A/N: WOW. I
knew I was missed, but I had no idea. You guys are the BEST EVER!
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Disclaimer:
My plots to take over keep getting thwarted. Curses.
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Turnabout's Fair Play
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Fred woke up the next morning
and looked at Hermione. She was finally asleep. He breathed a sigh of
relief. She had tossed and turned all night. He was worried about
her. Something had happened while he had been gone but she refused to
say what. He knew his mother would never say anything to upset her
intentionally. But still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there
was more on hr mind than she would tell him.
Hermione stirred beside him. She cracked open an eye and looked at him. "I feel awful."
"I know you do." he stroked her hair and leaned over to kiss her forehead. He pulled back and stared at her in alarm. He placed his hand back against her, she was burning up.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I think you need to go to St. Mungo's." Fred was starting to panic.
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine." she argued.
Without another word Fred jumped up and got dressed at breakneck speed. He came over to Hermione's side of the be and scooped her up, blanket and all.
"Fred!" she screamed.
He ignored her protests. He counted to three and apparated out. Since he was holding Hermione, she went with him. They appeared in the lobby of the magical hospital, and two healers were immediately at their side. "What's the problem?"
"My wife's sick. She has a really high fever." Fred answered.
"She can walk." Hermione huffed and began squirming for Fred to let her down. He obliged, and she stumbled as soon as she was on her feet. He put his arms around her to steady her.
"Why don't we step in here," one of the healers opened the door to an exam room off to the side, "and we'll see what's going on."
Scowling, Hermione walked in the room, the healers right behind her. Fred sat in one of the lobby chairs and dropped his head into his hands.
"Mr. Weasley?"
Fred looked up to see a concerned looking witch with a name badge smiling kindly at him. "They're taking your wife upstairs. I need you to fill out some paperwork." she handed him a clipboard and a quill.
Fred ignored the utensils. "Upstairs? Why? What's going on?"
"I'm afraid that Mrs. Weasley has an acute case of appendicitis. Her appendix will have to be removed at once."
Fred sank back onto his chair. "Is she going to be alright?" he asked. Fear was creeping through his veins, what if something went wrong? Hermione had to come through this.
Silently, the witch took his arm and lead him to the stairs. They walked up to the third floor, pausing outside the door marked 'Surgery.' Fred was deposited in a chair outside the doors, he assumed Hermione was on the other side.
A half hour passed and Fred was awakened by someone shaking his shoulder. He looked up to see his mother above him, pale and anxious looking.
"Fred, have you heard anything?" she asked.
He shook his head. He looked around to see the rest of his family, except of course for Charlie, there along with the Grangers, Harry, Fleur, and Neville. Each of them wore a pensive look on their faces.
Fred walked over to the door, a charm blocking him from going inside. "I wish I knew what was going on."
His mother came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. "She'll be fine." she assured him.
"She has to be. If anything happens to Hermione…" he was cut off when she hugged him tightly. "She has to be alright Mum." he whispered.
"Mr. Weasley?" seven heads turned towards the healer that came out from surgery. "Um, this one." he pointed at Fred.
"How is she?" Fred asked.
"She's going to be fine. She's lucky you got her here when you did. We're going to move her upstairs and you can see her shortly." he patted Fred on the shoulder and walked down the hall. "She's okay." Fred whispered.
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Hermione awoke with a distinct feeling of
drowsiness. She looked around the room, disoriented and unaware of
her surroundings. Taking in what could only be a hospital, memories
of that morning came flooding back to her.
Fred. He had been right. And she was glad. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't decided to be his usual impulsive self and bring her I against her will?
Speaking of Fred, he was currently asleep in a chair next to the bed that he had pulled up as close as possible with his head at the foot of her bed, facing her. Hermione smiled sadly. After Molly's visit yesterday, her true feelings had hit her square in the stomach like a ton of bricks.
She loved him. She didn't know when it had happened, or even how. But somewhere over the past nine months, she'd fallen so completely she knew it would hurt like hell when this thing was all over.
