Caffeinated Candies

Hermione didn't sleep that night. By morning her face was swollen, her eyes and nose were red, her throat felt like sandpaper, and she had a dull headache. She heard the other girls start to stir so she rubbed her face, swallowed thickly, and cleared her throat.

The sound of a bicycle horn rang loud in the room.

"Not this again!" Romilda complained, sitting up and covering her ears.

Hermione's jaw clenched. The anger boiled over in her chest and she felt it flow over her body. She knew if she had to listen to his voice, she might lose her damn mind. She sat up quickly, grabbed her wand and marched into the bathroom. Her chest was heaving, her teeth grinding together. She stepped in front of Poppy, who was on her way in there with her own wand, and shot her wand toward the toothbrush.

The toothbrush and the cup that housed it exploded, leaving tiny pieces of plastic and glass scattered throughout the bathroom. Hermione turned around towards the girls. She had a death grip on her wand and Poppy took a step back as a spark flew out of it. Her hair was unruly and static electricity was crackling around her brown curls. Wild magic was never good.

"There! It's done! Now stop complaining!" Hermione stomped over to her corner and started to pull her clothes out for the day.

She quickly got dressed, braided her hair, and slipped on her shoes before grabbing her bag and heading toward the door.

"Hermione, wait! Where are you going?" Ginny asked, jumping out of bed. It was still too early for breakfast.

"LIBRARY!" She yelled on her way out the door.

XxXxXx

That was where Hermione hid in the days that followed. When the library would close, Hermione would find an abandoned classroom and hide there until late in the night.

On more than one occasion, Ginny tried to catch her. She would always yell something about getting an owl from Harry, but Hermione would always wave her off.

Hermione didn't sleep much. When she did sleep, her mind was plagued with nightmares of Fred and Alicia. She would always catch them on different surfaces of the burrow in mid-shag, Fred always telling Alicia to ignore her. She caught on to these dreams and told herself not to roam, but when she did that, the two would appear in Ginny's bed or even beside her. She finally ran for it and headed toward the dock, the one safe place. When she reached the dock, however, she found that the couple had beat her to it and she awoke, a sheen of sweat on her body and tears falling.

She decided then it was best if she didn't sleep. The next morning she sent a letter to Harry along with some gold, asking him to send her a box full of caffeinated candies and asking him not to tell the twins who it was for.

Hermione spent the next week chewing on candies once every four hours, living in the library and abandoned classrooms, falling asleep for a few hours when exhaustion would hit every couple days. She would sneak down to the Great Hall once every morning to grab enough food and drink to last her the day before Ginny made it down.

Finally, Ginny asked Harry to floo one evening and asked him where Hermione was hiding. She was sick of Hermione running and hiding from her problems. She needed to stop hiding from the people that loved her the most just because she was hurting. Hermione was only making it worse on herself and Ginny knew she had to stop this madness. Ginny decided she was going to corner her and force her to listen. Harry told Ginny which abandoned classroom she was hiding in and wished her good luck.

Ginny found Hermione sitting at a large desk, books all around her, reading by the light of her wand. Her eyes were sunken in and her face was pale.

Hermione had started to sit in the back of the classes that they shared and always slipped out the door before Ginny could get a good look at her. She would shower and change her clothes when there was quiddich practice or when she had a break that Ginny did not. Hermione was a professional at hiding and it pissed Ginny off to no end.

She watched as Hermione kept yawning and her eyes kept drooping. Hermione reached in her pocket and pulled something out, popping it into her mouth and shoving the wrapper back in her pocket.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked quietly, trying not to startle her. Hermione jumped out of her chair and turned to look at Ginny.

"Ginny? What are you doing here? You should be in bed!" Hermione told her.

"You're one to talk!" Ginny said, crossing her arms.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Ginny?"

"I need to talk to you about Fred."

Hermione felt the bile rise in her throat. "I don't want to talk about him!"

"Tough!" Ginny grabbed her and pushed her back down in the seat. "Don't talk! Just listen."

Hermione crossed her arms and threw her feet out in front of her, crossing her ankles.

"Harry sent me an owl and explained what Fred meant. He was upset about seeing you with Nick and you were mad at him for not trusting you, so he wanted to show you that it's hard not to be jealous. He wanted you to process how you would feel if he was talking to a girl. He's an idiot and should have never used her as an example, but he hasn't slept with her since before the war. He hasn't even talked to her."

Hermione stared at the table and shook her head. "It doesn't seem like Fred to stoop to that level… he was jealous and I think he was angry enough to let his other relationship slip."

Ginny laughed darkly. "You make zero sense! He wouldn't stoop to that level to bring her up to make you jealous, but he'd cheat on you with her?"

Hermione sighed. "We never said we were exclusive! I just thought… I assumed… I'm just upset that he wasn't honest with me from the beginning. He should have told me."

Ginny shook her head, frustrated. "THEY AREN'T TOGETHER! He loves you!"

Hermione slumped lower in her chair and looked at her crossed ankles.

"You're grasping at straws, Hermione! You just don't want to let go of your anger! There is no Fred and Alicia. There is only Fred and Hermione."

