Chapter 11 - The Snowglobe
George and Angie seemed like they weren't in any rush to go back inside. And when George conjured a blanket and arranged it on the snow, Hermione wished for a pit to open up in the ground and swallow her up. As she watched, he helped Angie lower herself to the ground then sat behind her, providing back support. Unfortunately, the couple was still close enough that if she moved or made a sound, they were sure to see her, and she was in no mood to explain why she was crying. So, there was absolutely nowhere for her to go.
As she was desperately trying to figure out how to escape the Weasley's garden without being noticed, someone slid onto the bench beside her. A firm, warm arm came around her waist, and before she could even turn her head, Fred whispered in her ear, "I can love you like that, you know."
Her breath hitched and she turned, opened mouthed to face him. The smile on his face faltered and was replaced by concern when he saw that she had been crying. "Oh, love, what's wrong?" He reached up, and ever so gently wiped away her tears.
With so many thoughts running through her head, she blurted out the question that she desperately needed him to answer. "It's been you all along, hasn't it?"
He nodded, uncertainty clouding his features. "Are you okay with that?"
"Yes," she breathed, "I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that it's you. I've been afraid to hope, telling myself that I couldn't be that lucky." She paused, chewing on her lower lip as she tried to decide the best way to ask her next question. "If it was you all along, then why…"
"Why did I disappear tonight?"
"Yes, well, it wasn't really that you left, it was..." she trailed off, knowing that she wasn't making much sense.
"I didn't take the time to give you any sort of explanation. And I'm sure that it was obvious, if you'd been watching me, that I was a little upset."
She nodded and started to say more, but stopped when she noticed that he wasn't finished. What would his explanation be? For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why he would run out like that.
Pulling her closer to his side and casting a fresh warming charm as hers was beginning to wear off, Fred sighed. "I'm really very sorry that I worried you tonight. I had honestly expected things to go differently. The thing is," he smiled sadly at her, "I didn't know that Harry and Ginny were going to announce a pregnancy tonight, nor was I aware of Ron's plans to propose to Lavender. And I just didn't feel right about going through with what I'd planned. It would've taken attention from them. They already had to share their big moments," he shrugged as if begging her to see his point.
That made perfect sense. Teenaged, pre-war Fred may have not thought twice about taking the spotlight from anyone, but this mature, wonderful version of Fred thought about those things. That was just one of the many reasons that she knew she was falling in love with the man beside her. "I completely understand, and I agree with your reasoning. Thank you for thinking of them."
"Well, thinking of them, and not ruining their big news did come at a price. I still had to figure out a way to give you your pressie. I'd planned to wait until everyone else was done, save the best for last, you know?" he smiled wryly. "Then, when you unwrapped your present and immediately knew that I'd been your Admirer, I would have asked you to come for a moonlit walk in the garden with me so that I could show you privately what it does."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Really? Just what do you need to show me then?"
"Not like that, naughty little minx. It's perfectly innocent, I'll have you know. Your virtue is safe with me."
"What if I don't wantmy virtue to be safe?" Feeling playful and a bit flirty now that she knew that everything was going exactly as she hoped, she poked his side with the tip of her finger.
"I suppose I could be persuaded, but later. Much later. First I have to get on with my alternate plan. Which is why I ran off so quickly. I needed to go back to the flat and set up a few things. Would you mind heading over there with me?"
"I'd love to." Hermione allowed Fred to take her hand and help her stand up from the bench. She felt stiff and cold, even with the warming charm, and wondered how long she'd been out there. Looking up, she saw that Angie and George were gone. Was it a coincidence that they'd been there having that conversation right in front of where she was sitting? Could Fred have seen her watching them that day? She would have to ask him later. She'd had more than enough emotional turmoil for one night.
As they entered The Burrow, Hermione noticed that it was strangely quiet. Was it really that late? She knew that everyone would be up early in the morning for a Christmas breakfast and to do Santa with Victoire before she had to leave with Bill and Fleur to go to France, but this was strange. Curiosity getting the better of her, she whispered to Fred, "Where is everyone? Why is it so quiet?"
"Bill and Fleur were having trouble getting Victoire to settle, so they asked everyone to go to their bedrooms and put up silencing charms until they could get her to sleep. She's so excited for Santa to come that she was bouncing off the walls. They're all coming back out any minute now, so if you don't want an audience when you floo off to my flat, we should probably get a move on," he said, grinning at her.
Instead of answering, she simply nodded and followed Fred to the floo. When they stepped out of the fireplace, she gasped. Fred's flat had been transformed into a Christmas wonderland. Everything was decorated with white and silver, accented with bright blue. The blue wasn't what would necessarily come to mind when Hermione thought about Christmas, but the pop of nontraditional colour was so perfectly Fred that it made her smile.
There was a Christmas tree in the corner that was covered in white snowflake ornaments, with silver and bright blue baubles. Majestic looking silver reindeer wearing silly blue ties and hair bows adorned the mantle. And in the center of the room, on the low table in front of the sofa, was a beautifully wrapped Christmas present.