The door eased open and her parents walked in. Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but Hermione held a finger up to her lips and nodded her head towards Fred. Mrs. Granger nodded in understanding and eased over to kiss her daughter on the forehead before leaving. Her father followed suit, whispering a promise to come back later.
The door closed with a quite click and Fred's head shot up. His eyes locked onto Hermione's and a smile of relief broke out across his face. "Hey sleepyhead." he said.
"I could say the same to you." she replied.
He picked up her hand and began rubbing his fingers over her knuckles absentmindedly. "How do you feel?"
Momentarily distracted by his actions, Hermione hesitated before answering. "Fine."
"You need anything?" She shook her head. "I'm supposed to tell the healer when you wake up. Be right back." With that, Fred pushed back his chair and left the room.
Hermione let out the breath she'd been holding. How had her life gotten so complicated?
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As soon as the door of Hermione's room shut behind him Fred sank onto the ground, his head in his hands. How had this happened? It wasn't supposed to be like this.
He wasn't supposed to fall in love with her.
But he had. Sometime between Hogsmeade and the food fight and the scheming he had fallen head over heels and there was no way out of it. He just had to find some way to deal with it until the year was over. Then he'd give her her freedom back. Because eh knew there was no way a girl like Hermione could ever love someone like him. She ws better suited for someone like…Harry. Fred didn't deserve her.
The memory of her lying in that hospital bed, so pale and fragile looking was what had finally woken Fred up from his denial. He had been so terrified of something happening to her, something taking her away from him, that he'd almost lost it.
Maybe she wasn't his to keep, but for he next few months she still belonged to him. And it may be selfish, but he wasn't willing to let one second of it go.
No matter how much it hurt.
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Two days after Hermione's operation she was released and Fred immediately took her home and put her straight to bed, despite all of her very loud protests. Everyone wanted to come with them and visit, but Fred refused, drawing a very angry glare from Hermione's father. But he remained adamant.
However, no sooner than Hermione was (finally) settled in bed, than Bill apparated in, beaming from ear to ear.
"What part of 'no visitors' did you not understand?" Fred asked his older brother crossly.
"I just had to tell you guys first. It never would have happened without your help." he was practically bouncing in his spot with excitement.
"What happened?" Hermione asked curiously.
"I went over to Michael's flat to play Quidditch," he grinned at the cover they'd set up, "and surprise, surprise…he and Cherie were making out on the couch."
"It worked?" Fred was in shock at the success of their plan.
"Yep. Cherie made me go with her to her parents right then and tell her parents that we both wanted out of it. We're supposed to go to the Burrow after I 'check' on Hermione." he grinned at her.
She returned his smile. "I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you two." He swooped down to kiss Hermione's check and then patted his brother on the back. "You guys make a great team. I gotta go tell Fleur. If we hurry, we can still have the wedding on Valentine's Day like she wanted." With a pop, he was gone. His comment about their being a 'great team' still lingered in the air. Both were determinedly avoiding the other's gaze.
If only they could say it so easily to each other.
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"Well?" Hermione asked as Fred crawled under the covers.
"All systems go." Fred answered. "As of two hours ago, Bill and Fleur are officially engaged and planning a Valentine's wedding."
"Good for them." Hermione said.
After Bill's visit, Fred had been flooing to the Burrow once an hour to see if anything had happened. Hermione was dying to know, and he refused to let her go herself. Bill had brought up how each of his siblings were going to be in the wedding, and he'd said Fleur wanted Hermione to be a bridesmaid. That comment prompted him to do some quick math in his head., which led to the realization that he'd have to ask a huge favor of Hermione.
"Um, Hermione?" Fred said tentatively.
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking," How was he supposed to ask this of her, "would you be willing to prolong this until after the wedding?"
"This meaning…us?" she asked nervously.
"Yeah. It would be…weird…to go to the wedding after we split up. Bill and Fleur…they deserve for us not to steal their thunder. They should be the center of attention right?" Fred stammered.
"Right." Hermione agreed. "It's just another month right?"
"Right."