"There is no Fred and Hermione." Her voice was soft, her lips pulled into a frown. The light from her wand caught the tears in her eyes and Ginny wanted to cry for her.

"Only because you've decided that."

Hermione shrugged.

"Why were you talking to Nick anyway? Harry said you two looked pretty cozy in the corner."

Hermione growled her frustration and jumped up, running her fingers through her hair.

"I WASN'T FLIRTING! He wanted to ask me something about Romilda and he didn't want anyone to hear! He loves her! And I am happy for them."

Ginny looked up at her. "You talked to him about their relationship? You were helping him with Romilda and they thought you were flirting with him? This is so effed up."

Hermione scowled, causing Ginny to smirk. "I didn't technically swear!"

"It was implied!" Hermione told her.

Ginny waved her off. "You swear, yourself. Get over it. Just so you know, I also talked to McGonagall. I told her that you weren't doing well and asked if we could take our exams early and go home for break a couple weeks early."

"Ginny!" Hermione yelled, stomping her foot. "Why would you do that?!"

"Look at you! You aren't sleeping, you aren't eating… if you can't take care of yourself then Mum will! We're taking exams next Saturday morning and flooing home after."

"NEXT SATURDAY!? THAT ONLY GIVES ME NINE DAYS!" Hermione screamed. "Get out! I need to study!"

"You need sleep!" Ginny told her.

"I can't sleep!"

Ginny held up a vial. "Yes, you can! I nicked it from the infirmary. Sleeping draught." She stuck it back into her robe pocket and started to pack up Hermione's books.

Hermione decided to give up for the night. The idea of a deep dreamless sleep was too inviting.

XxXxXx

Hermione continued as she did the week before, barely eating or sleeping, too busy cramming for her end of term exams. Since she was no longer hiding from Ginny, she used the common room instead of a classroom. The upside to this was that she barely had time to think about Fred. He still managed to sneak into her dreams when she slept, but it took her a lot less time to forget about it the next morning.

That next Saturday came fast for Hermione. She just finished with her last exam and she paced in front of the Headmistress' office, waiting for Ginny who had the password for the stairs.

She didn't know how she would deal with seeing Fred. She was still angry and knew it would be awkward. She wondered if his parents knew.

Ginny came running up. "Piertotum Locomotor!"

The stairs started to move and they jumped on. Hermione felt nauseous. She wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"Don't worry. Harry said the twins have been staying at the flat. They won't be there." Ginny told her, pulling her arm away from her stomach and holding her hand.

They stepped to the door and knocked. It opened and Headmistress McGonagall was standing by the floo.

"I have sent your trunks ahead of you. Ms. Granger, I am sorry that you have been having a hard time. Molly assures me that she will get you back into shape."

"Thank you Headmistress, but really I'm fine." Hermione told her.

She pursed her lips together, her eyes skimming over Hermione. "You have been through a lot in the last couple years, its time you take care of yourself. Get some rest."

Hermione gave her a small smile.

Soon they found themselves in the sitting room of the burrow and Mrs. Weasley flung her arms around them both.

"My girls! I've missed you! I've made you brunch! Come sit!" She pulled them toward the kitchen.

"Hermione, dear… you look exhausted! Have you been eating?" Mrs. Weasley asked as they sat down.

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I've been so busy with my studies, it kind of got out of hand." Hermione told her, feeling guilty that she didn't tell her the whole truth.

"Don't worry, dear. We can fix that."

The girls ate and she shooed them up to their room for a nap. Hermione laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She kept sighing and wiggling about.

"Hermione! I am trying to sleep! Either tell me what is bothering you or shut up before I hex you!" Ginny said, smacking her bed.

"You don't have to be such a crank!" Hermione told her, sitting up.

"You are home! Your exams are over! The twins are gone! So what are you so huffy about?" Ginny asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

"I just want…" She sighed again. "I don't know what I want! I don't know how to feel or what to believe or what to do. I want to believe you and Harry, but I still have the idea of it in the back of my head. I see it every night in my dreams. It's devastating. And even if it didn't happen, I'm still angry that he used her name to upset me!"

Ginny fell back onto her pillow. "I don't know what to tell you, Hermione. I think you should speak to him. It'll help you decide. I can't make the decision for you."

Hermione laid back to her pillow and closed her eyes.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked after a few minutes.

"Yes?"

"I wrote Alicia."

"YOU WHAT? WHY?" Hermione flew to a sitting position.

"I did it the day after it happened. I was so angry with Fred, I wrote her a pretty terrible note." Ginny said, chewing the inside of her cheek.

"You were angry with Fred… so you owled Alicia?" Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You do realize you embarrassed not only yourself, but Fred, Alicia, and me, too?"

She watched Ginny's face redden. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I was just so angry."

"So what did Alicia say?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shook her head. "I never got a letter back."

Hermione snorted. "Lovely." Her eyes widened. "What if she owled Fred?"

Ginny face palmed.

"Way to go, Gin."

"Just talk to Fred, Hermione. I'm sure I would have heard from him if she sent him something."

