Spoon Me!
Hermione awoke on the twenty-first of December with two identical gingers jumping on her bed. It was still dark outside.
"RISE AND SHINE!"
"YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS!"
"TIME TO GET TO WORK!"
Hermione watched them through sleepy eyes, pulling her legs close to her before George accidentally jumped on them.
Fred bounced from her bed to his sister's, making Ginny's head bounce off her pillow.
George plopped down on his butt next to Hermione. "Finally, I get you to myself!" He wiggled his eyebrows.
Hermione rolled away from him. "Do what you must, just don't wake me."
She closed her eyes, too tired to deal with the hyperactive twins. They were all up until past midnight the night before going over everyone's duties for the shop construction and celebrating.
"Snuggles!" George yelled, curling up behind Hermione and putting an arm around her. She patted his arm and began to drift off.
Fred came bounding over and climbed over George and Hermione to squeeze in between the wall and Hermione.
"Spoon me!" He demanded. She sighed and threw her arm around him as he backed his bum up against her.
"Ginny," George called. "Do you want to…"
"NO!" Ginny yelled, making the other three laugh.
Surprisingly, the boys settled enough for the four of them to get another hour of sleep before Mrs. Weasley woke them on her way down to make breakfast.
"I'm starting to think you two are sharing Hermione." Mrs. Weasley half joked while they climbed out of bed. She knew it was common in the wizarding world for twins to share a soul-bond. In fact, her brothers, Fabian and Gideon, courted the same witch and were engaged to be wed before they lost their lives in the first war. Although common, it didn't mean that she had to like the idea.
Hermione snorted. "I can barely handle one!"
"Fred and I share a lot of things, but women aren't one!" George told her. Sure, he pretended to be Fred with a few girls in the past, but he never slept with those same girls as George.
The twins and Ginny headed down while Hermione went up the stairs to wake Charlie and Harry.
Charlie's door was open and she knocked on the door frame. She saw him laying in bed, looking at a ring box.
He smiled at her. "Good morning, Hermione."
"Good morning Charlie. Didn't expect you to be up so early." She came and sat on the side of his bed.
He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."
"What's going on?" She asked, looking down at the ring box.
"I think I'm going to ask Sorin to marry me." He chewed his lip.
Hermione smiled brightly. "Well, that's wonderful!"
He sighed. "I'll only ask him if my family takes the news well. I need their approval before I take this step. If they approve on Christmas Eve, then I'll ask him on Christmas. If they don't, then I want to give them some time before I make that decision. I don't want to kill Mum." He looked down and Hermione noticed he looked defeated already.
Hermione scooted up the bed and leaned up against the headboard, letting him put his head on her shoulder. She leaned her head against his.
"Listen, Charlie. I understand that you want your family to be supportive, and I believe they will be, but you have to do what is right for you. You can't put your life on hold because of other people. If you love Sorin and want to spend your life with him, then do it. I see how you light up when you get an owl from him and how the tip of your ears turn red when someone says his name. If you want to be soul bonded to him, then you should do it. Don't let anyone keep you from being happy. I will support you. I love you and I will fight tooth and nail for you." She sighed and took his hand, squeezing it.
"What if Mum brings up the grandchildren thing?"
Hermione laughed lightly. "If you want children, there is always adoption. And if you can't adopt, then we'll figure something else out… a surrogate or something. If you don't want children, then she'll just have to deal with it. She'll have plenty other grandchildren to coo over."
He smiled. "Thanks, Hermione."
She kissed the top of his head. "No problem."
She stood up and stretched. "We best be going down for breakfast. Long day today… long week really."
He nodded and stood, pulling on his t-shirt.
"I best be going up and waking Harry." She headed toward the door and out into the hall.
"Hermione?"
She took a step back and poked her head in. "Yeah?"
He smiled. "What you said… I hope you do the same…" She furrowed her brows in confusion. "I mean… you told me to do what makes me happy. So, don't let any of my brothers or my parents make your decisions for you."
She smiled and gave him a nod.
"Also… I hope Fred realizes how great you are and I hope he's smart enough to keep you cause I couldn't imagine a better sister-in-law."
She smiled brightly, a tinge of red on her cheeks. "You better not let Angelina hear you say that."
He smiled and shook his head.
