The rest of the night went smoothly after conversations about other's opinions of their impending marriage were out of the way. Neither of them had let the discussions bother them--in fact, they'd come to the conclusion that their own opinions were the only ones that mattered. They were going to be married, whether or not Lavender, or Cormac, or the Ministry, or even Arthur agreed with it. Sure, they'd still attend the appeal and try to do things the proper way...but if their appeal was denied, they'd have to get creative.

"What's your middle name?" Hermione asked, holding a quill to a blank piece of parchment. "I feel like I should know this given how many times I'm sure I've heard your mother shouting it," she teased.

"Gideon. It's mum's brother's name. George's is Fabian. They were twins too," Fred answered distantly.

"Okay, Frederick Gideon. How should I start this?"

"How about…"Dear Ministry of Magic. Please let me marry Frederick Gideon Weasley. I refuse to marry Cormac, and if you tell me no, you'll have to deal with the wrath of Hermione Granger...again." Fred pretended to write in the air as he spoke, his tone formal. "They can't say no to that, eh?" He grinned. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Right, that's perfect and I'm sure they'd approve it," she said, giving him a playful shove. "What about this?" she said and began writing on the page.

To Whom it May Concern:

I, Hermione Jean Granger, request an appeal on the marriage law requirements set before me by the Ministry of Magic. I am engaged to marry Mr. Frederick Gideon Weasley, and request that our engagement take precedence in the eyes of the Ministry. I thank you for your consideration, and happily await a response.

She signed her name cleanly at the bottom. The message was simple--she thought it best not to go into too many details before they even got accepted for a hearing.

"Brilliant. Can you write mine now too?"

"I've already come up with the words, all you have to do is write them on the page!" She resisted, holding the quill out to him.

"Fine, fine," he said, plucking the quill from her hand and copying down what she'd written out word for word, only flipping the names. "I'll send these off tomorrow morning with one of our delivery service owls. So if you want to back out, now's the time to say so."

"I'm not backing out...unless...are you wanting to back out?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione," Fred tutted, taking her hands into his and looking her directly in the eyes. "I wouldn't back out if they offered me a hundred thousand galleons."

Hermione flushed red, pleased with his answer. She smiled softly and took the two pieces of parchment, placing them in separate envelopes. "Well then, it's official I suppose. Er...official that we're trying anyway. They could still say no."

"If they say no, we'll run off and have a muggle ceremony somewhere."

"Your mum would love that," Hermione reminded him sarcastically. "Speaking of, we should probably head back to the Burrow," she continued as she glanced out the window at the dark sky. It was getting close to midnight and she knew if both she and Fred were missing, someone was bound to notice. She didn't want to overstay her welcome at the flat--George would be back at any minute, and who knew whether Verity would be with him. If that were the case, they'd probably prefer Fred and Hermione not be there.

"So soon?" Fred replied. "If you want to leave, I won't stop you. But they'll only notice if we don't show up by breakfastime and I planned on sticking around here a bit longer. I'm getting a bit tired of being mum's project of the week. And you didn't even let me offer you a glass of wine yet," he said enticingly, standing from the couch and heading to the kitchen before Hermione could respond. "Do you prefer white or red?"

She considered her options. She was having a very nice time with Fred and a glass of wine didn't sound bad either. "White," she called back to him after deciding that just a little bit longer wouldn't hurt. "But just one glass!"

"Right, one glass. That's a fair compromise." He returned with a glass in each hand, the bottle charmed to float in behind him. "Just in case you change your mind," he said with a wink and plucked the bottle from the air after handing one of the glasses to Hermione. They were filled nearly to the brim, hardly what anyone would call just one glass of wine. She rolled her eyes but smiled at him.

"We'll see about that." She took a sip, enjoying the cold sweetness of the liquid on her tongue. She'd relaxed considerably since they first arrived at the flat, having gotten the more unpleasant conversations out of the way earlier. This was the perfect opportunity to learn the deeper parts of Fred, things the Ministry may or may not ask about, but would be good to know about one's future spouse in any case. Hermione knew Fred but she didn't know him yet. Not in the way she knew Harry or Ron or Ginny.