"How long do you think I can hide without him finding out I'm here?"

Ginny snorted a laugh. "From Fred? You realize it's Sunday tomorrow, right?"

Hermione whimpered and hid in her pillow.

"Well… at least you'll get to see Bill!" Ginny said trying to make light of the situation.

"Yea… and what happens when he asks why Fred and I aren't joined at the hip?" Hermione asked, coming out from her pillow.

"Er… I didn't think of that…"

XxXxXx

Hermione took her time getting ready the next morning, trying to keep herself busy. She picked a pair of dark washed jeans, a cream colored camisole with a cranberry colored jumper with a wide neck, showing her collarbone and most of her shoulders.

She braided her hair to one side and applied a little makeup, doing her best to hide the dark circles and sunken eyes. She slipped on some socks and her pink chucks.

"WHERE ARE MY SISTERS?!" The voice of Bill yelled from downstairs. Hermione saw Ginny fly down the stairs and she followed closely behind.

Ginny jumped into his arms and Hermione waited behind her.

"I've missed you, Bill!" Ginny exclaimed.

"I've missed you, too Gin-Gin!"

"Okay! You've had enough time! My turn!" Hermione told Ginny, pulling her away.

Bill laughed and pulled Hermione into his arms. He looked down at her.

"Wow, Hermione. You look terrible."

Hermione's mouth dropped. "Thanks Bill, you look nice, too!" She smiled and started pulling away.

He held onto her. "Oh no, you don't! You just look exhausted and thin is all. Seventh year beating you up that bad?"

She nodded. "If Ginny hadn't asked the headmistress to go home two weeks early I might have been able to relax a bit! Instead I've had to study twenty hours a day!"

Ginny tutted.

Bill grinned. "Surely you needn't study that much! You're brilliant already. Did you really study twenty hours a day?"

Hermione blushed and pulled away. This time he let her. "Well, I had my classes and I slept a few hours a night…so it wasn't a full twenty, I suppose." Hermione sighed. "I sound completely mental, don't I?"

Bill tapped the end of his nose and Hermione smiled shyly.

"George!" Hermione heard Mrs. Weasley shriek from the sitting room. Hermione found herself hiding behind Bill. He tried turning to figure out what she was doing, but she held on to the back of his shirt, holding him in place.

"What'd he do?" Bill asked, knowingly.

"We'll explain later!" Ginny told him. "Although, she's probably hiding from the other one."

"Fred?" Bill asked. Ginny nodded.

Bill spun quickly causing Hermione to lose her grip and turned to her. "What did he do to you?"

Hermione shook her head and opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted.

"GINNY?" George called, surprised to see his little sister home early.

Hermione closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to disappear. Bill grabbed her arms. She opened her eyes and looked at Bill, blinking rapidly to rid her tears.

"Hermione…" Bill asked. "What's-"

"Hermione? HERMS IS HERE?!" George pushed Bill to the side and hugged Hermione.

"I'm still mad at you." She told him in his good ear while he hugged her.

He pulled back and smiled brightly. She looked down at the floor. His face too closely resembled the one that haunted her dreams.

He bent down to her ear. "Mum is still giving him a hard time in the sitting room. You have time to disappear if you'd like."

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Ginny? What are you doing here?" The voice made Hermione's smile fall and her face pale even further. Her heart betrayed her and leapt, hearing his voice.

"Don't worry. He won't do anything rash with everyone around. You do need to talk though…" He surveyed the dark circles under her eyes. "Maybe after you get some rest?"

She sighed and let her forehead fall against his chest. She closed her eyes and tried to find the courage to face him.

"Hey… everything will be alright." George rubbed her back.

She snorted a laugh that turned into a whimper.

"Don't let him see you sweat." He whispered in her ear.

She took a deep breath and straightened up, nodding.

"George? Who are you…" George turned, revealing half of Hermione behind him.

"Hermione?" Fred took a moment to look her over and his heart dropped to the floor. Her face was sunken in and pale, her eyes were hollow and black circles surrounded them. His hands twitched, wanting to pull her to him and make it better. He squeezed them into fists, knowing he didn't have that right anymore.

She gave a nod towards him. "Fred."

"Did I miss something?" Mrs. Weasley asked, confused with how her children were acting.

"Yes." George piped up. "Hermione couldn't deny my charm any longer and decided to be with the more handsome twin." George threw an arm over Hermione's shoulder.

"Oh?" Mrs. Weasley looked at the two of them. She looked as if she wasn't sure if it was a joke or not.

"No, that isn't true. Fred and I just got into a disagreement." Hermione said, stepping in front of George and pushing his arm off her shoulder.

"Well, I'm sure you two will sort it out!" Mrs. Weasley told her, smiling.

Hermione chewed her lip and looked at the floor.

Fred finally tore his eyes off of her for the first time. "Uh, so Mum… what are we having tonight?" He asked, trying to give Hermione an out for the moment.

XxXxXx

Hermione sat on the sofa in the sitting room while the twins helped their mum get the food started.