XxXxXx
They stood in the empty store. Seeing the store so empty made it seem so much bigger. Hermione and Ginny's first task was to paint and what they thought was going to be an easy job, turned out to be more extensive than they were prepared for.
Before starting, the boys wrote on each wall what color they wanted it. So the girls spent most of the day with their wands held up, guiding the paint rollers over the walls. The walls were fuchsia and orange, with a little purple added here and there.
Fred and George dealt with putting up walls in the backroom to separate their potion room from their supply room and office. Charlie and Harry went shelf by shelf cleaning them all and then moving them to match the diagram Fred and George drew.
Around dinner time, they finally stopped and had the first level painted, cleaned and set up like it was supposed to be.
"Come with me." Fred whispered in Hermione's ear while the others sat around the counter eating sandwiches, their eyes taking in everything they accomplished that day.
He took her hand and pulled her through the back and up a metal spiral staircase. They stood at a tall, heavy wooden door that had carved swirls and designs on it. Hermione touched the carvings.
"They make the wards stronger when they're up." He mentioned before waving his wand and turning the handle.
He opened the door and she found herself looking into the sitting room of a large flat. The inside matched the door. There were large, dark wood doorframes surrounding all the doorways; the same ornate designs carved into the wood. The ceilings were high, the chunky wood beams bare to the eye. She could see the banister of a loft above the living room. The floors were stained in the same dark wood, the wood grain and wear on the floors easy to see.
"This is the most beautiful flat I have ever seen." She headed further into the sitting room and Fred smiled, glad she felt comfortable enough to explore herself.
"Yeah… paid a pretty knut for it, too. We went back and forth on the price for weeks."
She grinned and turned to face him. "I'm glad you got this one, instead of George. I'll definitely enjoy visiting."
He showed her the guest bathroom, the laundry, and the guest bedroom first which were all under the loft and had regular ten foot ceilings.
They headed back toward the large sitting room and she followed him to the left, around the walls of the guest bathroom and saw that this flat had an open layout like the other and the kitchen stood, melting into the sitting room, a large island between.
The cabinets were tall and dark, crown molding wrapping around the top. The counter top was a sapphire blue and she couldn't help but run her hands over it.
"You like it?"
She turned and saw that he had a large smile on his face. She nodded and gave a deep sigh.
"This is beautiful, Fred. Wow… I don't even know what to say. How old is this building?"
"Erm…. late 1800's I believe?" He answered, not quite sure.
"The woodwork is amazing… it feels so regal. It's amazing that this was hidden above a shop. I love it." She hugged him. "I'm so excited for you! And a bit jealous I might add."
He laughed. "Well you're welcome anytime. I'll give you ward access."
She shook her head. "You don't have to do that!"
"I know. I want to. I want you to feel comfortable here." He shrugged, wrapping his arms around her again.
She smiled and raised up on her toes to kiss him. "Thank you. You are very sweet."
"I saved the best for last. The bedroom." He pulled her past the kitchen and to the door against the kitchen wall.
"Close your eyes."
"Fred..."
"No funny business. Just close your eyes. I want you in the middle of the room when you see it." He grabbed her shoulders. She sighed and closed her eyes.
He opened the door and steered her in by her shoulders. He turned her away from the large window and towards the rest of the room.
"Okay. Open."
He watched as she opened her eyes, her hand automatically going to her mouth and her eyes started to glisten.
"Oh Fred! This is… well… this is… this is not fair! I'm going to have to start buying you some books. This is just a dream! It's stunning!"
Two of the walls were covered in arched wooden bookcases. Three arched bookcases were built in to each wall and stood ten feet tall. The walls were a midnight blue and on the third wall stood a large king size bed with massive posts on each corner. Sheer ivory bed hangings were draped and tied to each post. She noticed that vines were carved into the posts.
She smiled. "Why did they leave their bed?"
"They were downsizing and didn't have the room. Said it was here when they got here and thought it should stay."
She nodded. "It would be hard finding a bedroom regal enough for this bed to look right in. Guess you'll be buying a new mattress?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "How do you know I don't already have a king?"
She bit her lip and laughed nervously. "I found your room when I was looking for the bathroom…" She watched as he cocked the other brow too. "Okay… I opened George's trying to find the bathroom… and then I got curious… so I looked in. I promise I didn't go in. Just stayed at the door."
