AN!
Aight, Ima leave y'all with a cliffhanger that will be immediately remedied because chapter 3 is done!
Enjoy!
The next few weeks flew by quickly as preparations for the wedding kicked off.
Hermione found herself roped in by Fleur into helping with making decorations for the reception.
Her thoughts on her situation were fleeting; she was so busy.
Fleur turned to her one morning and asked Hermione what she would wear to the wedding.
The thought hadn't even crossed Hermione's mind.
"I have no clue. My Yule Ball dress doesn't fit anymore and all my nice clothes I donated when I left my parents." Hermione admitted sheepishly.
"Go to the store today. You must look dashing, because I plan on planning YOUR wedding when this is all over."
Hermione laughed, "Fleur, I think that will be awhile."
"I see the way he looks at you." Fleur replied.
"Who looks at me?"
Fleur gave a dazzling smile, "Fredrick. He pines for you, and I can see it in your face. You pine for him. Don't lie to me Hermione. I know things."
Hermione blushed, "You're right. No point in denying. We shared a few moments, but nothing has happened."
"Well, you're about to share another. You must go get a dress, and Fred must get his robes tailored one last time. Go with him, just the both of you. Have a day of freedom, a day to yourself. Understood?"
Hermione nodded.
"Go tell him that Bridezilla commanded that I send you with him now." Fleur said, tilting her head back and laughing.
Hermione chuckled but complied and went to go knock on Fred and George's door up the stairs.
George answered the door.
"Wotcher Granger?" George asked.
"Fred in there?"
"Why yes he is; FRED!" George yelled unnecessarily.
Fred came to the door and swapped spots with George who went back to whatever he was tinkering on.
Hermione blushed as she spoke, "Um, Fleur has commanded, her words, not mine, me to go with you to get your robes tailored. I don't have anything to wear to the wedding."
Fred chuckled, "Well my appointment is in three hours, but we can leave early."
"That works for me."
"Give me five minutes and I'll meet you downstairs." Fred said with a smile.
"Sounds good." Hermione replied before going to her and Ginny's room to grab her bag.
Fleur smiled at her as Hermione descended the stairs.
"Well?" Fleur asked.
"We're going together." Hermione blushed.
"Excellent!" Fleur chirped.
A few minutes later Fred came downstairs and they went to the fireplace to take the floo.
After arriving in Diagon Alley, they looked around outside.
"Well, honestly Fred, I've never been dress shopping here, I usually go to muggle shops with my mum. So I would appreciate being pointed in the right direction."
Fred chuckled, "Well, Twilfitts and Tattings is a good place. Madam Malkins is predominately robes. I suggest we start at the dress shop. Warning, it is more upscale, so a tad more costly."
"Not an issue. I emptied out my university savings account my parents set up for me and had the money converted." Hermione replied.
Fred winced, "Okay."
Hermione forced a smile. It was bittersweet that her parents had saved up so much for her, yet here she was, gone from their memories.
"Well, lead the way," Hermione commanded Fred.
He chuckled but led her to the store where he held the door for her.
Hermione ducked in and was overwhelmed with the smell of perfume.
Fred followed behind and a salewitch greeted them.
"Hello, I'm Maxine. What can I help you find today?"
"Hello Maxine, I am looking for a dress to wear to my friend's wedding!" Hermione chirped.
"We can help with that!" Maxine replied before taking out her wand and measuring tape. "Let me get your measurements real quick so I can tell your actual size."
The measuring taped whipped around Hermione's body, and returned to Maxine where she read it and nodded, "Excellent. Let's get to looking. Did you have a style or color in mind?"
"Not really, whatever matches my skin tone best."
"Well, firstly is there anyone you're trying to impress?" Maxine asked innocently.
Hermione blushed and Fred chuckled. It was unspoken between them but it was inevitably going to be a topic of discussion.
Maxine wiggled her eyebrows and smiled, "Shall I send him away so it can be a surprise?"
"No, I have no girlfriends with me, so I'd appreciate his input." Hermione chuckled.
"That works for me. I suggest we look at warm colors."
Hermione nodded and followed Maxine deeper into the store until they came to a rack full of reds, pinks, and oranges.
"Have a preference?" Maxine asked.
Fred's eyes sparkled, "I say be a showstopper 'Mione. Go with the red."
Maxine giggled as Hermione blushed.
"Um, okay," Hermione stuttered out.
Maxine pulled a few red dresses from the rack and took Hermione to a dressing room to try them on. Fred took a seat outside the dressing room and patiently waited for Hermione to come out.
The first dress was a bedazzled floor length dress that Hermione thought was just too formal for the more casual wedding. She showed it to Fred anyway who agreed with her
The next dress she tried on was an a line knee length floral dress.
It was a good dress for the wedding, but it wasn't her. Fred agreed once more with her with a shake of his head.
