Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and co. There. I said it. Happy?

A/N: Sorry this update took so long, but I decided to add another chapter to my Hardy Boys story. Don't tell anyone, but you guys are way better reviewers than those guys in the Hardy Boys section. Please, keep it up!

Meanwhile, Fred was worried for a different reason. Why hadn't Hermione responded when he'd asked her out?

"How'd it go?" George asked, walking into the room.

"Not good." Fred lied. "She dumped Dean. I, um, asked her to go ice skating tomorrow."

"Great!" said George. "Take her out. Introduce her to people. There's gotta be a guy for her out there somewhere!"

"Right." Fred said, wondering if it was possible that the guy for Hermione wasn't out there; he was in here.

"Come on, 'Mione! You said we would go ice skating today!"

Hermione eyed Fred critically. "First of all, no, I did not say that. And second of all, since when do you call me "'Mione"?"

Fred shrugged. "What? Now I'm not allowed to give you an affectionate nickname?"

"You're not allowed to give me an affectionate anything!" Hermione joked.

Fred looked at her pleadingly. "Please? It'll be fun!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes. I just love the feeling of numb fingers and a bruised arse!"

"You're afraid there'll be people there." Fred diagnosed suddenly. "You're…uh…peopleophobic!

"You're ridiculous!" Hermione snorted. "I am not afraid of people!"

"Well, you're afraid of social situations, anyway." Fred said. "But fear not, 'Mione, I'll protect you!"

"That would be great, if I actually decided to go." Hermione said dryly, but her resolve was weakening. She simply couldn't say no to Fred Weasley. "Well, okay. I guess I could go. For a bit." Hermione conceded.

Fred grabbed her around the waist and spun her in circles. "I'll take full responsibility for any arse-bruising." he promised.

"You'd better." Hermione replied. She felt slightly giddy, although she wasn't sure if it was from the spinning or from Fred's arms around her waist. "I can't ice skate to save my life."

"I will hold your hand the entire time if I have to." Fred vowed solemnly.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Fred Weasley."

"I know it."

"I look like a fool." Hermione groaned as she picked herself up off the ice yet again. Not even Fred's gloved hand on hers could keep her upright.

"Yeah." Fred agreed as he dragged her to the side of the rink, where she leaned against the wall for support. "But a cute fool." he teased, surveying her pink cheeks and tangled hair.

"Thanks. I think." Hermione said, surprised by the unexpected compliment.

When Hermione looked as though she'd caught her breath, Fred asked, "Ready to give it another go?"

"Do we have to?" Hermione answered meekly.

"It's just like dancing!" Fred said, trying to bolster her confidence.

"Right, dancing, only colder and more slippery." Hermione grumbled, but let Fred lead her onto the ice all the same.

Actually, she thought as she stumbled around the rink with slow wobbly steps, the surroundings were really beautiful. Christmas trees with colorful lights surrounded the outdoor arena, and stars twinkled in the cold night sky above. Christmas music was playing, and people all around them were having fun. She supposed-

Suddenly Hermione gasped as her right foot slid out from beneath her and she fell flat on her back. Since she was still holding Fred's hand, he lost his balance and toppledforward on top of her. As if that weren't bad enough, the people skating behind them were unable to stop, tripping over Fred and Hermione and landing on top of them in a heap. Within seconds, a large pileup had formed on the rink.

"Ow." Hermione choked out. "Get off!"

"Sorry, love, but I'm as stuck as you are!" Fred groaned.

As quickly as they had fallen, the skaters began to pick themselves up, apologizing sheepishly. After several minutes of endeavor, Fred finally got Hermione off the ice and out of the arena. They plunked down on a bench, and the crowd on the rink began to cheer as snow started falling.

Hermione turned to Fred. "Disaster follows me wherever I go! The restaurant, the skating rink…At this rate I'll be banned from a long list of places!"

Fred grinned. "Yeah, almost as many as me!" he joked. "It's true, though. For such a goody-goody, you sure have a talent for making trouble. I'll bet some of those skaters are scarred for life! Not to mention poor Dean…"

Hermione rolled her eyes. This did resemble her last date, though, except that instead of wanting to cry, she wanted to laugh. Apparently Fred was just that much more fun than Dean.

Suddenly, Hermione asked, "Is this a date?"

"Only if you want it to be." Fred replied seriously.

Hermione paused for a second, biting her lip. "I do." she said shyly.

Fred couldn't help it. With one movement, his arm was around her shoulders and his lips were on hers. He was vaguely grateful when she didn't pull away, but he wasn't really thinking straight at the time.

They broke apart. "Fred?" Hermione breathed, "What was that for?"

Fred ignored her question. "Do something with me tomorrow night." he said calmly.

"Yes." Hermione said, her heartbeat racing.

Fred would have been proud to know that she didn't even stop to consider her work schedule.

A/N: Okay, yes, it was a bit short, but I still like it. What do you think? Anyway, the next few chapters might take a while because I've hit a mild case of writer's block. So I'm asking for help from you guys: Where should Fred take Hermione on their next date? I'm begging for some suggestions, something romantic, but not too clichéd. If I don't get any help, I'll probably end up doing something like a picnic on the beach; something that's most likely already been done. Please include any suggestions in reviews and feel free to email me, too! Please review, and thanks so much!