He smiled. "It's a shame you didn't. I might have liked finding you there… even if you were in the middle of doing some terrible, underhanded joke. No, strike that. Especially when you were in the middle of doing some terrible, underhanded joke." He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"We got a bit off track. Back to the tour. Now, turn around."
She turned to face the windows and found two giant windows with two tall glass French doors in the middle, an arched window on top.
"Wow! That view is... MERLINS PANTS! Is that… is that…" She hurried to the doors and opened them, running out to the banister of the patio to get a better look.
The sun was just starting to set and she could see green hills and grey mountains, a forest in the distance with an expansive black lake to the right and a large castle on the mountain behind it.
"Hogwarts." He whispered in her ear.
He saw that her chocolate eyes were wide and bright. "Breathtaking." She whispered back. She saw smoke coming out from the edge of the forest and wondered if it was Hagrid.
"Having coffee out here every summer morning will be wonderful." He mentioned.
"You know how much I hate you right now?"
He laughed. "It will be yours one day too, you know."
She blushed, smiling and looked toward the flat.
"You have to promise to put a reading chair and light next to the window." She mentioned after a moment, changing the subject. "I will buy you some books and it'll be a wonderful place for you to read."
"Of course, baby. Anything you want. You can show me when you help me move in."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is this your way of suckering me into helping you move?"
He laughed. "You promised to help with the shop and this is part of it. I just thought that letting you decorate how you liked might help."
"You do realize that you'll have to go shopping. You can't take away all of George's things. You need pans and skillets and plates and glasses… a good reading chair..." She counted them off on her fingers.
"Ugh. Don't remind me. That's the worst part." He rubbed his face.
"Oh come on! It'll be fun." She took his hand and swung their arms back and forth.
"Can't you girls just go for me?" He asked her.
"No! You are going… besides, I think it'll be fun to mattress shop…" She mentioned, looking down at their clasped hands.
He smiled. "Alright. You talked me into it."
She kissed his cheek. "Good! I can't wait to get to a bookstore and find you some books. Maybe the second hand bookstore will have some Shakespeare."
He shook his head. "You and Shakespeare…"
She smiled. "Shakespeare is how I got my name. We haven't read that one yet."
He smiled. "It makes sense now. Kind of like my favorite color being the color on my blanket."
She nodded. "I guess it is."
She followed him inside and noticed a door on each side of the bed.
"Walk in and bathroom." He answered, seeing her eye them as he closed and locked the French doors.
"Ah." She answered.
By the time they made their way down the spiral staircase and through the back room, they noticed everyone left and the lights were out.
"Well those prats!" Hermione exclaimed.
He laughed. "Probably thought that we already left." Or George wanted to give us much needed alone time he thought.
She leaned against the counter. "Guess we better lock up and go home."
He stood in front of her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Guess we could… but I have a better idea."
She cocked an eyebrow and he leaned down to kiss her neck.
She hummed. "That's a good start." Tilting her head, she offered more of herself while her fingers found his belt loops to hold him close.
After giving her a satisfying love bite, he worked his way up her jaw and to her lips. She pulled him closer by his belt loops and tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth. He groaned and picked her up, setting her on the counter so they were eye level. He stood between her legs and cradled the back of her neck, pulling her head towards his.
As they kissed she slipped her hands under his shirt and worked her way up his back, enjoying the feel of his muscles against her finger tips. His t-shirt was a bit tight and she couldn't get her hands past the middle of his back.
She gave a frustrated growl against his lips and pulled away from him.
"Off!" She demanded, tugging at the shirt. He smiled and pulled it over his head and onto the counter behind her. He met her lips again while she explored his back, his shoulders, and his chest.
"So sexy, Fred." She kissed her way down his stubbled jaw to his adam's apple and he lifted his head, silently urging her to continue. She took her time and kissed and nibbled her way down to his clavicle. She sucked on the piece of skin above his clavicle, causing him to groan. She nipped at it, making a bruise, and he pulled her closer to the edge of the counter and pressed himself against her.
She pulled her lips away from his chest and grinded against the tent in his pants. Grabbing the back of his head, she pulled his lips back down to hers. She needed the connection.
He slipped his hands up her sides and across her shoulders where they met at her sternum. He slipped his hands over the buttons of her button down, unbuttoning his way down her shirt while her hands began to work on undoing his belt.
