Chapter 15

The Same Night - A Few Hours Later

A little before dawn the door to Hermione's room slowly swung open and a blond head peeked inside.

"Hello, Luna," whispered Fred as he propped himself up on one elbow, taking care not to disturb Hermione in the process.

"Hello, Fred. Don't get up. I didn't mean to bother you. I needed to visit the loo and George and the others were still asleep so I decided to check and see how Hermione was doing."

"She hasn't woken up yet. How are you feeling?"

"Much better now, thank you."

She stepped nearer and gazed at her sleeping friend.

"She was incredibly brave, you know. She never broke. Never gave them the information they wanted, no matter what they did to her. It was most impressive." As she spoke, Fred noticed how she absent mindedly pulled her dressing gown tight around her. "Especially when you realize how...persistent Bellatrix can be."

Fred's heart ached at the thought of what this sweet little witch must have gone through over the past three months. "I-I'm so sorry, Luna."

Luna smiled softly in response then turned to leave. Fred wanted to say something else but wasn't sure how to word it without betraying his twin's confidence. He settled on, "Luna? George…He – he was really worried about you. He missed you…a lot."

The look in her eyes gave him reason to believe that she understood what he was trying to say.

"Thank you, Fred. I missed him a lot as well."

xoxoxo

Fred was still cradling Hermione a couple of hours later when she began twitching and flinching then suddenly she shot up into a sitting position, gasping for air as if she'd been deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time.

Her eyes darted wildly around the room as her arms thrashed about and she began shouting incoherently. Fred managed to gently subdue her, pulling her close while repeating soothing assurances.

A moment later Fleur burst in. When she realized what was happening she ordered everyone else to wait outside whilst signaling to Fred that she was going to prepare another draught.

Fred rocked Hermione while gently rubbing her back in an effort to calm her.

"Shhh...It's okay, love. It's okay. You're safe. I promise. I promise."

He continued to sway back and forth until he gradually felt her breathing begin to slow. He thought she was improving until she looked up at his face and let out a heart wrenching sob.

"Oh, Fred! No! Not you! Please! Please! Not you!"

Fred brushed the hair from her eyes as his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Hey...Hush, now...Come on. Calm down. Everything's alright, Kitten. You're safe. I promise."

Her voice broke as her trembling hand reached up to stroke his cheek.

"When...when did you die, Fred?"

He laid his hand on top of hers. "I'm not dead, love. I'm right here. Perfectly fine, see?"

Hermione shook her head sadly. "No. You're with me so that means you're dead."

"What are you talking about, Kitten?"

Hermione closed her eyes, her body shaking, her words coming in ragged bursts.

"We were in the woods for such a long time with that b-bloody horcrux. C-cold...scared...hungry. Then there were S-Snatchers...and D-Death Eaters. Then we were at the M-Manor. With B-Bellatrix…and c-crucios…and a kn-knife….and b-blood…and p-pain….so much p-pain...then…then..."

She took a deep breath then exhaled slowly.

"Then everything went dark. Now you're here. So that means I died."

Fred fought back tears as he ran his fingers through her hair. "How do you reckon?"

"Harry said Luna told him that after you die you get to be with the people you love the most. And you're here..." She rested her head against his chest and repeated weakly, "…you're here."

Just then Fleur arrived with the draught. Fred took the cup from her and raised it to Hermione's lips while mouthing "George" to his sister-in-law. She fetched his twin and the pair spent the next few minutes trying to convince Hermione that they were all still very much alive.

Soon the sedative started taking effect and Hermione's eyelids began to flutter. She nuzzled close to Fred and murmured drowsily, "Whatever. Either way, it's okay."

"What do you mean, love?" asked Fred.

"I mean I don't care if I'm alive or dead. We're together now and that's all that matters."

Fred pressed his lips to her forehead and whispered, "You're right, Kitten. That's all that matters. Now you go back to sleep and I'll be right here when you wake up."

xoxox

The next few days were spent trying to rebuild Hermione's physical and emotional strength. Fred was by her side every step of the way — holding her, feeding her, reading to her, comforting her when the nightmares came.

Within a couple of days she felt well enough to sit up and feed herself. Soon after that she was able to get out of bed for short walks — first around the room, then around the house and then for short excursions along the beach.

She'd been there a little over a week when she and Fred made their way to a sand dune not far from the house. As Fred spread out a blanket and helped Hermione lower herself down, they spotted George and Luna in the distance, holding hands while walking back to the Cottage.

Hermione pulled her jacket around her, leaned against Fred and smiled.

"When did he figure it out?"

"When did who figure what out?" asked Fred, giving her arms a brisk rub for warmth.

"When did Georgie finally admit to himself that he was in love with Luna?"

"Ah — that," said Fred. "Noticed that, did you?"

Hermione chuckled. "Everyone did — except George apparently. I had my suspicions ages ago but as soon as I saw his patronus I knew for sure."

"His patronus?"

"Yes. Didn't you notice? The owl, being nocturnal, is the bird most closely associated with the Moon. Seeing how Luna's name literally translates 'of the Moon' it wasn't that difficult to make the connection. Add in how protective he is of her and the image of a bird flying overhead to keep an eye on a hare isn't that far of a stretch."

