This / will indicate that someone is using sign language to talk. It's easier to do the then describing the actual motions. if I do this ' it means that lips are being read.
Chapter Thirty-Five: I wish today it would rain all day. Maybe that would kind of make the pain go away.
Hermione Granger just might be a little tipsy. She'd arrived at the flat and grabbed Fred up in a tight embrace before he could even utter so much as a 'hello.' She kissed him until he couldn't see (hear?) straight, and then went to greet George with a friendly hug.
An hour (and three glasses of wine) later, and Fred began to worry. Hermione never drank. Ever. She detested alcohol. He suspected she'd either had a really bad experience with it, or she had a alcoholic relative.
George kept sending him questioning looks. He couldn't see them, but he could feel them and he didn't know how to respond. He had no idea what the hell was going on, but he wanted her to know that she was safe here.
He wanted her to feel comfortable enough to tell him what was making her upset.
"Well, I'm going to leave you two alone for a while. Angelina made a cherry pie-my favorite-and has requested that I help her finish it off. Try not to make too much of a mess while I'm gone, alright Freddie?"
Fred stuck his tongue out at his twin. He didn't need reminding of the complete debacle that had occurred earlier.
"Okay, Georgie... Have fun." Hermione spoke a little slowly, as if she was having trouble with the words. Had she had another glass when he wasn't looking?
"You too, Granger." A loud crack filled the air and Fred was alone with Hermione.
"I love you, Fred." Hermione mumbled, suddenly very close. Fred swallowed thickly when she laid a hand on his upper thigh, squeezing his leg through his jeans. "Tho much."
What?
Fred shook his head and swallowed again. Now would be a good time to give her the gift. He didn't want to do anything else until he'd given it to her.
"Umm, can you wait here for a moment, love? I have something I want to give you."
"Thure, Freddie."
What was going on with her voice?
Another shake of his head and Fred was standing. He went to his bedroom and grabbed the tiny wrapped gift off the dresser. It was something that Neville and Harry had helped him with. He was pretty sure she would love it, but he was still a little nervous.
He handed the parcel to Hermione, and she quickly went about unwrapping it. A moment later she let out a gasp as she looked at the necklace and pendant. It was a silver chain with a faintly pink flower dangling from it.
"It's a phlox. Harry told me that you were picking it when McGonagall first told you that you were a witch. Neville helped me find some. It's charmed to never fade or die, and I've put a shield charm on it as well."
"Theriouthly? Thith ith tho thweet."
Sweet Merlin, she was lisping. His darling Hermione Granger, the woman who seemed to have command of the entire English language, was lisping.
And damn it if it wasn't the most adorable thing he had ever heard. Was it because she was a little drunk?
"Thith ith beautiful, Fred. Thank you. Pleathe kith me now."
Fred didn't get a chance to kiss her, because she surged forward and took care of the request herself. A voice in the back of Fred's head kept telling him to stop-because something was clearly wrong with Hermione, but darn it if she wasn't rubbing her body against him like a tall, amorous cat.
And then something wet brushed across his cheek.
Hell no.
Fred immediately broke the kiss and turned Hermione around in his lap so that she was sitting sideways instead of straddling him. He held her close and took a deep breath, trying to calm down and return a bit of blood to his brain.
"Fred?" Hermione whimpered, "Pleathe don't thop." She let out a little sob and Fred wanted to die.
"Love, please, tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing." Hermione insisted entirely too quickly.
"Then why are you crying?"
Hermione sighed. "Would you believe that It'th becauthe of how thweet you are?"
Fred shook his head. "Nope."
"Fine..." Hermione swallowed and pressed her head against Fred's shoulder. "Harry found my parentth."
That should be wonderful news. The bottom dropped out of Fred's stomach and he stopped breathing. What had happened to them?
"They're both alive." Hermione added, and then her voice broke. A painful sob wrenched from her throat and she began to shake in Fred's arms.
"They-they don't remember me. They can't. Tht. Mungoth thinkth it'th irreverthible."
Fire ripped through Fred's stomach in the form of pure rage. He hated, hated, St. Stupid. Mungos. Those idiots should not be licensed. How could they never cure anything? Hermione, her parents, him. No one was being cured. Just told it was hopeless.
They had healed his father, and his brother, he knew, but he still hated that they couldn't heal Hermione. She'd already lost her hearing, she had to wear a scar that spelled out 'mudblood' on her bloody arm. They couldn't fix either of those either. Why?
Fred couldn't say anything. Hermione continued to weep and he held her closer, hating that he was powerless to ease the pain. Powerless to ever make this better.
He wasn't sure how long they sat there. Him holding her and her weeping into his chest. At some point Archimedes laid his head on her lap, trying to offer a bit of comfort as well. Eventually her sobs quieted, and turned into hiccups. Fred still held her, he held her until she fell asleep, tear tracks still staining her cheeks.
-o-o-o-
Hermione felt like a bit of a heel. She woke up in the middle of the night to find herself in Fred's bed, wrapped up in his quilt and his arms. She felt secure, loved, and cherished.
Then she realized what had happened. She'd come to her boyfriend's house for dinner, where she had gotten drunk, received a beautiful necklace and then preceded to weep on him. He'd made everything perfect for a celebration, and she'd ruined it.
What had he been celebrating?
Fred's arm tightened around her waist and he nuzzled her head. He chuffed out a breath and relaxed again, mumbling her name in his sleep. Hermione smiled before returning to her thoughts. What had been going on a year ago? He'd been blind... He woke up on the 19th of May, it wasn't that.. Today was the 26th, well 27th now but it had been the 26th when he'd started and-
Sweet Merlin, she was in love with a man that was perfect. It had been a year since she told him she was deaf. A year since they had become friends. He remembered, and she'd ruined the night.