His lips trailed back down her neck as his fingers worked the last couple buttons. He continued to kiss lower, nipping at her clavicle before his lips met the swell of her breasts above her pink bra. They both moaned at the touch and he pressed against her, his fingers popping open the button of her jeans and pulling on her zipper. He began to slip his hand, palm up, under the waistband of her knickers.
Bill's face popped into her head, causing her whole body to startle. He pulled his lips off of her and looked at her.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I… I… I can't." She admitted.
Pulling his hand out of her waistband, he rubbed his face and growled. "You realize if you would have waited just another minute to tell me it might have been too late? Why did you let me go that far? Are you trying to drive me mad?" His hands went to his open belt and he fastened it again. His dick was rock hard and throbbing, a dull ache that pissed him off. He was sick of the blue balls she kept giving him.
She bit her lip, frowning as she buttoned her pants. "No… I'm sorry. I want this… but… I sort of promised Bill I'd wait until after graduation."
He stepped back. "Un-fucking-believable."
"No, Fred, wait! I told him I wanted to wait until then. I can't do this and then go off to school and not have you with me. It'll be too hard. I've never done this before and you know how sensitive my feelings are. I dont want to go back broken."
He took a deep breath and nodded. He was thankful for the reminder that she was new to this. Begging himself to be calm, he leaned his face into the crook of her neck and slipped his arms inside her open shirt, wrapping his arms around her. "I just need a minute to calm down." It had been awhile since he had been that worked up and he needed to find his bearings. He wished he could rub one out right there, but he knew it would terrify her.
She slid her fingers into his hair. "After graduation." She confirmed. "I'll even find a reason to stay over that night."
"Are you sure?" He asked against her neck. He was sure that if she cockblocked him again, he'd implode.
"Absolutely."
He kissed her neck. "Good, I cant wait."
He pulled back and took in the view in front of him. "At least now I have a better visual when I'm in the shower." Leaning in, he pressed a few kisses to the swell of her breasts. He began to button her shirt back up for her, pressing a kiss to the skin between her breasts once more before finishing the last few buttons.
When he finished, she reached for his t-shirt, turning it right side out before handing it to him.
"You know I'll never be able to look at this counter the same way again." He mentioned before shoving the shirt over his head.
She laughed. "Good. It means your thinking of me."
He leaned in and kissed her. "Love, there is never a moment I'm not thinking of you."
XxXxXx
Hermione and Fred entered the kitchen door of the burrow and Hermione excused herself, heading upstairs.
Fred sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't know how to deal with this situation.
He opened the icebox and pulled out a bottle of butterbeer, opening it as he sat down in one of the kitchen chairs.
George came padding down the stairs, running a towel through his just washed hair.
"I saw Hermione on my way down. She looked a bit flustered…" George mentioned, sitting across from Fred.
Fred shook his head and looked down at his bottle.
"What happened, mate?"
"She…" Fred bit his lip trying to find the nicest way of saying it, "blocked me at the last possible second." He rubbed his face and let out a frustrated sigh. "She's going to end up killing me."
"That's rough. Why is she being such a tease?"
"I don't think she means to. She's conflicted. She said she wanted to wait until she was back from Hogwarts; she said she wouldn't want to be apart for so long after... but it's obvious she's fighting it. She wants the connection just as much as I do." Fred took a deep chug of his butterbeer.
"Hm… that's understandable I guess…" George was at a loss of words. He didn't know how to make Fred feel better.
"She's never… been with anyone." Fred admitted.
"Oh… not even with Ron?"
Fred shook his head.
"But didn't he?"
Fred nodded. "With Lavender."
"Does she know?" George asked, taking the butterbeer from Fred and taking a drink.
"She knows now. I accidentally let it slip when we were talking. Ron never told her." Fred answered.
"Interesting."
"Yeah." Fred let out a sigh and ruffled his hair. "This is going to be a long six months. Especially after tonight. It was so awkward on our way home." Fred shook his head in defeat.
"She probably thinks you hate her… or disappointed or something. Go up and lay with her. Show her you're okay." George offered.
Fred nodded. "That's a good idea. Thanks, George." Fred emptied the rest of his butterbeer and headed up the stairs.
He found her in her bed, reading a book. He sat next to her, kicking off his shoes and laid down beside her.