"When was the last time you cried?" she asked suddenly. Fred nearly choked on his wine at the unexpected question, laughing at the bluntness with which she spoke.

"Merlin, I didn't know that was what I was in for when I said we should stick around here," he said after a few coughs.

"Mm, you're right. I probably could have started with an easier one. I'm just wondering what kind of things the Ministry is going to ask us about in our appeal. I thought we could do a round of twenty questions to start preparing."

"We haven't even sent in our appeal requests yet and you're already preparing. You're the most Ravenclaw-like Gryffindor I've ever met, honestly," he said while giving her a poke in the side. "It's not a bad thing. It's impressive," he clarified.

"Fine then, what's your favorite color?" she asked, trying to start them off with something a little bit easier.

"Pale blue. The color of the sky on a nice day--makes me think of flying around the Quidditch pitch. Do you think you'll find to your parents?"

Hermione hesitated. A lump in her throat started to grow thinking about how to answer. "I thought we were going easy to start," she said, her voice quivering a bit. "But yes, I do think I'll find them. Whether I can reverse the memory charm is writing thing."

Fred remained quiet for a moment, as if he was waiting to make sure he didn't interrupt if she had more to say on the subject. "I believe in you," he said, finally. "If I can do anything to help, just say the word and you know I'll be right there."

Hermione smiled sadly. "Thank you," she said. It felt nice to hear from someone, but it didn't necessarily make her feel better about her odds. She'd been purposely avoiding asking anyone for help—this was her mess, and her mess alone. She'd caused this, and she needed to be the one to fix it. "I appreciate that, I really do, Fred."

As if he could sense that she was ready to move on, Fred continued asking the majority of the questions and answering them for himself as well after Hermione had given her answer. After a few more rounds, Hermione had long forgotten about her plans to return to the Burrow. It turned out Fred had had better foresight than her. Their first bottle of wine was finished in much less than an hour and they'd just finished off a second. They were both beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol in their system—well, Hermione was at least. It was obvious that this wasn't Fred's first time drinking...or his second time...or third time. Hermione sipped her drink slowly--she wasn't particularly enjoying the constant heat she was beginning to feel in her cheeks. By the time they'd both had a few, she had to admit she was slightly embarrassed by how tipsy she felt compared to the way Fred was acting. If he'd felt any buzz, he was doing an excellent job of hiding it.

"How you feeling, 'Mione?"

"I'm good," she murmured dreamily. Her eyes were closed and a small smile rested on her face. She was swaying a bit, though she told herself it was simply because she was getting sleepy...not because of anything she'd had to drink. "Thanks for the wine...it's very yummy," she added as an afterthought. Fred chuckled.

"You're very welcome," he said, placing a hand on her thigh. The light pressure was nice.

"You have nice lips," Hermione said without thinking. She'd been studying his face—the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the sharp curve of his jaw, and his lips, of course, were especially enticing.

"Look who's talking," he replied, glancing down at her mouth. Hermione felt breathless at his gaze. She began to lean closer to him, moving slowly so as to make her advance subtle.

"Maybe, but yours are very nice." His hand remained on her thigh, and she placed hers on top of his. He didn't reply this time, his eyes still focused on her lips. It seemed that he, too, was now inching closer and closer to her, moving so cautiously that it was almost impossible to notice. The tension between them was electric. Their noses brushed against each other, but neither made a further move, neither wanting to be the one who broke the anticipation. "You said earlier...if I wanted you to kiss me, I just had to ask," Hermione breathed, moving her arm up and around his neck.

"I haven't heard you ask," he teased in reply.

"Fred…"

"Yes?" he asked, feigning innocence. He backed away from her, just a bit, and looked into her eyes. The mischievous smile on his face was making him all the more difficult to resist. She was slightly embarrassed to say the words, to ask him to kiss her, but it didn't seem like he was going to let her off the hook that easily.

"Don't make me beg," she insisted, looking up at him through her eyelashes. This was a battle she wasn't going to lose...at least not that quickly.