She wondered where everyone else was. Ginny was probably off snogging Harry in his room, but Bill and Mr. Weasley were both missing. Fleur had to work and couldn't make it that day.

Mrs. Weasley was angry at the twins for some unknown reason and took their wands, making them make dinner the muggle way.

Hermione couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

She laid down on the couch with an arm over her eyes. She decided she'd just rest her eyes a few minutes.

It was only a minute into her eye resting when she felt a hand pat her leg.

"Ugh. Get your own sofa!" She groaned, unwilling to move an inch.

"But I want this one."

She jumped up and moved her legs. "I'm sorry, Bill! I thought you were one of the boys!"

He chuckled. "Oh? Am I not one of the boys?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but smirked. "You know what I mean."

He nodded. "Thanks for sharing the sofa."

She smiled. "Just don't tell the others I gave it up so easily."

He chuckled. "Our little secret." She gave him a small nod and relaxed against the sofa, stretching.

"Hermione… tell me what's going on."

She looked down at her hands and played with the hem of her sweater. "About?"

"Fred. Don't roll your eyes at me, Hermione Jean! You tell me."

Hermione cracked a smile. "The middle name? I didn't even know you knew what it was."

He grinned. "I wouldn't know if it wasn't for Mum."

"She does like to use those middle names…"

"Don't try to change the subject. Tell me what happened."

She rearranged herself, tucking her feet under her and began to tell him the story.

She started with the Nick conversation, went over what happened during the floo call, how she interpreted it, her talk with Ginny on how Harry thought he meant it, and her downward spiral with the caffeinated candies.

Bill sat there and listened through the whole thing, making faces and nodding and shaking his head at certain parts.

"First of all, you need to stop eating that candy. You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

She automatically put a hand on her pocket. He looked down at her hand and held his out. "Give them to me."

"But, I love them."

"It's stronger than a muggle energy drink. They're bad for you. Hand them over." He leaned towards her.

"No!" She jumped up and headed toward the kitchen, effectively grabbing one out of her pocket and was in middle of unwrapping it when she heard Bill yell to the twins to grab her.

She hurried to the other side of the table and pulled it from its wrapper. "Drop it, Granger!" Bill told her.

She shook her head and popped it into her mouth, a small smile on her face.

He ran around the table for her and she squealed, running the other way.

"What is going on?" Fred asked.

"She's addicted to your stupid energy candies. I'm trying to take them!"

She stopped and looked at Bill across the table. "I am not! I just enjoy their flavor! Plus they give me a little pep." She said, wiggling her hips a bit.

Bill smiled at her and lunged over the table and she ran the other way.

"Ah… that's who Harry was sending them to!" George realized.

"She's right in front of you! Grab her!" Bill yelled to George.

His arms flew up and she side stepped him, heading towards the stairs only to be intercepted by Fred.

She turned quickly, but he grabbed her from behind and she struggled in his grip. She picked up her legs and tried to be a dead weight, but it only made him smile and made her angry.

Fred suddenly wished he could carry up the stairs to talk to her right then. He missed having her in his arms… even in mid-struggle.

She turned in his arms and tried wrestling away, but he brought her to the floor and straddled her. He held her hands above her head with his left hand while his right one searched her pockets.

"Stop! Fred! Get off of me! How dare you! Get your hands off me! Let me go!"

He smiled when he found what he was looking for. He stuck them in his pocket and she scowled.

"How dare you! I paid for those! It's your fault I take them!" She growled from underneath him, kicking her feet.

He raised his eyebrow. "And why is that, Granger?"

She stopped squirming. "Because every time I close my eyes I see you with her."

He let go of her wrists as his face fell. She pushed on his abdomen and he lifted his leg and let her run off to her room.

"Fred…" Bill stood next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Get up. We need to talk. George…" Bill pointed to the stairs.

"On it!" George wiped his hands on a dishtowel and headed up the stairs.

Fred shook his head. "Not now."

"Yes. Now."

The men sat on the sofa and Fred rubbed his sweaty hands on his jeans.

"Bill… I don't know what you've heard, but I assure you I didn't cheat on Hermione." Fred stared down at his shoelaces.

"I know."

Fred's head shot up to look at his brother. "You believe me then?"

Bill chuckled. "Fred, people may call you a lot of things, but cheater isn't one. You might have dated a few girls, but you always remained faithful… even when they didn't last long."

Fred sighed, relieved. This conversation went in a completely different direction than he thought it would.

"That doesn't mean you aren't a giant prat. We all know the type of relationship you had with Alicia. You could have said any other woman's name and I guarantee that the argument would have ended differently… maybe even in your favor. Why on Earth did you think that using her name was a good idea?"

"I was just hurt that it was so easy for her to get close to someone else. Let's be honest… she already has enough men in her life… why does she need another? A headboy at that… he plays by the rules, respects authority… probably brilliant…"

Bill's laughter rang out, cutting Fred off guard and making him stop speaking. He scowled at his older brother.

"I'm sorry… but I didn't know you could be this insecure. It's curious really…" He smiled and shook his head. "You really are over your head, aren't you?"

