October 2005

Angelina was walking down the aisle in her beautiful white gown, yet Hermione's eyes were glued to the groom and his best man. They were wearing equally proud smiles as they took in the beautiful bride who was walking arm-in-arm with her smiling father. When Angelina reached George, they shared a tender kiss while Fred sat down on one of the chairs that were lined up for him and George. He looked over the crowd of wedding guests and immediately caught Hermione's eye. He sent her a small wink before he turned his attention towards the bride and groom again.

During the ceremony, all Hermione could think about was how nice it was to finally see Fred again. She hadn't really heard from him since summer. Rationally, she knew that he had just been busy managing their many new shops but it still couldn't take away the heartache she felt when she thought that maybe he had left her behind on purpose. Hermione was so lost in thought that she was having a hard time concentrating on the ceremony. Before she had processed what was going on, the ceremony was done and she was looking for a table with her name-tag on it.

She felt two large hands snaking around her waist before she heard a soft, "boo!" against her ear.

She spun around, now face to face with a mischevious-looking Fred.

"Fred!" She exclaimed, "congratulations on Georgie!"

"Thanks love," Fred said and smiled the same proud smile he had worn at the ceremony.

"You look very handsome in your green suit," Hermione said, straightening his bow-tie, making Fred's smile grow even wider.

"Thanks love! You look very beautiful in that dress too," he said and leaned down and kissed her cheek. The sensation of his lips against her skin made Hermione forget all her gloomy thoughts from the ceremony; he still cared for her.

"I'm glad you like it. I was scared that it might be too much," Hermione fiddled with one of the frills on her dress.

"Come off it!" Fred blew a raspberry, "you're never too much! You're always the perfect amount," he winked at her.

Hermione's face flushed with his compliment, but she turned towards the seating plan so he wouldn't notice her red cheeks.

"Are you looking for your seat?" he asked her, "let me save you some time. I made George sit you next to me at table two"

"Really?" Hermione said excitedly.

"Of course! Apart from George and Angelina, you're the only one at this wedding that I actually want to spend time with - and I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"Me too," Hermione said softly, "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too," Fred smiled broadly, "I'm definitely yours for the night," he sent her a wink and led her towards her seat.

Even though the tent in the Burrow's garden was filled to the brim with wedding guests, Hermione thought to herself that it was as if her and Fred were the only people left in the universe. She didn't notice anybody apart from Fred, and she enjoyed every last bit of being alone with him.

They talked, and laughed, and drank all night.And at six a.m. they walked arm-in-arm back to the Burrow, laughing and joking around. As they stood in front of the room that Hermione was occupying for the night, Fred looked at Hermione with a huge drunken grin,"I think I've had the best night of my life!"

Hermione shot him an equally drunk grin, "I agree! But don't worry, I don't think you'll run out of great nights just yet. You have bright days ahead of you."

"Love, I'm serious; best night of my life."

Hermione laughed at him, "does it really top the day you opened your first shop?"

"It actually did," Fred said and pulled Hermione in for yet another hug, "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too," Hermione said while pressed up against his chest.

"I hope you realise that I always think of you. It's not that I don't want to see you. Quite on the contrary. I just hope you know that.."

"I know, Freddy" Hermione sighed, "I wish you didn't have to travel even though it's very selfish of me."

"Naah, it isn't selfish, love. You're just hooked on the Weasley charm," he winked at her and Hermione laughed.

"Wow, I wish that this night didn't have to end," Hermione let out a happy sigh.

"Maybe it doesn't have to end," he smirked.

"Not ever?" Hermione teased him.

"Uuuh, look at you, Miss I-work-at-the-ministry," he teased her back, "correcting my English and everything"

"Hey, don't make fun of The Ministry," Hermione laughed, "I actually like it there."

"I know, love. As you should. I bet your employees think you're the best boss on the planet."

Hermione smiled at him, "I even have two of them fighting for my attention," she said, referring to her brightest interns who were doing everything they could to get her to hire them after the end of their internship.

Fred, however, misunderstood it as sexual attention and raised an eyebrow at her, "You have guys chasing you around?" He said and ran his eyes up and down Hermione's body a few times with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Stop eyeing me like that, you perv," Hermione laughed and smacked his arm lightly.

"I can do whatever I want," he said and shot Hermione a charming smile, "what if I was one of the guys chasing you around," he took a step closer to her.

"As if I would ever go for the likes of you," Hermione laughed and gave him a playful shove.