She looked over at him. He gave her an encouraging smile. "I just thought I'd lay with you."
"Mmm." She hummed, her eyes back on her book and turning a page.
He wiggled closer to her and she moved closer to the wall. His brows furrowed and he sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
"Why are you scared of me? I'm not going to push you into anything." He asked.
She sighed and put her book down, sitting up. "I know. It isn't that."
Now he was really confused. "Okay? Then what is it?" He lifted himself up onto his elbow, looking up at her expectantly.
She blushed and looked down at her comforter. "Well… it's just… it's nothing." She turned her head away from him and studied the plaster wall.
"Hermione… tell me." He coaxed, cupping her face, turning her face back to him.
She sighed and shut her eyes tightly. "It's just that… I haven't calmed down yet. It's me I don't trust." Hermione opened her eyes and kept them on her comforter.
"Oh." A small smirk formed on his face.
She sighed and slid back down on her pillow, turning towards the wall.
"Hermione?" He placed his hand on her upper arm.
"Hmm?"
"You know there are other things we can do to relieve your… tension with our clothes on." He said, picking the word carefully. "You can leave your clothes on and I can use my hand... if you want to that is… and only if you're ready, of course."
"Fred… we don't have to." She refused to turn from the wall.
"I want to… I mean… if you want to. No pressure." He rubbed her upper arm.
"What about you? I-" She started.
"Don't worry about me. I'll take a shower later." He bit his bottom lip. Was she considering this? He wanted to touch her.
After a few seconds, she turned on her back and looked at him. "Why are you being so sweet about this? I've been basically torturing you." Sure, she didn't mean to, but at this point she felt that it didn't matter.
He shrugged. "Obviously you've been torturing yourself, too."
She chewed her lip. He leaned down and kissed her. He felt her stiffen for a moment, but she relaxed soon after and her fingers found his ginger hair, running her fingernails over his scalp. He hummed against her lips and pulled away to look at her.
He noticed how dark her eyes were and smiled at her. Reaching down to his pocket, he grabbed his wand and flicked it at the door. The door closed and suctioned itself against the wall. He flicked it again, murmuring a silencing spell.
He turned back to her and saw she was chewing on her lip.
"Relax and don't overthink anything. If you don't like it, let me know." He whispered.
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
He reached for her waist, popping open the button on her jeans before unzipping them.
He nuzzled her ear. "Just my hand, alright? I won't go any further."
Turning her head, she pressed a kiss to his mouth, moaning into it when she felt his fingers against her slit.
"So wet for me, Hermione. Fuck." He was hard as steel, but he knew he needed to concentrate on the witch in front of him. He wanted to. He wanted to touch her where no one else had.
The pad of his index finger grazed her clit, causing her leg to fall open for him. "Fred..." She breathed out his name.
He hummed and nibbled on her neck, two fingers massaging in a circle around her clit, working her up. He wanted so badly to feel how tight she was, but he didn't want to push her too far and make her uncomfortable. He hoped they would continue to explore and eventually he'd find himself two knuckles deep inside of her soon.
He ran two fingers up and down her slit, massaging her bundle of nerves between his fingers.
"Fred.. Fred." Pleasure was shooting down both her legs and up to her chest, Her nipples hardening. She knew he could see it through the thin material of her shirt, the bra already thrown onto her laundry pile as soon as she got to her room.
"Your body is already so responsive, Hermione. I love that." Unable to help himself, he leaned down and took a nipple into his mouth, sucking softly through the fabric.
Hermione gasped, but it quickly turned into a moan, her back arching into his mouth. Feeling Fred press his hard-on against her thigh, she reached down and squeezed him through his bottoms, wanting to make him feel as good as she was.
He groaned against her nipple and rewarded her by fluttering his fingers back and forth on each side of her clit, pushing her to her peak, biting down softly on her nipple to push her over the edge.
She cried out his name as he worked her through her orgasm, her hand clenched tight around his tent. He thrusted a few times into her hand and it was enough for him to find his release, too.
His mouth found hers again and he hovered over her, fingering her clit quickly, wanting her to find her release once more.
"I want you completely sated, love. Give me one more."
Hermione found herself grinding into his hands, chasing another orgasm that was just out of reach.
When she started to pant again, he knew she was close.