Fred rolled his eyes. "I never worried about things like that with other girls because they didn't matter enough to care. I don't know what's wrong with me. I was even jealous of her and George's relationship at one point…"

Bill smiled. "You love her."

"I do… she's good for me. I don't know if I can say the same for her. We're so different. Maybe that kid is better suited for her."

"Now you're being ridiculous. What makes you think Hermione would want to be with someone just like her? By the way... he happens to love her roommate."

Fred cocked an eyebrow, so Bill continued.

"She told me they were talking about his relationship with his girlfriend. He told Hermione that he loved that girl and she was trying to convince him to tell her."

"Wow. I am an idiot." Fred bent over and put his face in his hands.

"Yes, you are being quite dim. You need to talk to her, but not now. Now that our pep talk is over, it's time I head up to talk to Hermione."

XxXxXx

Bill entered her room and knocked on the doorframe. George and Hermione were both sitting on her bed.

"Switch?" George asked. Bill smiled and nodded.

George reached over and tugged on the end of Hermione's braid. "Play nice."

Bill took George's spot as George left the room.

"We never got to finish our talk." Bill mentioned.

"You took my candy. I'm not sure if I'm willing to talk to you." Hermione said, crossing her arms.

Bill laughed and put an arm around her shoulder. "Oh my Tiny-Mione… how juvenile you can be for such a brilliant witch. Will buying you some sugar quills persuade you to talk to me?"

Her head fell back and she laughed. "Tiny-Mione? Really?"

"Like that? Just came up with it. It rhymes, you know." Bill told her, scooting back and leaning against the wall.

"Does it? Hadn't realized." She mentioned, raising her eyebrows.

He shook his head clear. "How is it that you can always get me to go off on tangents when you're avoiding a subject?"

She smiled brightly. "Had a lot of practice with Ron."

"Well that's a new development… using his name, I mean." Bill said, surprised.

She nodded. "I've worked through a lot of feelings towards Ron. I guess it's a good thing, because now I'm exhausting my resources elsewhere."

"It's not as difficult as you're making it out to be." Bill told her, finding an opening to the subject.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure about that."

"I believe him."

She looked over at him. "You do?"

He nodded. "Fred is no cheater. I have never seen him cheat on anything... not with games, not with sports, and especially not with women. He is head over heels for you."

Hermione mulled this over in her head. Bill believes him… the brother that was against them from the beginning is helping them sort this out.

"I hope you don't mind… but I told him why you were talking to the headboy." Bill mentioned.

"Nick." Hermione told him.

He nodded. "He knows he's an idiot."

Hermione sighed. "He still tried to purposely hurt me by using her name."

"I'm sorry, Hermione. He's daft."

She couldn't help but smirk. "He can be."

XxXxXx

Dinner started as an awkward affair. Hermione sat between Harry and Bill with Fred, George and Ginny across from her.

Fred and Hermione both took turns glancing at one another while the other was looking elsewhere. She couldn't look at him or George too long without visions of her dreams popping into her head and it frustrated her. She knew it wasn't real and hated that it had such an effect on her.

"So, Ginny… what did George do to you girls?" Bill asked.

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips and George's ears went red. "Don't worry Mum… it was all in good fun."

Hermione and Ginny took turns explaining what happened, starting with Pigwidgeon's 'gift' and ending with Hermione's fall out of bed.

Hermione did a great impression of Ginny's demented looking scowl and Ginny mimicked Fred's toothbrush and reenacted Hermione's fall out of the bed. By the end, everyone was in tears laughing and clutching their stomachs. Even Mrs. Weasley had a smile on her face.

George smacked Fred's arm. "You helped them? You are so whipped!"

Fred looked up and smiled across the table at Hermione. "I can't help it."

He watched her look down at her plate and blush. It was nice to see some color on her cheeks.

"I'm wound around her finger." He added. She looked at him through her eyelashes and he winked at her.

"How did your exams go, girls?" Mrs. Weasley asked, changing the subject.

"They went well, Mum." Ginny nodded.

"I think I did well… I'm a bit worried that I didn't explain the long term effects of using the cruciatous curse too many times on one person in enough detail… but it didn't specify that we had to separate the short term from long term effects, so hopefully the professor won't dock points for that." Hermione mentioned. When she saw everyone's open mouths and glazy eyes she blushed. "Sorry."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You'll probably get extra credit for separating them."

Hermione's face brightened. "You think? I hope so. I wonder if we'll get an owl about our exams soon or if we'll have to wait for everyone else to take them."

Mrs. Weasley jumped up. "That reminds me! Fred, you got an owl on Monday! I haven't seen you this week so I forgot all about it." She disappeared into the sitting room.

"Who would owl me here?" Fred asked.

Hermione gave Ginny a look. Ginny suddenly took extreme interest in her peas.

Mrs. Weasley shuffled back in. "Ah, here it is Fred. From an old friend of yours… Alicia, it says."

Ginny dropped her fork and Hermione felt her heart drop.

"I… From who? How… No." Fred fumbled his words as he looked at Hermione, who was looking down at her lap.