"I'm a successful businessman, you know," he said with raised eyebrows, "that's usually all it takes with the ladies. Their panties are dripping wet whenever they hear that sentence"

"You sure think highly of yourself," Hermione laughed, "who are you and what have you done to my Fred?"

"Your Fred?" He teased her, "I'm yours?"

"You know exactly what I mean," she laughed, "will you shut up?"

"Oh yeah? Make me!"

Hermione clasped her hand in front of his mouth until he stopped moving his lips. Slowly, she removed her hand, leaned in and whispered, "I have you wrapped around my little finger, Weasley!"

She had no idea who initiated it. It could've been Fred just as easily as it could've been herself but before Hermione had truly processed what had happened, her lips were indeed touching Fred's. Together they moved in unison in a passionate kiss. This kiss wasn't like the other kisses that Hermione had shared with other men. This actually had some sort of meaning behind it. As if it had been seven and a half years in the making. For a while, they were kissing sweetly but the kiss soon evolved to have more power with a hunger that couldn't be satisfied with their colliding teeth and intertwining tongues. Hermione had her hands twisted in the flaming red locks on top of his head while Fred's hands were trailing down the length of Hermione's spine, coming to a rest on the small of her back.

He broke away from her, panting "why have we never done this before?"

"I don't know," Hermione said before she flung herself around his neck, claiming his lips again.

-oOo-

As Hermione woke up the next morning, she couldn't remember exactly what had happened. The last thing she remembered was walking with Fred from the tent in the garden and up to her bedroom. Half-asleep, she remembered them talking in the hallway, them hugging, them teasing each other. Suddenly, she also remembered them kissing. How Fred had held her close and caressed her lips with his. With that in mind, Hermione jolted awake. She sat up straight and felt something soft and warm brush up against her calf. With a muffled whimper and without looking directly at the other side of the bed, she listened to the steady breathing of the person lying beside her.

'Don't be Fred! Please don't be Fred!' she whispered quietly, closing her eyes and chanting her prayer over and over again. However, as she slowly opened her eyelids after a series of prayers, she couldn't run from the fact that a flaming-haired man was lying next to her.

Fred was lying in her bed. And he was naked.

Hermione gave out yet another small whimper and closed her eyes in a hurry as if that would get rid of him and reverse everything that had happened last night. This would change everything. This would switch the entire dynamics of their friendship. This would surely be the end of them.

Hermione tried to fit together the puzzles to find out what exactly had happened last night but only remembered bits and pieces here and there. She definitely remembered kissing in the hallway. She also remembered Fred taking her hand, and how she had led him to her bedroom. How he had silently closed the door behind them before they had taken up their kissing again. She remembered Fred unzipping her dress, him carefully caressing her breasts. She remembered telling him that she hadn't had sex for quite some time. And she remembered him saying that he would take good care of her. Then she remembered her and Fred naked under the covers and then she didn't want to remember anymore.

Hermione squirmed uncomfortably under the covers, causing Fred to stir in his sleep. Slowly, his eyes started flickering open until he realised where he was. He took in the girl next to him, the realisation of what had happened last night visibly dawning upon him little by little. In the end, he was looking at Hermione with huge eyes, "are you..." he cleared his throat, "well, are you naked?"

Hermione nodded slowly, avoiding his gaze.

"Fuck, me too," he breathed, "what the fuck happened last night?"

Hermione didn't answer him. She knew that he too remembered - He was just in shock. As was she.

They lay still in bed for a few agonising minutes. Hermione was staring at the ceiling, wishing that she could take it all back. From the corner of her eye, she could see Fred looking at her as if he wanted to say something. She ignored it. She couldn't look at him. She just couldn't...

Without a warning, Fred suddenly heaved a great sigh, got up without a word and started rummaging around for his clothes. Hermione didn't want to see him in his birthday suit more than absolutely necessary so she desperately looked away from him.

As Fred was fully dressed, he turned towards Hermione, "are you not going to say anything?"

For the first time, Hermione looked him directly in the eye. She could see the hurt written across his face, and she wanted to tell him that she just needed everything to sink in. That it had nothing to do with him. That she was just in shock because they had done something she had never pictured them doing. She was looking at him with huge, desperate eyes. Her throat too dry to speak.

As Fred realised that Hermione had no intentions of speaking at all, he shot her a sad smile, "this was not how I planned last night to go at all. I'm sorry. "

Hermione still didn't speak.

Fred shot her a weird look. "I better get going," he scoffed as he realised that she intended to keep her silence. Without saying another word, he disappeared out the door and left Hermione alone with her confusion and embarrassment.