Hey there!

So yea, still can't believe all the love you guys are giving to this little Fic. Thank you SO much to all the Followers, Favorite-ers and Reviewers. Ms. Jinxsy, lilyflower49, Juxiana, GinnyPotter6891, and MissesE; couldn't keep chugging forward without you guys!

And as promised a little longer chapter... but please understand that I don't purposefully do short chapters, they just kind of find a natural ending. And if they are a bit shorter, I can update more frequently and don't feel as bogged down.

Hermione's POV

Hermione was a little unsure of herself, and that was a very strange feeling. The whole summer had been a trial of firsts for her. First time she had been interested in the same boy who was interested in her; first time she had been comfortable with the idea of possibly dating said boy… first time she had become a bumbling idiot around that very boy….

She had never seen herself as the type of person who would be affected so much by another person.

Hermione had always seen herself as strong, independent and the person that others looked to for answers and support. That was her role a lot of the time with Harry and Ron; and she had always loved that position. It had made her feel needed and important... except for that troll... and she had been over-the-moon when that role had developed into such a strongly bonded friendship with the two boys.

But she had to admit, that sometimes it was a very lonely role. To be the one always required to have the information and develop a plan was exhausting at times.

Hermione couldn't help but smile to herself as she led the tall redhead down to the first floor and turned down the dark hallway toward the back of the old townhouse.

Fred made her feel different.

Yes, she was still planning things obviously, but Hermione didn't feel like it was expected of her. Fred was able to keep up with her mind very easily and he had proven to be a wonderful collaborator. She also found that she was beginning to seek his opinion when she became stumped on something. And even though Hermione was still reeling from the idea of needing someone to comfort her, Fred had provided that too.

They walked through two conjoined rooms; one that must have been the butler's pantry, and a small glass enclosed room that was probably a beautiful breakfast room before it had been long forgotten.

The witch came to an abrupt halt right in front of the grimy French doors and turned around to face Fred. He'd been following close behind and had been given so little warning of her stop, that they were now mere inches apart. A surprised huff of air escaped Hermione's lungs as she met the wizard's warm gaze, "Um, sorry… we have to look for the key. Sirius said it would be on a wall hook in the butler's pantry."

Fred stepped aside so that Hermione could backtrack into the room they had just exited. She found the mentioned keys on a little ornate bronze hook, right next to the door frame.

"Huh, sometimes it amazes me how much Sirius remembers about this house," Hermione mumbled to herself as she walked back to the locked glass doors.

"It could just be the fact that his mum never changed anything," Fred offered.

The witch nodded her head as she fumbled with the old key, "That's probably true as well. But with all his claims of how much he hated this house and how much he wished he could forget it; he seems to remember an awful lot about it…"

Fred wore a reluctant smile, "Yea, but we should probably give the poor man a break. He is locked away in here… even more so than we all are."

"Right again, unfortunately." The lock fell out of place and Hermione pushed the doors open with a very load creak.

"Merlin, woman. Trying to alert the whole house?" Fred chuckled as he waved his wand over the doors and muttered a silencing spell.

Hermione blushed slightly as she looked around the small veranda in front of them. It wasn't much; and that was being generous. There was a small cushioned bench and two matching chairs circled around a low glass table, but every piece showed signs of rust, age and had ripped or exposed seams. The planters around the edge of the outdoor living area were all empty or contained long dead, brittle vines.

The whole scene was a little disheartening. Hermione reached for her wand, but remembered that it was packed away in her trunk so that she wouldn't be tempted to use it while still underage, "I'm so sorry Fred, but would you mind clearing away a bit of the dirt and grim? I keep forgetting I how useless I am during the summer."

"Really? You call helping to invent an undetectable communication device useless?" Fred wore a look of pure shock, but Hermione saw the laughter in his eyes as he gently poked her arm with his wand. He made quick work of the area; using some of the spells he saw his mum using for the interior of the house, he was able to clear away the dirt and somewhat repair the damage to the seats. He bowed slightly and motioned toward the bench, "shall we?"

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes as she sat down on the sofa with one leg tucked under her and one leg swinging freely over the edge; she wanted to be able to face Fred. He sat down and faced her as well, but had to keep both of his long legs stretched out in front of him.

"Not too bad of a spot, Hermione. We are probably the first people to sit out here in about a decade though."

"Well, it needed people then. I bet it was beautiful once… Maybe we can fix it up a bit so Sirius can come out here and not feel so trapped?" Hermione mused as she looked around and imagined what the place looked like when the house was new.

Fred agreed, "We'll have to work together again. I have no eye for design, but I can defiantly play the wand monkey if need be." A wide, Cheshire grin was in place as he looked at Hermione.

"Don't you dare give me that; you know you're more than a wand monkey," Hermione giggled as she tossed the spare blanket at him.

The redheaded wizard caught it easily, "Whatever you say, ringmaster."

They both dissolved into peals of laughter.

They sat there for hours, just talking.

They went back and expanded on the conversation of favorite things that had begun on their grocery shopping trip. The excited yet easygoing feeling came back to their interactions and they were soon talking and bantering like they had known each other their whole lives.

"What are you planning on doing after this year? Is the joke shop a real possibility?" Hermione's voice was laced with genuine interest and even a little eagerness.

Fred grinned wildly as he heard the underlying tone in her voice, "I thought you didn't approve of the joke shop?"

"I've never, ever said anything of the sort" Hermione reached out and playfully slapped Fred's arm; he caught her hand easily before she actually smacked him. "I think the shop is a brilliant idea, and you and George will do amazingly. I just don't want all your products interrupting my studying," she smiled and felt her face flush.

But Hermione wasn't sure if she was embarrassed by her confession or the fact that Fred was still holding her hand.

One of those shy, genuine smiles pulled at Fred's lips, "You really think it will be a success?"

Hermione wondered if he realized that he was rubbing small circles into the back of her hand.

She found herself mirroring his grin, "Of course! You and George have a knack for pranks and you're both so creative. As long as you can navigate the business side of things, I think it will be relatively easy for you both."

"Thanks, Hermione."

"Why are you thanking me?" Hermione snorted; she covered her face with her free hand, completely mortified by the sound.

Fred smiled but didn't laugh at her embarrassment, "It's just nice to have someone believe in us. It's difficult sometimes… not having the family support us. Mum thinks the idea is utter lunacy, Percy's completely against it of course, some of the others think it's just a ridiculous idea all around…"

"Well, you and George will just have to prove them all wrong." Hermione huffed a little in annoyance at the Weasleys' lack of faith in the twins.

"This in turn would prove you right, of course... Ah, I see... That must be the reason you're ok with the shop... You just want to be right!" Fred's gentle smile morphed into an evil grin.

"I would… that's not… how dare you!" Hermione attempted to be mad at the accusing comment, but she found that she was unable to muster even a glare to throw at the wizard across from her. She tried to swipe her free hand at his head, but again it was caught before even making contact with the snickering boy.

Hermione sighed in defeat, "If I promise to cease the hitting, can I have my hands back?"

"Attempted hitting," Fred chuckled as he showed off her captured hands, "And what if I'm not ready to give them back?"

"Oh," that was the only word that registered in Hermione's brain.

"I really do like you Hermione, I hope you know that," he loosened his grip on her hands, but she made no effort to move them.

"The thought had crossed my mind," she wasn't quite sure where the teasing words came from, but Hermione was happy about the small laugh that it coaxed from Fred. "I hope you realize that I like you as well."

"Well, that's good... this could have been very awkward otherwise..."

Hermione snorted again; she covered her face and leaned forward. She wanted desperately to hide herself as she laid her head against Fred's shoulder and giggled uncontrollably.

Fred began to chuckle along with her as he wrapped her in his arms.

Hope you all enjoyed! Loved writing this one, but what did you all think?

Ms. Kinxsy - that is a fair point, but I don't think we really know how Hermione would have reacted to something like this. She never really had good luck with a love interest until the end of book seven... she was already 18 by then and even more mature because of the war. She never got to be a 'regular girl' when it came to relationships. I hope that I explained it a bit with the beginning of this chapter. Thanks!

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Misha

Ps. Check out my other stories too! 'Thrown Back,' 'Begin Again' and 'Penelope Jackson.'