After taking her coat, Fred led her to the sofa, gesturing for her to sit. When she did, he grabbed a warm, soft throw blanket and wrapped it snugly around her body. He sat next to her, kissing her cheek, and gently stroking her face. "Would you like something to drink? I know that you were outside for a long time, and I'm guessing that you haven't had anything since dinner. Some tea maybe?"
Sighing, she considered her options. She really didn't want Fred to move. It was far too nice sitting here with him, but she was half-frozen, and she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since the early dinner at The Burrow. Tea was probably a good idea. Smiling at Fred, she nodded, "I would love some tea if it's not too much trouble. I think I was out there longer than I realised."
Concern immediately clouded Fred's features. "Do you need another blanket? More logs on the fire?"
"No, I'm fine, really. Tea will be nice though. It'll help warm me up from the inside." And as Fred rushed off to get it for her, she thought that what she really needed was a minute to process what had just happened.
As she waited for Fred to return, Hermione rested her head back against the cushions of the sofa. She was just so damn tired. Closing her eyes, she took a deep, cleansing breath. This day had been so full of emotional ups and downs that she was completely and utterly drained.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realise Fred had come back into the room until he was suddenly next to her, pulling her onto his lap and cradling her against his chest. "Is something wrong, love? What can I do?"
"Nothing's wrong, I promise. I'm just a little tired, but at the same time, I'm incredibly happy. I love just sitting here with you like this." She felt Fred physically relax, and had to stifle a laugh at his overreaction. His concern for her was very sweet.
There was more that she wanted to say, but she was having a hard time finding the right words. She took a second to gather her thoughts before continuing, and Fred didn't fill the silence; he seemed to understand that she wasn't finished. Turning slightly, she reached up to stroke his face. "When you kissed me again this afternoon, I can't begin to describe how wonderful it made me feel. And now that I know it's been you all along, well… I'm the happiest that I've been in a very long time."
Fred ran his fingers lightly through her hair, pulling her back down to rest against his chest before murmuring. "So, you're not still upset that I left like I did? I'll admit that it was mostly my own stupid need to create shock and awe and make a production of everything. If I would have stopped to think, even for a second, I would have realised that it was going to hurt you."
Sitting up enough to examine his face, Hermione saw the regret. "Fred," she whispered gently, "I'm not upset with you, and I definitely don't want you to think you need to change something about yourself. Being with you makes me feel happy and safe." She laughed then and he looked at her as if she had lost her mind.
"What exactly is so funny about feeling happy and safe with me?"
"It's just that since I accidentally slept here a few nights ago, I haven't been able to sleep very well. I tossed and turned for hours the first night before I realised that I wasn't nearly as comfy on my own as I'd been curled up in your arms, and I missed it. I missed you." She shrugged as she continued, "It's funny because it was only one night, it shouldn't have felt so normal so quickly."
"Good, I like knowing that it wasn't just me!" Fred murmured before his lips covered hers. This kiss was different from the others; it was slow, sensual. Hermione wasn't sure if it was because her emotions were already so close to the surface, but the way it felt like Fred was pouring his soul into this kiss had her eyes filling with tears behind her closed lids. She refused to allow them to fall though, not wanting Fred to think that he'd done something wrong.
As soon as he pulled away, she buried her face against his chest. The intimate feel of his arms cradling her while she snuggled into him was exactly what she wanted. But it also allowed her time to make sure that her eyes wouldn't be wet when she lifted her face.
They sat quietly like that for a few more minutes before Fred asked, "Can I give you your gift now?"
"Yes, please, although you've already given me so many wonderful things that I really don't need anything else."
Fred shifted her so that she was sitting on the sofa next to him, instead of on his lap. Then, he reached out and grabbed the package off the table. Handing it to her, he smiled. "Happy Christmas, Hermione."
"Thank you, Fred." Carefully, she began to remove the paper. Soon, she was left with a box that looked like it could hold one of those candles that came in a jar, or something else of a similar size and shape. Removing the lid, she reached inside and pulled out a lovely snow globe. But this was no ordinary snow globe. Aside from the circular silver base and glass dome, she could tell that it was magical, felt it hum beneath her fingertips.
Snow swirled inside revealing glimpses of different things, almost like a film or maybe a pensive, but it changed too quickly for her to be able to make anything out. She looked at Fred in awe, knowing that whatever she held, he had most certainly created it. "It's beautiful... please tell me how it works. Is it some sort of Pensieve?"
"It's not a Pensieve, but you're close. This is a DreamDome. Instead of storing your memories, it can hold your dreams, your fantasies. George and I started developing it as one of our study aids. We thought it could be used as a way to easily keep a dream diary, but then we realised its potential for our adult line, so we're making it for both and just packaging it differently. What I'm sharing with you is neither a dream diary, nor those types of fantasies, though I wouldn't be opposed to that at a later date," he said with a wink. "The images that you're about to see in that snow globe reflect how I imagine my life." He cupped her cheek and kissed her softly, before quietly adding, "When I think about how I want to spend the next eighty years or so…"
"Oh, Fred," she sighed, her heart stuttering. He was truly the sweetest man. "This is brilliant. Will you show me how it works?"
