just then, as she reminisced over those weeks and months she had wasted, Fred caught her attention. He was sitting on the floor, cross legged with his back against arm of the sofa. He was turned slightly, facing away from Hermione, listening to something that Arthur was saying. As he listened, and as Hermione watched, he took an absentminded bite from his apple. She noticed that he did it almost delicately, not shoving as much as possible into his maw as if at any moment whatever he did not eat would be ripped away. As he pulled the apple back, one thin ribbon of toffee attached itself to his lower lip, quivering slightly. He reached up with his thumb and wiped it away. And just as it had with Ron, her thoughts moved to how his almost beautiful way of eating compared to how he kissed. In the hot flash of a moment, Hermione imaged kissing him, his lips still tasting heavy with sugar, and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Standing, she moved through the crowd and back into the darkened kitchen. She pulled the rag from it's hook next to the sink and ran cold water over it. Hermione was just wiping the bit of juice from her cheek, and trying her best not to continue to image what kissing Fred would feel like when Ginny found her in the kitchen.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked, her voice quiet over the rush of the faucet. Hermione shut the water off, fixed her face with a smile that hopefully didn't express any of her thoughts, and turned to face Ginny.

"Yes, Ron got some apple on me." Ginny grimaced in response, but then set her face into a frown again.

"I mean in general." Hermione felt her chest tighten slightly, unsure of where this was going. "You've been quiet all night. You barely said a word a dinner, and you tried to leave before we even had dessert. Did Ron say something to upset you? Did I do something?" She asked. Guilt flooded Hermione, of course Ginny would assume it was something she had done/

"Of course you haven't done anything!" She said, making it sound as genuine as possible.

"So it was Ron then?" She heard anger spike in her voice. "What did he do, that slimy git? I'll hex him for you. Just say the word." Hermione smiled, Ginny was always the protector.

"Ron did nothing." Hermione said, winking as she added "for once."

"Then what is it?" The girl prodded, twisting the engagement ring around her finger in slow circles. "I can tell something is wrong." How could she express all of the emotions twisting inside her without telling Ginny about Fred's possible affection towards her? She was quiet for a long moment.

"I-" She paused, "Well, there is this guy...at work." Ginny raised an eyebrow, and leaned back against the table.

"Go on." The girl prompted,

"It's nothing really. He just, has said some things that make me think he...you know...likes me." Ginny's face broke into an unhindered smile, pushing herself up she sat on the table and crossed her legs.

"Do you like him back? What's his name? Do I know him?"

"I don't know how I feel, and that's the problem." Hermione said, choosing to ignore her other questions. "I've known him forever," Ginny narrowed her eyes slightly, and Hermione realized her mistake. "For as long as I've worked there, I mean." She says, covering with a quick smile. "And I never thought I could think of him in that way. But now that he's, sort of opened that door, I don't know if we can ever be friends again." There it was, the dark, messy truth of the matter. No matter what else, she was so worried that her friendship with Fred was ruined. Since the war, since she had seen him nearly die, they had become friends. Not just school friends, real friends. And what if whatever that night had opened inside of her, that panicked and unruly heartbeat, made it so that they couldn't go back to how things were. Ginny exhaled loudly,

"Well, what are you going to do?" She asked, "You should talk to him whether or not you like him back."

"I know I should, Gin, but that's the problem. He never actually told me that he's interested in me. And there's another problem." Ginny leaned forward, placing her elbows against her knees. He's friends with Ron. So what if something did happen between us" at saying even that out loud, her stomach tied itself in knots and she felt her cheeks warm "it could cause even more trouble between me and Ron, and that's the last thing I need." Ginny frowned, and didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, right as Hermione was about to question her silence, she slid from the table and walked so that the were only a foot apart from each other. Her voice was no longer teasing when she spoke, but there was something alight in her eyes all the same.

"That does complicate things." She said, reaching out to rub a comforting circle on Hermione's upper arm. "And I can't tell you what to do, or how to feel. But," She paused again, removing her hands and hitching her fingers together. "But," She said again, meeting Hermione's eyes, "if you decide you really do like this guy, then don't let Ron, or me, or anybody else stand in your way." Hermione thought it strange that Ginny put herself in the category of things that would hold Hermione back, but she let it go as she continued talking in that low, urgent tone. "You, more than almost anyone else I know, deserve love and happiness. You are amazing, and however this turns out, that won't change. Now," She said, all lightness and joy again, "will you stop your brooding and come play a round of exploding snap with me, or what?" Hermione gave a smile, but shook her head.

"I think I'm just going to go home. I, you know, have a lot to think over. Plus I've had enough of Ron for one night." Really she just couldn't stand to be in the room with Fred anymore, especially not after her little kissing fantasy and Ginny's words. Surprisingly, Ginny didn't try and stop her, she only planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You know you can talk to me whenever? You don't have to wait until I drag it out of you." And then she left, back into the room filled with conversation, and music, and Fred Weasley. And Hermione was left alone, in the darkened kitchen. Pulling her coat from the rack by the back door, Hermione slipped out into the garden before anyone could notice.

Author's note: As usual, don't hesitate to let me know what you think. Just so you know, i've already started the next section. It will be from Fred's point of view.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter