"It's safe." He told her, rubbing her back.
She pulled her face out of his chest, looked around, took one look at Fred and burst into tears.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm just overwhelmed. A little embarrassed. I didn't want to lose it in front of everyone." She put her hand on her chest. "It's painful. I hate this."
"I know its hard." He rubbed her shoulders, trying to relieve some tension.
"Everyone was so sweet tonight. I love everything I got. I just…" She hid her face in his neck, sobs starting to run through her again.
He rubbed her back in circles. "You miss him."
He felt her nod.
She turned her head after a few minutes. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
She lifted her head and found his face tearstained.
"Oh, Fred! I'm sorry! You must miss him so much." She wiped his cheeks.
He cleared his throat. "I do miss him, but right now I'm worried about us."
"Us? Why?"
"I worry that you will never be able to let go of him and give us a chance. What if you go back to Hogwarts and it reminds you of him? What if I wait for you and then you decide that you don't want it anymore? When I see you like this, sometimes it is hard to have hope."
His words stung. She realized she had been taking advantage of him. She was so caught up in her own emotions that she didn't see what it was doing to him.
She decided at that moment that she would deal with her issues on her own.
"I'm sorry I'm doing this to you. I will always want you. I promise that I will be better. If you aren't willing to take that chance, I understand. You've been nothing, but my savior during all of this. I won't be angry if you decide to give up on me."
She stood up, suddenly needing more air.
"Hermione, don't pull away from me." He stood up and stepped closer to her. "I'm not giving up on you." She placed her forehead on his chest.
He looked back toward the shed. "Do you trust me?"
She was startled by his comment. "Yes…why?"
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the shed. "What are you going to do?" She asked, a little worried.
"You'll see."
He grabbed a broom that was leaning up against the side.
"You said you trusted me."
He climbed on, motioning for her to sit in front of him.
"I hate flying." She told him, wide-eyed.
"Trust me. I won't let you go."
She sighed and mounted the broom in front of him. He slid her back against him, his arms holding her snuggly as he gripped the broom in front of her.
She pressed her back against his chest gripped his arms, her breath coming out ragged.
"Don't worry, I'll ease into it." He told her as he leaned down and kissed the freckle below her ear he noticed weeks prior, causing her to shiver.
He kicked off the ground and she squeaked, clamping her eyes shut, as they began to climb. He kept his promise and flew at a low leisurely pace.
"Open your eyes baby." He whispered in her ear.
She opened her eyes, one at a time and relaxed, releasing her death grip on his arms and rested them on his thighs.
He lifted them a little higher, going a little faster as he watched her. The wind hit her face and she smiled.
"See? It isn't so bad."
She took in her surroundings, seeing the hills pass by, the stars and moon above.
He pulled them higher, causing them to lean back and her to grip his thighs.
He chuckled lightly. "I've got you. We have to be higher or you won't see."
She was about to ask what when she saw it. They passed a large hill and on the opposite side were thousands of fireflies. They covered the whole meadow and the bordering trees.
He watched her as her eyes took in the scene before her. The meadow and the top of the trees were lit up in the dark. Her eyes were wide.
"This…wow. This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She whispered, not wanting to disrupt the quiet of the meadow.
"I found it on accident one night when I was flying. I've never shared this with anyone." He whispered in her ear.
He circled around and landed on the steep hill overlooking the meadow.
He sat down, bending his knees, his feet flat on the ground before pulling her down in front of him. She leaned against his chest and entwined her fingers in his.
"It's amazing how things like this can be so magical without the use of any magic." She commented.
"Nature has its own sort of magic." He told her.
She smiled. "I guess it does."
He let go of one of her hands and reached behind him, pulling out a package and an envelope that had his name on it. He held it out in front of her and she took the letter.
"No, open the other first." She placed the letter in her lap while she opened the package. It was a wooden box. She held the box in front of her, which was the length of both her hands and the width of her palms. She noticed that the dark wooden box was hand carved, the borders etched with vines and leaves. It too, mimicked the vines around her wand.
She traced her fingers over the carved vines. She turned it on its side, trying to unclasp the lock. It wouldn't budge. She noticed a triangle shaped hole.
She felt his fingers on the back of her neck and the necklace Harry gave her fell to her lap.
"It's the key." He told her.
She picked up the necklace and pressed it into the triangle shaped hole. She heard it unlock.
She placed it upright and lifted the front of the lid up. Suddenly she heard the melody of "Hold On" play.
She looked back at him. "Fred…I don't know what to say….this is…wow. You made this?"
He smiled down at her. "Look at the mirror."