Bill threw his napkin on the table and made a move to get up. Hermione grabbed his arm and shook her head. She realized how bad it made Fred look.

She looked over to Ginny and it looked as if Ginny would be sick. She saw George grinding his teeth. He looked at her and she shook her head, trying to mentally tell him it wasn't what it looked like.

Fred looked down at the letter. He couldn't believe that this was happening. He felt every chance he had with Hermione disappear. He could feel tears welling up.

"Well… open it dear! I want to hear if she's well; she is such a lovely girl." Mrs. Weasley told him.

Hermione couldn't hold back a snort, so she turned it into a cough to cover it up.

Fred turned the letter and opened it, pulling the parchment out and slowly opening it. His heart felt like it was going to fly out of his chest and try to commit suicide by jumping out the window.

His eyes flicked up to Hermione before he started to read, but her eyes were on Ginny. He took a deep breath and started to read the note.

Hermione looked over at Fred and watched as his eyes scanned the words on the page. She watched his reaction. First his neck became red, then his ears and it spread to his face. He then clenched his jaw together and by the time he was done, his fingers were clenching the paper in fists and the table was vibrating from wild magic.

"Ginny." He said quietly through his clenched jaw. "Run."

Ginny flew out the backdoor and Harry went after her.

Hermione stretched her hand out to his fist and the table stopped vibrating. She took a deep breath and withdrew her hand, placing it back into her lap.

Fred noticed everyone staring at him and Hermione and he watched as her eyes kept flicking towards the back door.

Fred felt a hard smack on the back of his head and turned towards George.

"George!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

Fred turned and punched him hard in the shoulder.

"Frederick!" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

The door slammed and the twins jumped, turning towards the door.

"I believe we have a runner…" Bill mentioned.

"Hmm…isn't this familiar?" George said, sarcastically. Fred growled at him, before chasing after her.

Fred stopped in the garden and looked around. He saw Hermione running toward the orchard.

He sighed, shaking his head. He closed his eyes and disapparated, appearing ten feet in front of her. When he took a look at her, he was startled by her reaction. She wasn't scowling or crying, she wasn't frowning, or even frightened. She was smiling.

She jumped into his arms and kissed him hard on the mouth. Her reaction startled and confused him and he almost toppled over backwards.

"What was that?!" He asked Hermione.

She laughed. "We were backed into a corner. I couldn't let you get beat up by your brothers. The only plan I had to get us out of there was this one, so I ran. I ran, hoping you'd follow me and you did."

"You aren't angry about the letter?" He asked her, rubbing her back with his right hand while his left held her up.

She looked at him. "I'm angry about that letter, but with Ginny, not with you. She told me what she did. As long as you burn that letter and never speak to Alicia again, we'll be okay."

"That isn't a problem, but I think you should read the letter first." He told her, kissing her nose.

She nodded. "Also, I am still angry with you about using her name." He bit his lip. "So, as your punishment, you will carry me back to the burrow and we'll talk about it later tonight." She hooked her ankles behind him.

He laughed. "That's a fair punishment." She smiled and kissed him, relieved that they were in the mending stage of the miscommunication.

His whole body seemed to hum. The ache in his heart disappeared and he no longer felt hollow.

They headed back to the burrow, which took twice as long as it should have since Hermione kept kissing him every few feet and he kept forgetting he was supposed to be walking. If it had been warmer, he would have plopped them down against the trunk of the weeping willow by the pond and showed her how sorry he really was. Unfortunately, the sun was almost set so the chill in the air and the frost on the ground denied him that.

He set her down right before they entered the kitchen door. He opened it to allow Hermione to enter first and heard sobbing.

Hermione rushed in to find Ginny in a chair with her brothers and Harry around her, trying to calm her down. She pushed the boys out of her way and bent down in front of the chair.

"Ginny… what happened?" Hermione asked, rubbing her legs. Ginny looked at her and brought her hands to her face and cried harder.

Hermione turned to the boys for an answer. "We read the letter and found out that Ginny was behind it. She explained what happened."

Ginny nodded. "I'm sorry!" She said behind her hands.

Hermione stood up and sat in her lap and put her arms around Ginny. Ginny hid in the crook of her neck. "It was just a misunderstanding, Ginny. You were just trying to be a good friend."

Ginny nodded again. "You were just so upset! And I didn't know what to do… I thought they really were shagging behind your back and I hated to hear you crying all night because if it!" She said muffled in Hermione's neck. She pulled her head out of her neck and Hermione wiped her eyes. "I knew I had to do something, but I didn't know what to do… this was the only thing I could think of doing."

Hermione looked up at Fred, who was chewing his lip. He bent down in front of the girls.

"Ginny… what did you put in that letter?" Fred asked, resting his hand on top of hers.

Ginny sniffed and bit her lip. "Well… I told her to leave our family alone and that she was a homewrecker and I called her a few other names... Er… I also told her to never speak to you again and that if she does, I will… well… that I would... sterilize her."

Hermione's eyes were as big as saucers. She looked down at Fred, who was red in the face. She couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.

Ginny hid back in Hermione's neck. Hermione rubbed her back, doing her best to ease her friend.