"You're right there, baby. So close. Relax and let me have it." He coaxed into her ear, nibbling on her earlobe.
The deep shiver that ran through her from his voice against her ear was the extra push she needed to get there.
"You're amazing." She told him, her voice breathier than she meant it as she relaxed back into the mattress, her chest and center both throbbing.
He slid off of her, laying between her and the wall. "So are you." He looked down and her eyes followed. "That's never happened before. You've unmanned me, witch. Guess I won't need that shower tonight afterall." He admitted. He waved his hand over his trousers and muttered a wandless cleaning spell.
She smiled, proud of herself.
"Don't look so smug." He teased, as he pulled her comforter over them and pulled her close.
"Better now?"
"Mmhmm." She answered, her eyes closed, relaxation setting in, causing her to be drowsy.
He smiled and kissed her temple. "Glad to hear it. Always willing to be at your service."
There was pounding on the door. "LET ME IN!" Ginny's voice yelled.
Hermione groaned and turned towards him and away from the door. She snuggled against him, hiding her face in his chest. She didn't want to have to face anyone at the moment. She just wanted to fall asleep, sated and happy in Fred's arms.
He pulled out his wand and flicked it at the door. The door opened and he saw Ginny and George standing there.
"Honestly!" Ginny complained, grabbing some pajamas out of the drawer and her towel off the door hook before heading back out into the hall.
"Fred." George drawled, his eyebrow raised in question.
Fred's lips slowly turned up into a smirk. "George." He said, telling him all he needed to know.
George grinned, giving him a nod.
"Goodnight, Fred."
"Goodnight."
XxXxXx
Fred, George, and Hermione stood in the middle of the mattress section of a store in muggle London, their eyes darting over dozens of mattresses.
"So… where do we start?" Fred asked them.
George shrugged. "We could just lay on all of them."
Hermione gave a tut. "That would take all day. I think we can nix the cheapest ones cause they're bad for your posture. We can do the same to the most expensive cause they're just overpriced. How about a nice pillowtop? Do you like firm or soft?"
Fred's forehead creased. "Uh…" He shrugged.
"Pillowtops are wonderful but I don't think you should get one that's too soft because it won't give you enough back support." She told him, her eyes sweeping over the room.
"Follow me boys!" She set off to the left and they followed her through the maze of mattresses.
"Try this one." She pointed at the one in front of them.
Fred laid down and George headed toward the opposite side and laid down next to him.
"This one is a semisoft pillow top. What do you think?" She asked, eyeing them both. She watched as they wiggled into the mattress, turning on their side and then on their stomachs.
"I like it. I sink in just enough for it to cradle me." George answered. Hermione's brow creased, looking a bit put off by the awkward comment.
"Oi! You don't get a vote! You won't be sleeping in it. Get up." Fred pushed him toward the edge.
"Alright! No need to get your knickers in a twist!" George exclaimed to Fred.
Hermione! Come try." He patted the now empty spot beside him.
"Fred, it's your decision. It's for you." Hermione told him. He lifted his head and gave her a stern look, causing her to hurry over and lay down beside him.
She wiggled into it like the boys had done and chewed her lip, trying to decide. She turned to her right and snuggled in, then did the same to the left, and lastly laying on her stomach.
Fred and George watched her, amused looks on their faces.
"So?" Fred asked, leaning up on his elbow.
She flipped back around and sat up. "My truthful opinion?"
He nodded. "Of course." He wanted her to be comfortable when she stayed over. The last thing he wanted was to get denied an overnighter because of a mattress.
"I hate it."
He chuckled and jumped off the bed. "Next!"
George scowled. "What? So your opinion only matters if the owner wants to sleep with you?"
Fred smiled. "You are correct, sir!"
Hermione hissed, making Fred laugh and put an arm around her. "I just want you to be comfortable, love."
She laughed. "Nice save."
Next they tried a firm pillow top. They flopped around on it. Fred looked over at Hermione. She shook her head.
"Too firm."
They tried bed after bed, different brands and level of firmness, but Hermione found something wrong with all of them.
"Too squeeky."
"Too hot."
"It's like sleeping on a board!"
"It sinks in the middle."
"Too bouncy."
"The mattress color is ugly."
"The color? The color is ugly…okay then!" Was he missing something? Wasn't the mattress going to be covered with a sheet anyway?