He was invested in this, because he planned on asking her to dance and he wanted every bloke to be jealous that he was dancing with her.
The third and final dress that Maxine had picked for Hermione's first room fitting was a red cocktail dress that reached right above her knees. The skirt had ruffles on it forming a kind of pleating.
She smiled at herself in the mirror before exiting the dressing room to face Fred.
His face erupted into a smile and he stood up.
"You look wonderful," he said breathlessly.
Hermione blushed.
"Do a twirl." Fred commanded.
Hermione complied, giggling as she twirled in a circle.
Maxine smiled, "Is that the one?"
"Yes." Hermione and Fred said together before giggling.
"Excellent! Let's find some shoes for you then! Do you need any jewelry?" Maxine asked, leading her to the shoe rack.
"No, I have a ruby pendant my grandmother gave me that will work beautifully with this dress." Hermione replied.
"Excellent." Maxine replied. She pulled a pair of red shoes with a tiny heels down off the rack and handed them for Hermione to try on.
Hermione sat and slipped on the shoes. They fit perfectly.
Hermione stood and took a few steps in them before deciding. The heel was the perfect size, giving her about two more inches of height.
"Well, you can walk in them, can you dance in them?" Fred asked innocently.
Maxine squealed and flicked her wand, orchestra music coming on, "Let's find out!"
Fred smiled at Hermione and held his hand out for her to take. She took it and Fred pulled her into his arms and into a slow waltz.
Hermione melted into his embrace and both were thankful for McGonagall at that exact moment.
They waltzed for about a minute until Fred pulled back, "I think those shoes will work perfectly."
"Good." Hermione replied, turning to Maxine, "I'll take it all!"
Hermione took off the shoes and Maxine took them to the counter. Hermione changed back into her street clothes and gingerly hung the dress back on the hanger, taking it out of the room and to the counter.
Her total was a bit much, but it didn't put a big dent in her pocket money so she didn't mind in the least bit.
Fred was taken aback by the amount, but kept his cool because Hermione hadn't flinched at the price.
Maxine wrapped up everything in a pretty package and Hermione and Fred left the shop after giving many thanks.
As they walked out the door, Narcissa Malfoy was walking in.
Narcissa scoffed at them and Hermione sent her a glare.
"Lady Malfoy," Fred said curtly, knowing to respect her even if he didn't like her. His mother had taught him to respect his enemies.
"Bloodtraitor," Narcissa hissed.
Hermione took a defensive position over Fred, her instincts kicking in. "Watch your tongue Narcissa. He's being courteous."
"I'm not taking orders from a mudblood," Narcissa replied.
Hermione glared then smiled, "How's Azkaban treating your husband?"
Narcissa huffed, "I expect he'll be out soon."
Hermione shrugged, "Escape or not, he'll end up rotting in there; don't you worry Narcissa. A storm's brewing and it won't end in your favor."
"Such is the opinion of an inferior."
Hermione gave a hearty laugh, "Keep lying to yourself Narcissa. But we're done with this conversation. We'll meet again soon. I can feel it."
Hermione turned her heel and walked away with Fred railing her. Fred snuck a glance over his shoulder to see Narcissa shake her head and walk into the shop.
He quickly caught up to Hermione.
"I don't know why or how, but that was such a turn on." He chuckled.
"What exactly?"
"You trading barbs with a dangerous deatheater, taunting her." He did a chef's kiss, "Absolutely beautiful."
Hermione chuckled, "Absolutely enjoyed it completely!"
"It was amazing. You're so brave, and I'm so impressed. You didn't even flinch."
"Thank you."
"Hey, we still got a couple hours before my fitting. This honestly might be the last time you can come here for awhile. Whatcha want to do to pass the time?" Fred asked.
"You should know by now," Hermione teased.
"Bookstore?"
"Yes sirree!"
They headed to the second-hand bookshop at Hermione's request. Her mind was turning at all the books she hadn't read yet. The other shops would have newer prints, she needed older prints that had notes in the margins, tips and tricks of the trade. She needed to find out all the tips and tricks to anything that could be helpful in defeating Voldemort. With the ministry cracking down on publications, it would be hard to find information in a new book.
They arrived at the shop and Fred held the door open for her again. Hermione stepped through and took a deep breath in. The smell of dusty books, unknown knowledge that was at the tip of her fingers was oddly erotic to her.
Fred smiled at her while she went to get lost between the shelves.
Hermione pulled out a small list from her purse. She had written down some books that she heard about in other books. This would be the best place to find them.
The Darkest of Dark Arts: A Guide to Know What to Expect
Reversing Curses
A Spellbook for the Conquering Hero
Oculus for Advanced Witches and Wizards
Hermione spent a few minutes with the list clutched in her hand, trying to find the books she needed. She gave up a few minutes later and approached the shopkeeper who peered at her from over his glasses.