"She isn't that terrible, Ginny. It's really a shame you think of her that way… especially since she was innocent in all this." Fred told her.

Hermione felt like she wanted to cry. She knew that he hadn't seen her lately, but hearing him defend his friend with benefits hurt her for some reason. She realized that asking him not to see or talk to Alicia anymore might be too much to ask. She didn't want him to resent her because of this. His loyalty to Alicia was strong.

Fred's eyes shifted to Hermione and she shifted hers to look at Ginny's red hair. She didn't want him to notice the tears in her eyes.

"I didn't know that at the time, Fred!" Ginny told him.

"She would never be with me while I was in a relationship, Ginny! She isn't that type of person; she's a nice girl. If we really were doing anything, it would have been all on me. You should have sent me the letter." Fred told Ginny.

Hermione turned her head away from him as her own tears began to fall. It was devastating to hear how much he cared for the girl.

Ginny looked down at Fred. "I know. I'm sorry, Fred. I didn't mean to upset everyone. I read her letter and I feel terrible."

Hermione looked at Ginny and wiped at her own eyes. "What was in that letter?"

Fred sighed. Hermione looked down at his mouth. She didn't want to look at him in the eyes, yet.

"She's been at a University School of Magic to further her studies and so the letter was sent to her fiancé. When she came home from term, he asked her about it. Obviously she didn't know anything about it, but he didn't believe her and they're no longer together." Fred sighed and shook his head. "She called me some names and she thinks I've been making up stories."

Ginny started to sob again. "I'm so sorry! I feel terrible!"

Fred chewed his lip. "You managed to make us all look like idiots as well as ruin their relationship. She hates me."

Hermione tried biting her tongue, but couldn't. "It is a shame that all of this is happening, but I wasn't aware of how emotionally invested you were in her. It's obvious your loyalty to her is deep." He looked at Hermione and opened his mouth open to say something, but she turned to look at Ginny before he could. "So… I suggest we sit down and write a letter explaining to both her and her ex about the misunderstanding. If that doesn't work, we can just tell them that Ginny is a lunatic." Hermione said, giving Ginny a small smile.

Ginny sniffed and nodded. Hermione took a deep breath and looked at Fred. "So… let's do this."

Fred smiled and took her hand. "You are amazing." She tried to give him a smile, but ended up looking away and blinking away tears. This was going to be hard for her to do, but she'd do it for Fred and for Alicia's fiancé. It wasn't fair to him, either.

The four boys sat around the table with Hermione and Ginny and they wrote the letter.

XxXxXx

Hermione lay in bed late that night, fighting sleep. She had awoken ten minutes prior from another terrible dream. She told herself she would not go back to sleep, but without any caffeine she could barely keep her eyes open. She was withdrawing from her constant use of the candy and her body was too exhausted.

She listened to Ginny's deep breathing and felt a tinge of jealousy. She wished she could sleep that soundly. She tried to be as supportive as she could for Ginny and Fred, but the things Fred had said and the way he said those things about Alicia, made her heart ache.

He and Alicia had a past that he obviously cherished and he cared for the girl. Fred and Hermione didn't have much of a past together and she didn't know Alicia well enough to even know how to live up to her. Fred had always been a loyal wizard and she wondered if his loyalty would ever run as deep for her as it did for his friend with benefits.

She sat up in bed, trying to stay awake. When she dozed off and smacked the back of her head against the wall was when she decided she had had enough. Fred had stayed at the burrow that evening, probably because of her and she was determined to get those candies back.

She headed up the stairs to his room and listened hard against the cracked door to make sure he was sleeping. When she heard his deep, even breaths she pushed the door open enough to slide in and shut it behind her. She quietly moved to the pile of clothes that were in a heap on the floor and searched his trouser pockets. Nothing. She suppressed a frustrated groan and started to search the room.

She shuffled papers around the desk, quietly opening the drawers to look in and found nothing that resembled the candies. She turned toward his wardrobe and started to search through his drawers there.

"What are you doing?" Fred whispered.

She gasped and turned toward him, making her way to the bed.

"What did you do with them?" She asked quietly, pulling the covers down to search his pockets, but realized he was down to his boxer-briefs instead of sleep pants. She blushed crimson and threw the cover back over him, turning to search more of the room.

He grabbed her and pulled her down on the bed. "Stop it! I need to find those! I'm too tired to fight you off!"

He pulled her to the pillow. "Then go to sleep!"

"I don't want to! I want those candies! I need to stay up! Please, Fred." She whined, trying to wiggle free.

"I thought we were better." He told her, suddenly worried.

"Listen… I am here for you and I am trying to be supportive, but my subconscious isn't minding me. It's still showing me things when I fall asleep." She gave up her wiggling and sighed. "With the candy out of my system, I can barely function. I'm so tired, Fred."

"Then lay with me. I'm right here with you. If I'm here I can't possibly be anywhere else." He pulled the blanket so that it covered her too.