Fred rubbed the back of his neck, his patience running low. George had disappeared a couple mattresses ago, his patience gone.
He watched as she laid down on the next bed, chewing his lip as he laid down next to her.
He lay there on his back, watching her flip around. Finally she turned toward him and laid her head against his chest.
"Hermione, what…"
"SSSHHH!" She hushed him and snuggled closer to him. He kept still, waiting for something, but not sure what.
Finally, she gave a deep sigh. "This is perfect."
"Thank Godric!"
She smacked his chest and he laughed. She sat up, smoothing down her hair.
"See… I knew you shouldn't have asked my opinion. I was fine letting you two pick."
"And this is exactly why I asked you. It's important that you're comfortable. How would you like trying to stay the night, laying on that first mattress?" Fred mentioned, making his point.
Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Good point. So do you like this one?"
"I love it."
"Really?"
"Really." He wasn't lying. It was comfortable, but even if it wasn't, he loved it cause she loved it. He would have this mattress for ten years and by then it'd be both of theirs.
Once they were done in the mattress department, they searched for George, who was entertaining himself in the electronic section.
They spent the next hour in the homegoods section, picking out kitchenware and knickknacks.
Hermione held up a plate set she liked and George did the same, each of them waving the arms around their chosen set, both urging him to pick theirs.
"Er...how about we just go with white?" Fred asked, not liking either of their picks.
"Do you like round or square? Oval or rectangle? Oh look…there's even triangle…" Hermione said, holding each shape up as she said them.
His brows furrowed and she noticed he looked panicked; like he was ready to run, screaming for the hills.
She sighed and took a different approach. "We'll just stick with the circle." She held it up again, not giving him choices. He smiled and nodded in agreement. She noted to herself that too many choices make him flustered.
XxXxXx
While the Weasley's and Harry were finishing up the shop construction, Hermione unpacked everything they bought for the kitchen, washing everything before putting it in the cabinets.
She danced around the kitchen humming to random songs that played on her iPod as she wiped down the counter tops.
She took a step back and looked at the kitchen. It was now set up and she even bought a bouquet of flowers and a vase that she set in the middle of his kitchen island.
Feeling that the kitchen was clean and organized, she gave a nod and turned toward the sitting room. George gave him the couch from the other flat and he brought his recliner as well. Hermione had brought in random knickknacks to spruce up the place a bit.
She started to decorate the fireplace mantel. She stepped back to look at it before stepping forward and moving things around, stepping back once more with her head cocked to one side.
"I liked the last way better."
She swung her body around. "George!"
"Don't worry, I told him he couldn't come up yet. It looks great in here, Herms." He looked around, nodding.
Her eyes swept around the room. "Does it? It isn't too much?"
He shook his head. "It's perfect. Should have let you decorate our last flat." He stood next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Well, you'll have Angelina for that now." She told him, putting an arm around his waist.
"I never knew you had an eye for interior design."
She shrugged and stepped forward to move the candles and knickknacks around. "It was something my mum always loved to do and so I helped her. Dad would get so mad cause she would change the whole house almost every year." She laughed lightly at the fond memory, causing George to grin, too.
"I just have the master bedroom and bath to do and then I'll be done." She told George as she set a few picture frames around the mantle. George's grin became larger when he saw a picture of he and Fred at the opening of the first store.
Watching his reaction made her heart swell. "I found it at your mum's."
"How did you find time to do all this?"
Hermione shrugged. "I bought some things, but I found a lot of the knickknacks at my parents old storage locker so it really wasn't that hard."
George looked over the flat again. "These were your parents? And you're giving them to Fred?" He asked.
She nodded. "It wasn't going to be used anyway and I thought it'd save some money… do you think Fred will hate it? I didn't think about that…" She bit her lip.
George hugged her. "No. I think he'll love it even more because it's yours."
She smiled. "I hope so. I better start on the bedroom."
He squeezed her one last time before dropping his arms. "Yeah. I have to make sure they have everything in place so that we can start filling the shelves after Christmas."
She grabbed a paper bag off the floor and headed toward the bedroom. She started in the loo, folding and putting away his towels and wash rags, emptying his box of toiletries and putting his various washes on the shelves of the shower, filling up his drawers with random items and filling his potion cabinet.