"It's been awhile Miss Granger." Joseph said.
Hermione had paroused this shop for years, and had gotten on first name basis with the owner.
"Hello Joseph." Hermione chirped, "I am trying to find a few books to help me on a quest I'm about to embark on."
Joseph smirked, "Of course, I suppose it's an important quest. Let me see the list."
Hermione handed him her list and Joseph looked it over before looking back at her and smirking, "I have these, and a few more that you may be interested in. Let's begin shall we?"
Joseph led Hermione around the shop, grabbing the books she needed off the shelves along with a few more books that he thought might be helpful.
Hermione's eyes got brighter as the stack shared between them, and then eventually Fred as they called him over to assist with carrying, grew and grew. So much knowledge for her to find.
After about half an hour of searching the shelves, Joseph led them to the counter and sorted the fifteen books he had grabbed into distinct piles.
He pointed to each one, "This is the pile of four books on your list. This pile next to it is books related to the subject matter that you are looking into, and finally, these are some books on subjects you haven't thought of yet. You're not the first questing hero to walk into my store to expand their knowledge."
Hermione smiled widely, "Ring them all up. I trust you."
He chuckled and did as she complied, also giving her a discount.
While unspoken, they both knew the quest that Hermione was talking about. It was defeating Voldemort, wiping him off the face of the earth.
After paying her bill, Hermione bid farewell to Joseph, who came around the counter and hugged her.
"I sense I won't be seeing you for a while, so take my blessing, may the knowledge that I have helped you find assist you in your quest. And may your quest be successful." Joseph said, tears brimming his eyes.
Tears started to form in Hermione's eyes as she sniffled, "I am honored to have your blessing."
With that last farewell, Fred led Hermione out of the shop.
"Do you need a hug? Things got kind of emotional there." Fred said awkwardly.
Hermione laughed, "No, no hugs right now. I'm fine. Thank you for asking though."
"Well, we killed enough time. And I would offer to take you to ice cream, but…" Fred trailed off.
Hermione nodded, remembering what Bill had said about Mr Fortescue being dragged off the year before for Merlin only knew what; most likely by Voldemort's Death Eaters.
They made their way to the robes shop and entered.
Fred began his fitting while Hermione sat and watched.
Hermione's mind began to drift to how dashing he looked in his new dress robes. They were tailored perfectly to his body, hitting all the right places.
Hermione looked away for a second because her thoughts were drifting into dirty places.
Like how she wanted to undress him and have him take her.
It wouldn't be her first time, but it would most likely be her favorite time. Fred seemed like the kind of wizard who would take care of her needs.
Her face reddened so she took a few breaths to calm down a bit.
Fred noticed her discomfort and smirked to himself. He was no oculus, but he could read her body language.
After the fitting, the witch helping bagged up his new robes and sent them on their way.
They walked down the street back to the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione was still slightly embarrassed for her thoughts, and kept her mouth shut.
Fred broke their silence.
"So, two options. Return to the chaos that is the burrow, OR we can have a pint of butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron before we head back. What do you say?"
"I'd love nothing more." Hermione replied with a smile.
They returned to the Leaky Cauldron and Fred found them a secluded booth. He wasn't sure why, but he did want some privacy between them. Well, he did know why, he just didn't want to get his hopes up.
He went to the bar and got them two pints of butterbeer and took it back to their booth where they sat across from each other, slowly sipping and savoring the taste of their drinks.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Fred asked nervously.
"Not sure, I can tell you what I don't want to talk about, and that's my upcoming whatever is about to happen to Harry." Hermione replied.
"Yeah, it is definitely going to suck. But I hope it goes by quickly and we win this thing. I'm going to miss you dearly. And that is all I will say on the subject."
"Oh, you're going to miss me?" Hermione teased.
"Yes, I am. Incredibly so." Fred admitted sheepishly.
Hermione placed her elbow on the table and cradled her chin in her hand, "May I inquire as to why?"
Fred's face turned red, "Um, well, you're brilliant, and a great person to be around."
"What makes me so great?"
"The list could go on forever."
"Humor me."
Fred took a deep breath and threw caution to the wind.
"For one, you're bloody brilliant, two you've the most amazing smile, and your eyes are so beautiful. You're a walking encyclopedia and I feel like I could ask you anything and you'd immediately know, or you'd find out as soon as possible. And so much more and I don't want to list it all because I'm terrified of how you'll respond."
Hermione chuckled and smiled, "You're sweet Fred."
Fred's face turned as red as his hair, "Thank you."
Hermione gently kicked his foot under the table.
Fred's eyes widened. She was playing footsie with him!
They decided to have a few more butterbeers, which then turned into too many butterbeers, and then they found themselves too inebriated to remember the right exit from the floo.
And one thing led to another….
MUHAHAHA CLIFFHANGER!
Will be remedied momentarily!
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