"Of course." Tapping his wand lightly against the snow globe, Fred murmured an incantation, "Phantasia adclaro." He lowered his wand, his arm slipping around her waist and pulling her in close.
The swirling images inside the glass dome immediately slowed and shifted into recognisable figures. When Hermione gasped, Fred whispered close to her ear, "I lied, the first one is a memory."
She nodded, all of her questions from earlier answered. Fred had seen her that day in early December, when she'd watched the interaction between George and Angie. Biting her lip, she asked, "So, tonight when they just happened to say similar things right in front of me in the garden… Was that all staged?" Gods, she hoped that Angie and George didn't know how sad she'd been that day, just from watching them.
"It was," Fred admitted, and it seemed as if her fears were founded. How embarrassing, she thought, staring resolutely at the snow globe, wanting to avoid Fred's gaze. "But," he touched her arm, waiting until she looked at him, "I didn't tell them what I saw. I just asked them to help me by going out and acting ridiculously sappy in front of you, which they're apparently wont to do anyway."
Sighing in relief, she smiled. "Thank you, I'm happy to know that I won't need to avoid them now."
Fred gestured toward the snow globe as the scenes began to change in rapid succession… the two of them enjoying a romantic dinner in what was obviously Trattoria Bella Rosa, Fred on one knee presenting a ring to her, Hermione walking down the aisle in a beautiful white gown toward a smiling Fred, the two of them hanging the snowflake ornament on a Christmas tree, a hugely pregnant Hermione lounging in bed with a little girl that had auburn curls tucked between them as they read The Night Before Christmas.
The images faded into a swirling mist once again. Hermione turned to Fred, knowing, but no longer caring, that she had tears in her eyes. "Fred," she breathed, running her fingers through his hair. She couldn't believe how vulnerable he'd been willing to make himself. He'd laid everything out. Made it so she didn't have to wonder about his intentions at all. Showing her his innermost thoughts, his dreams, was the most intimate thing she'd ever experienced. "I want that with you. I can't wait to experience it, all of it."
"Really?"
A soft smile on her face, Hermione nodded. "I really do. I know it's fast, and it may sound a little mad, but I'm falling in love with you."
Fred let out a whoop of joy before smoothly rolling and flipping both of them so that they lay together along the length of the sofa facing each other, "I love you, Hermione. I've already fallen head over heels for you, and I really do want to spend my life with you."
He smiled at her, eyes sparkling. "Will you have dinner with me at Trattoria Bella Rosa after we close on Boxing Day?"
"Yes, of course, I'll have dinner with you."
Then, he was kissing her, snogging her breathless, actually. When they finally broke apart, Hermione rested her head comfortably in the crook of Fred's arm. Very near sleep, something occurred to her. "Fred?"
"Yes, love?"
"When did we both touch the snowflake that you used to create my ornament?"
He grinned broadly. "The day at the beginning of December when you came to Sunday roast at The Burrow. Do you remember, when I suggested a snowball fight, how at the end you smashed that snowball in my face?"
Hermione nodded and replied, "I remember."
"Well, when no one was looking, I put that snow under a stasis charm and put it into my pocket. When I got home, I enlarged it all and found the perfect snowflake to use."
Warm, snuggly, and having all of her questions answered at last, Hermione started to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, Fred was shaking her awake. "Love, we need to decide where we're sleeping tonight. If we're staying here, let's head to my bed. I don't fancy sleeping all night on the sofa and waking up with sore necks. Do you want to stay here and just go back to The Burrow early enough that we don't miss Victoire opening her presents from Santa, or would you rather go back to The Burrow, where I'm fairly certain that you and I have been assigned separate sofas in the sitting room? With everyone home this year, there aren't enough beds."
Her sleep-addled brain had trouble making sense of what he was saying at first. When she processed what he was saying, she decided, "Let's stay here. Your bed sounds good to me. I want to sleep next to you."
Early the next morning, Hermione was jolted from sleep by the sound of a very amused throat being cleared. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Ginny's smiling face. "It's about time the two of you figured it all out. Now, get your arses up and get back to The Burrow. As soon as Vic wakes up we have to be ready; you remember what it was like at that age, she's not going to want to wait for anyone."
When Fred sat up, hair askew, Ginny screeched, "Fred Weasley! If you're naked under there, I do not want to see. Give me a minute to leave for Merlin's sake!"
Clutching at his chest, Fred gasped, "Ginevra, I'll have you know that I am not that kind of wizard. We haven't even had our first proper date yet. What do you take me for?"
Ginny laughed, rushing from the room. A moment later, they heard the floo and knew she was gone. Fred turned to Hermione. "Good morning, my love. Happy Christmas."
"Happy Christmas, Fred."
And it truly was a happy Christmas. Hermione didn't know what would happen next, but she knew that she was looking forward to her future with Fred. As they enjoyed the rest of the day back at The Burrow, she couldn't help but wonder what Christmas would be like in the years to come.