Fred tapped the end of her nose lightly with his finger. "Well spotted, clever girl."

"I try," said Hermione, snuggling against his chest. "So, when did the penny finally drop for him?"

"At the wedding, I think." Fred hesitated then added, "Just about the time I realized I was in love with you, I suppose."

For what seemed like an eternity all Fred could hear in reply was the roar of the waves, the sound of the seabirds and the pounding of his own heart.

He felt Hermione tense up before she whispered, "That's not funny, Fred."

"Then it's a damn good thing I'm not joking."

He gently turned face towards him.

"I love you, Hermione. As a matter of fact, I've loved you for a very long time now. Not sure when it started, really..."

He stared out at the ocean.

"George says he sussed it out as far back as the Yule Ball but I don't think it really hit me until we almost lost Georgie and I realized I was just as scared of losing you as I was him. I almost said something that night outside the Burrow but I thought it wasn't the right time. Then Mum had us all so wrapped up in wedding preparations that we never had a moment by ourselves."

He shook his head and chuckled before turning serious again. "But it was when I saw you dancing with Krum at the wedding that I knew I couldn't wait any longer. I'd just worked up the nerve to tell you and I'd started across the dance floor when—."

"— When the world fell apart," she said.

Fred nodded. "I was a wreck after that. Kept replaying that moment over and over in my mind, wondering what would have happened if I'd only approached you five minutes earlier. Got so bad that I convinced myself that I'd seen you try and say something to me before you disappeared. That I'd seen you—"

"— Mouth the words 'I Love You' before the crowd knocked you down?"

Fred looked at her in surprise. "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

"Because you didn't imagine it. I thought I might never see you again and I wanted you to know how I felt in case…."

A tear made its way down Hermione's face. "I thought about telling you in one of our notes but I was afraid if you didn't feel the same way it would be awkward and you'd stop writing or you'd just pretend you felt something that you didn't so you wouldn't hurt my feelings and I..."

Fred wiped the tear from her cheek. "What are you trying to say, Kitten?"

Hermione wound her hands around his neck and pulled his face towards hers. "I'm saying that I love you too, Fred."

Her lips slowly skimmed over his as his brain struggled to comprehend what was happening. The realization that he wasn't dreaming caused such a profound feeling of joy to bubble up inside him that he wasn't sure if he was going to laugh or cry.

He ended up doing both as he dug his hands into her hair and kissed her back — tenderly at first then with a passion so intense that the world around him spun with such force that he was grateful they were already sitting on the ground. When she deepened the kiss the taste of her threatened to overwhelm all his senses and their magic intertwined with a fervor that left them both dizzy.

When they finally broke apart, she gasped, "Fred?"

"Yes, love?" he replied as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Is this really happening or am I still under Fleur's sleeping draught?"

Fred kissed her lightly. "It's real. I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," he smiled. "You know...for such a bright and insightful witch, you missed a pretty big clue about how I felt about you."

"What clue?"

"My patronus."

Hermione scrunched her face in confusion. "Sorry?"

"Do you recall the first camping trip your parents ever took us on? The one near the Cairngorms in Scotland?"

Hermione nodded although it was obvious she was missing the connection.

"Remember, how excited you were to see the otters playing in the river?"

"Yes..."

"What else did your Dad point out to us, flying overhead?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "An osprey."

"Yep. At first I thought it appeared as my patronus because of the fond memories I had of that trip but after you disappeared I realized it was because I'd seen your patronus first. So instead of a weasel or a pine marten — both similar to otters — my mind conjured a bird that I associated with them. A bird strong enough and fast enough to intercept any predator that might threaten the otter." His voice cracked. "Unfortunately, that part didn't work out, but — "

Before he could finish, Hermione grabbed the front of his jumper and pulled him towards her, crashing her lips against his, snogging him as if her very life depended on it.

When they eventually parted for air, Fred whispered, "Wow. What was that for?"

"For being kind, caring and wonderful. Because I love you."

Fred grinned. "Okay. I'll accept that but what have I told you about feeding my ego, Kitten?"

"I'll take my chances." Hermione lovingly caressed his cheek. "Fred...do you remember the daydream charm you gave me when you opened the shop?"

"Of course."

"You know how I promised you'd be the first to know if it came true?"

"Yes?"

Hermione moved her hand behind his neck, her eyes shining as she brought his lips back towards hers once again.

"It just did."

xoxox

On the back porch of the cottage, Luna plucked a pair of Super OptiScopes from George's hand.

"That's enough of that. They deserve their privacy."

George gave a mock pout as he reluctantly relented. "All right. If you insist."

Luna placed the magical binoculars on the table then cast a concealment charm in Fred and Hermione's direction for good measure. She gazed at a flock of kittiwakes in the distance and asked, "So, when did Fred finally admit to himself he was in love with her?"

"At the wedding." George shifted his feet before draping his arm tentatively around her. "Just about the time I realized I was in love with you, I suppose."

Luna smiled as she placed her hands on his shoulders and raised herself up on her toes to press her lips against his.

"Oh, good. I was beginning to think you'd never figure it out."