Hermione thought it over for a second; his bed was so warm and it smelled like him; it was intoxicating. She felt her eyes start to droop. She sighed and turned to the side, reaching behind her to pull his arm over her so he could spoon her from behind. She felt him curl up behind her and kiss her shoulder before she slipped into unconsciousness.

An hour later, Fred awoke with Hermione startling awake and turning to look at him.

Her eyes widened. "Oh no. No, no, no… I can't do this. My heart can't stand it. Wake up, Hermione!" She threw the covers off of herself in an effort to get up but he grabbed her.

"You're awake. It's just you and me." He pulled her back to him and covered her up, pressing a few kisses to her lips while he wiped her tears away. "I am so sorry, pet. My heart aches for you."

He gave her time to relax and after a few moments, she settled back against his chest and rubbed her hand over his stomach. She enjoyed the feeling of his toned stomach against her small hands.

"What made her so special?" She asked.

"Sorry?"

"Well… you kept going back to her. She must have been special. I don't know if I could live up to her."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "It was just sex, Hermione… just a physical release. It wasn't what you're thinking it was. It wasn't like we were making love or anything, it was just plain. No emotion at all... not like lovers. We kept going back because we both knew what the other liked. There was no breaking in period. I trusted her and she trusted me. Comfortable sex between friends. You can't compare it to what you and Ron had." He played with a strand of her hair.

"Ron and I? We never… we didn't…" Hermione went quiet. She realized that Fred didn't know how unexperienced she was.

"You and Ron never had sex?" Fred asked, placing a hand over hers on his stomach.

Hermione felt her face flush. "No… we never did anything."

"Nothing? As in absolutely nothing?" Fred asked, his brows furrowed.

"No. Nothing. We kissed, that was all."

"You spent all that time alone in the tent with raging hormones and you didn't act on any of them? How did Ron take that?" Fred asked, playing with her hair.

"To be honest, he never tried anything." Hermione bit her lip. She felt as if her whole body was one giant flush.

"You mean to tell me my giant prat of a brother never even made a move on you?" His heart beat hard against her ear.

"You seem angry about his ability to control his hormones."

Fred snorted. "I'm annoyed at the fact that he had no problem with Lavender and then he has a chance to do the same with you and refuses."

"What do you mean with Lavender? Are you telling me… he and Lavender?" Hermione scowled.

Fred's body jerked. "Er… you didn't know?"

"No, I did not. Wow. Maybe he just didn't want me." Her heart broke at the news.

"I highly doubt that was the issue."

"How did you know about he and Lavender?" Hermione lifted her head to look at Fred.

"Well… he kind of boasted about it to George and me… and to be honest, we didn't believe him at first, but then Harry said he walked in on them in an abandoned classroom…" Fred searched Hermione's face. She looked down at his chest.

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"I'm sorry, love. Maybe he was just waiting until after the war. Maybe that's why he didn't make a move on you. He wanted to tell you first."

Hermione sighed and laid her head back down on his chest. He couldn't help but notice how soft it felt against his bare chest. His hand slid up her neck and his fingers slid deep into her curls. He pressed his fingertips against her scalp and slowly rubbed, causing Hermione to sigh. He smirked.

"Fred?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are you disappointed I'm not experienced?" Hermione bit her lip.

His smirk vanished. "What? Of course not! I'm going to be a bit more careful not to push you into anything now, but I am not disappointed at all. I actually kind of like the thought of me being the only man to touch you." He watched his own finger twirl her hair. "Is that terrible of me?"

She smirked. "No. Not at all. It's a shame I don't have any firsts from you, but I understand."

"That isn't true. The only sex I've ever had was just physical. I've never had an emotional attachment before. You are my first love… the love of my life. When the time comes, it won't be just sex…. more like showing how much we love each other. I've heard it's so much better that way."

She smiled, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "You know just what to say."

He laughed. "It's true."

She lifted her head and kissed him. "Goodnight, Frederick."

He smiled. "Goodnight, Hermione. I love you."

She laid her head back down on his chest. "I know."

He laid there and waited for her to continue. "AND?" He asked when she didn't continue.

She giggled. "And I love you too."

"I know." He noted.

XxXxXx

Hermione awoke the next morning and rubbed her face, trying to get her bearings. When her eyes focused, she realized she was in her room and wondered if she dreamed the whole thing. She turned and noticed the pillow she was clutching when she woke up was fuchsia. She smiled. It was Fred's. She snuggled back into it and breathed in the scent of grass, oak, and a bit of gunpowder. "Mmm."

"Finally conscious?" Ginny asked from the hall.

Hermione turned and smiled at her. "Yes… what do you mean finally? What time is it?"

"It's almost eleven. Mum didn't want to wake you now that you finally got some sleep, but I thought you might want to be woken up for lunch." Ginny strolled in and sat on her bed. "Fred carried you in early this morning… in his skivvy's I might add. I take it you two made up?" Ginny asked with a mischievous grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We're fine now… but I still think they deserve payback for the fairy dust and tooth brush."

Ginny's grin widened. "What do you have in mind, Hermione dearest?"

Hermione sat up and leaned towards Ginny. "Okay, so this is what I'm thinking…"