"Where's the fun in that?" Fred asked playfully as reached a hand up to cup her jaw, running his thumb across her cheek and looking deeply into her eyes. He ran his lips softly up behind her ear and down to her collarbone, taking care to slowly and deliberately plant each one in a way that made Hermione's heart race. Her breath hitched in her throat as he moved to kiss along her jawline, still choosing to ignore her lips as she had yet to say the words. Hermione laid a hand on his thigh, squeezing gently with each kiss he laid. He brought his lips back to her ear and whispered, "All you have to do is ask, remember?" She felt a shiver down her spine at the feeling of his warm breath on her skin.

"Kiss me, Fred. Please," she whispered. No sooner than she'd said the words did his lips crash against hers, desperately yet cautiously at the same time. The tip of his tongue traced her bottom lip, sending a shiver down her spine. Her mind, once foggy from the wine, was now clear and alert. Aware of every cell in her body, she grasped his hair in one hand and his shoulders in the other, trying to pull him as close to her as she possibly could. It felt as though their bodies might fuse together, the fluidity with which they moved simultaneously around one another felt so natural.

After several minutes, Fred pulled back and placed a soft kiss on her nose, then her forehead. He smiled softly and leaned back into the couch. Hermione felt her expression change to confusion. She leaned towards him again, trying to reignite the kiss. She hadn't been ready for it to end so quickly.

"Hermione," he said softly, putting both of his hands on either of her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. "We've had quite a bit to drink, yeah? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to keep snogging you senseless…" he paused, giving her one more soft kiss and cupping her jaw in his hand again. "But I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and regret anything. Or worse, not remember."

Hermione crossed her arms and pouted. Still feeling a little more than tipsy, she couldn't help but make her disappointment known. Yet in the back of her mind, she knew she'd be grateful in the morning. "Right," she agreed, trying not to let herself sound too desperate. "No, you're right." She sat up and moved away from Fred.

"It's really late," Fred noted. "If you want to just stay here...I think we'd make more of a scene going back now than if we just wait. You can sleep in my room and I'll sleep out here."

Hermione let out a deep yawn. Fred reached towards her and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest, enjoying the warmth he was radiating. "C'mon, sleepyhead," he said.

"Mmm, I think I'll stay here," she murmured into his chest. Drowsiness was setting in quickly. "Yes, I'll sleep here. You can sleep…... wherever," she mumbled lazily, yawning again. Fred's chest moved up and down as he chuckled softly. She glanced up at his face to see his eyes closed. He gave her a squeeze before yawning as well.

"If you say so," he said softly and moved to stretch his long legs out on the couch, assisting Hermione so she would do the same. It felt nice cuddling Fred, she though, before drifting off into one of the best nights of sleep she'd had in quite some time.

--

"Don't you all look cozy. Mind if I cuddle up?" George's voice awoke them both with a start, both in a bit of a daze trying to figure out where they were and how they'd gotten there. Memories of the previous night began to return slowly, followed by a pounding in Hermione's head.

"Bugger off," Fred groaned, releasing his grip on Hermione and sitting up straight. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked towards the window that now had sunlight glaring through it. "What time is it?"

"Just past seven," George answered cheerily. "Better get a move on, both of you. Shop opens up in less than an hour. I can't have two employees calling in 'sick' on the same day," he said, eyeing the empty bottles on the coffee table. "And I reckon you'll both be fine in a few hours anyway."

Hermione's headache was brutal, her stomach churning. She sat up slowly, but the room still spun a bit as she moved. "Remind me never to drink with your brother again," she mumbled at George. "And could you keep your voice down a bit?" Hermione rubbed her temples, hoping to ease some of the tension in her head.

"I was expecting more of a thank you George, for the nice blanket you brought us when you came home and saw us passed out on the couch and for the glasses of water you brought for us to drink before work, but I suppose the sentiment is close enough. Now, c'mon, lots of work to be done today!" George grinned and flicked his wand in their direction, simultaneously ripping the blanket away and vanishing the wine glasses.

The pair groaned but stood up reluctantly.

"On second thought, I quit." Hermione attempted and began to sit back down on the couch.

"Oh no, you're not getting out that easily. If I have to go, so do you." The twins both grabbed one of her arms and pulled her up.

"C'mon now, you spent nearly a year on the run with the boy who lived, a little hangover won't kill you," George teased.

Hermione only groaned in response. It was going to be a long day.