She tilted the box and found the two of them in her room the night they danced. She didn't remember anyone taking pictures.
"I thought you hated pictures."
"Watch." She watched for a moment and realized it kept moving. It showed them slow dancing, then them reading on the couch, them sleeping on the couch together, them together at the joke shop. It finally showed them standing, foreheads together smiling and it froze on that memory.
"How…how did you…"
"It's my favorite memories of us. That piece of glass is a small pensieve. It took me a long while to convince Kingsley to let me have one. My favorite memories are locked behind it.
She gasped, reaching out her hand. He pulled her hand back.
"It'll pull you in remember? I'd rather keep you with me for the moment."
"It's a jewelry box?" She asked, seeing the different compartments. He reached in and pulled out the top compartment.
She leaned closer and found that it was extended on the inside.
"It's also a hope chest. You put things that are dear to you now and things that you hope for, for the future in it."
She sighed. "Can I put you in it?"
He smiled and kissed her temple. "You have me right here. I'll always be here."
"Promise?"
He kissed down to her neck, making her toes curl and her heart jump. She leaned her head to one side, giving him better access. He trailed his lips down her neck and collarbone and back up.
She gripped his knees and whimpered. She didn't want him to stop, but she knew that she needed him to.
"Fred?"
"Hmm?" He asked against her neck.
She sat up and turned to him. "I want this more than anything, but I can't."
"I see."
"No…you don't. It doesn't have anything to do with him. If I kiss you and let myself go, then if makes leaving so much harder. Going back to Hogwarts is going to be so hard already. I'm going to be absolutely miserable without you if I take that jump. Let me get use to being back at Hogwarts first."
He nodded, a small smile forming. "I understand now." He put his arms back around her.
She turned back around and leaned up against him, picking up the letter with his name on it. The handwriting looked familiar, but she couldn't place it.
She turned it around and saw the Hogwarts stamp on the back. She pulled the letter out and began to read.
Halfway through the letter, she squealed and turned, throwing her arms around him, causing him to fall back.
She looked down at him. "Really? How did you get Professor McGonagall to approve?"
"When I told her it would make you happy and make your year easier, she caved. You are her favorite student."
"So you'll be able to call me through the floo in the common room?"
"Yes. You'll have to owl me ahead of time so I know what time and day."
She squealed again, laying her head on his chest and squeezing him.
"I take it you're happy?" He asked, laughing.
"As if you couldn't already tell by my five year old reaction…but yes. This is the best thing I've heard the whole summer."
They laid there for a few minutes, enjoying the dark.
"You are amazing. I'm sorry I never noticed just how special you are before now."
He rubbed her back. "Everything happened as it was meant to."
She sighed and sat up, gathering her things.
He placed a hand over hers, pushing the box down to the grass.
"Hermione..."
"I'm sorry I was so terrible to you and George in school."
He pulled her back against him, placing his chin on her head. "You weren't terrible. You kept us in line…or tried to anyway. You were a prefect. It was your job. This guilt about everything is going to eat you alive."
She craned her neck toward the sky to look at him. He smiled and looked down at her, kissing her forehead.
"You were the only one besides the professors that had the guts to keep us in line. It's one of the reasons I liked you. It was hard to watch Ron treat you like he did. I know you loved him before he even worked out his own feelings, but it was hard seeing you cry over him when you thought no one was watching. I knew if I butted in that it would make Ron even more moody…and I had a reputation to uphold after all."
She shook her head. "How can I forget? I believe Katie called you the octopus twins."
He smiled. "Why was that?"
"Because when you'd snog, suddenly you had eight hands."
He laughed loudly. "Although I did find myself in abandoned classrooms on more than a few occasions...to be honest, it was mostly George. He pretended to be both of us a lot of the time when it came to girls. You actually gave George away when Katie came down the staircase and you corrected her when she called him Fred. She thought she was on her way to a dark classroom with me."
Hermione snickered. "Oops."
"You could always tell us apart. How is that?"
"George is a little taller, but he slouches…so no one notices. The corner of his eyes slant down farther than yours. When you guys walk, you always have your right hand in your pocket, but he always has his left. When you smirk you use your right side. When he smirks he uses his left. You're mirror opposites. My favorite part is that your eyes are a tad bit darker than his."
He shook his head, amazed. "You've studied us."
"I study everything. I wanted to make it a point to tell the difference between the two of you because you're more than just twins. You are individuals and deserve to be treated so. I think a lot of people don't give you credit for that."
He took her hand off her lap and squeezed it. "You never cease to amaze me Granger."