He let her too. He'd held her and hadn't tried to say anything. He understood that she just wanted his presence. Just needed the security of being held and loved.
She'd already accepted the fact that her parents weren't going to be found. Finding them, and then discovering they couldn't' be made to remember had been painful, more so than she'd really been equipped to handle.
Fred pulled her down to his chest, holding her close and startling her enough to yelp. She looked up to see him staring down at her, a frown on his face.
'Don't think. You're over analyzing whatever it is. I'm fine, and I'm just worried for you. You didn't ruin anything last night.'
It wasn't fair how he seemed to know what she was thinking.
'Now, breakfast or cuddling?'
"Cuddling." Hermione sniffed and snuggled into his side. "I'm sorry about last night. I was upset about... well, I feel like I robbed my parents of their life."
/You didn't. Voldemort did./ The hand he signed with reached over to caress her arm for a moment before it continued. /You saved them./
"It's going to be hard." It was a fact, not a question. Just a statement she needed to make. Fred nodded his head.
/Yeah./
"The necklace is really beautiful. I can't even believe you did that. I'd almost forgotten about the flowers."
/They grow around the tree you love at the Burrow./
Hermione raised a surprised eyebrow. "They do? I didn't know that." Fred grinned and nodded.
/Neville found a pink one somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. I can't believe he actually went in there, willingly./
"I remember back in my first year he nearly had a heart attack at the mere thought."
Fred snorted. /God, with the dragon?/
"Yes."
/That was the single craziest thing Hagrid did./
"Need I mention Aragog?"
/Touché./
Hermione smirked. "Can you believe I've almost been a teacher for a full school year?"
/One more week?/
"Yes." Fred stiffened beneath her and that was not okay. Not only had Hermione been quite comfortable, but she didn't want Fred upset. She'd purposefully lightened the conversation. "What's wrong?"
'I-uh-I have something I want to talk to you about.'
"Yes?" Fred bit his lip, his sightless eyes flickering around her face. They always seemed to be searching for her eyes, holding still only when they found them. It was unnerving and so very incredible that it never failed to steal her breath.
'You're not able to stay at Hogwarts over the summer, right?'
"Right. I'm looking for a flat at Angelina's building." It would probably be simpler to stay at the Burrow for the two months, but Hermione didn't want to impose on the Weasleys'. Though, Ginny was the only one still living with Mr and Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Ron had a flat together in London. She wasn't sure how they managed to stay incognito, but they did. It wasn't too messy either. Another surprising fact. Neville was going to be staying with them over the two summer months. They'd offered a room for Hermione, but she'd declined. She loved them, dearly, but she did not want to live with them again. She'd had quite enough of that with the Horocrux hunt, thank you very much.
'Oh, well, then never mind.'
"No, wait. What were you going to ask?" Hermione hated when Fred wasn't sure. He only ever got that way with her too.
'Wouldyoumaybewanttomoveinher ewithme?'
Hermione was a positively brilliant lip reader, ask anyone, but even she couldn't decipher that. "I'm sorry, I did not catch any of that."
Fred swallowed and closed his eyes. He fisted his hand on top of the duvet then shook his head. He opened his eyes again, found Hermione with them and started again. 'Would you like to move here?'
"Live with you and George?" How had that never even occurred to her?
Fred sighed heavily and tilted his head back onto the pillow. /Just me. George is wanting to move in with Angelina so we'd have plenty of room. We own the flat so you wouldn't have to pay rent. It's just a thought. I'd never pressure you./
Hermione laid back down and closed her eyes. Laying like this, the only thing she was aware of where scents and touches. Fred's warmth, the smell of the detergent he used on his clothing and linens. It helped to clear her mind. Sharpen her focus and enable her to really concentrate.
It was a big decision. She would be living with her boyfriend-were they strong enough a couple to do that? She valued privacy, she'd lose a lot of it if they did that... Would there be more arguments?
She wanted to marry him someday, it'd be a good test to see if they were compatible. She'd probably spend every night with him anyway. Not paying for rent would be helpful as well. One didn't teach at Hogwarts for the pay.
It would be risky, and could end horribly, but Hermione was quite sure it was worth it. Call her crazy, but she thought they might make it work, and it would be incredible
"Yes."
/Yes?/ Hermione opened her eyes and sat up. She hovered over top of Fred and studied him for a moment before giving her head a curt nod. Yes. She wanted this.
She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Yes, Fred. I'd love to move in with you."
A/n: lover of books, 93 Diagon Alley, SquirrelGirl8, Fruitality, Oi-isawwhutyuuhdidthar, BrightestWitchOfHerAge16, dance-sing-love, and iLoveRomance2o11 all got the song correct. It was 'Seasons of Love' by the Rent cast. I don't actually like that musical too much (I know someone who died from Aids and it's just depressing in that manner.) but I LOVE that song. (And la vie bohema!)
A lisping Hermione is inspired by the idea that she can't hear herself, and forgets the proper way to make the sounds when she's drunk. That, and I find the idea of Hermione lisping to be very amusing. I'm not sure why, I just do.
Now, Peter Pan is currently winning the vote on which story I write next (I'm going to write both eventually) but there is still time to vote. I won't decide until I'm done with this story.The choices are as follows:
1) A peter pan spin off, featuring Hermione as Wendy, and Fred as Peter. The rest of the cast will be made entirely of Harry Potter characters, and it'll defer quite a bit from the book/play/movie adaptions of the story.
2) A post DH (Fred alive) story based of Ellie Goulding's song 'Lights.' During the battle, Fred dies, and what he sees during the two and a half minutes he lay dead, continues to haunt him. He gets reckless and things happen. I can't go into too much detail or I'll spoil my story :)
Let me know which idea you like better, please!