Once she wiped down the counters and swept the floor she headed into the bedroom, moving the sitting chair into position next to the window with a table and lamp. She filled a few shelves with books and knickknack's, picture frames, and candles; she even bought a broom rack for the wall to showcase his brooms; oldest on bottom with newest on the top.
She finally pulled out the midnight blue silk sheets she got him and started to dress the bed. She pulled out a down comforter and duvet, shoving the down comforter in it before placing it on the bed. The duvet was red and midnight blue. She looked at it for a moment and shook her head. Pulling out her wand, she changed the red to fuchsia.
"Much better." She told herself.
She dressed the new pillows he bought earlier and changed the toss pillows to match the duvet.
She picked up the empty wrappings from everything and shoved them in a bag as she started her way toward the door. She stopped, thinking of a better idea. She dropped the paper bag and slid off her shoes, turning and running for the bed, plopping hard on her stomach, giggling.
"Breaking in the bed, I see."
She rolled onto her back and sat up. "Fred!"
He grinned and ran for the bed, flopping down next to her. She leaned back on her hands and looked down at him.
"I wanted to bring you up here myself. I wanted to see your first reaction." She complained.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't stay away any longer. It's brilliant. You've been working hard." He sat up and kissed her. Coming up and seeing his new flat looking warm and inviting instead of cold and empty warmed his heart. He knew she put all her effort into making it special for him.
"Thank you. If there is anything you don't like, don't hesitate to change it. You've been stressed out about the shop and I just wanted to make sure this was something you didn't have to fret over. You can come up here now and just relax." Hermione explained. "I don't want you to think I'm trying to take over your flat or anything." She added.
Furrowing his brow he shook his head. "I don't think that at all. All of this is great…perfect even. Thank you for being so thoughtful."
"It's no problem. I wanted to." She said laying back on his bed. "I really do love this bed."
He smiled. "Me too."
"I'm quite jealous. You get to enjoy this big, luxurious bed while I'm stuck sleeping on my tiny four poster at Hogwarts." She pouted.
He laughed. "Don't give me that! I've done my time in those beds."
"Not as much as I have!" She retorted.
He laughed. "True…but you never had to do it at six foot two." He told her, lifting his legs and rolling his ankles as if it would help prove his case.
"You've got me there I suppose. I did lay with Ron on one though and he's even taller than you. He didn't complain once while I was there."
Fred snorted. "You were in his bed… he didn't have anything to complain about."
Hermione laughed. "I guess you have a point."
"CANNON BALL!"
They both startled and Fred rolled closer to Hermione just in time not to be crushed by Ginny running and jumping onto the mattress.
"Ooh! Let me try!" Harry came flying toward the bed as Ginny hurried to back up against the head board.
Hermione shook her head as Fred laughed. They both scooted towards the other side of the bed so they wouldn't be killed.
As the others giggled and laughed, Hermione bit her lip, seeing her perfectly made bed now crumpled and creased. Fred noticed and rubbed her shoulder.
"Relax." He whispered. She nodded.
"Me next!" George yelled.
"I want a go!" Charlie exclaimed.
"Together?"
Charlie gave a nod. "Together."
They both ran and Hermione gave a squeak as they both hit at the same time, Hermione going airborne and almost bouncing off the bed.
"Mind if I have a go?" Mr. Weasley asked, causing Mrs. Weasley to tut.
"Oh, come on, Mum! Let him go!" George told her as he and Charlie climbed off to give him room.
"Here I come!" He hurried and landed on the bed with a 'hmrph'. Hermione smiled and took Fred's hand, squeezing it. She was happy to see his dad join in.
She noticed Mrs. Weasley still by the doorway and she nudged Fred, motioning her head towards the door.
"Come on, Mum!" Fred yelled. "We know you want to!"
She blushed and shook her head.
"Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum!" he started to chant.
She smiled and waved a hand dismissively.
Slowly everyone joined in on the chant. Finally, she stepped out of her shoes and ran and jumped onto the bed, hugging her husband.
Everyone cheered and George and Charlie joined everyone else on the bed.
"How's this for your bedful of Weasley's, Hermione?" George asked.
"It's more of an infestation!" Fred corrected, smiling.
"Who doesn't love a ginger infestation?" Hermione asked, looking at the twins.
The twins smiled at each other. "Malfoy!"