December Prompt #12: Believe

Fred Weasley had always believed in the magic of Christmas. Yes, he was a wizard himself and could do a lot of magical things, but there was something about Christmas that Fred knew was special.

Every year on Christmas Eve, since he was five, he would get on his knees beside his bed, clasp his hands together, close his eyes, and pray for the same thing over and over again, hoping that one day, Santa would grant him his wish.

It was always for the same thing, too.

Fred had never wished to meet dragons (like Charlie), to get better presents (like Ron), or even for world peace (like Percy). Fred didn't care about any of that.

What he did desire most in the world was to have his own special someone.

Ever since Molly had told them about how she believed Arthur was her soulmate, Fred had been dying to get one for himself, too. He believed if he prayed hard enough, Santa would send him his soulmate one way or the other.

And so, he prayed.

Year after year, he knelt beside his bed and prayed as hard as he could. George often teased him for his single-mindedness, but Fred didn't care. He wanted his soulmate and he wanted her soon.

He was now eighteen years old and was still soulmate-less, but his belief in Santa's abilities never wavered. He knew he needed to remain patient.

It was Christmas Eve, and everyone in the house was gathered downstairs for dinner. Fred, on the other hand, was kneeling beside his bed like he had been doing for the past thirteen years when George barged into their bedroom, a bowl of chocolate fondue in his hands, and yelled, "Dinner's almost ready, Gred! Get your good-looking arse downstairs! I'm going to get Ginny and Hermione!"

Fred absentmindedly nodded, his hands still clasped in front of him. He murmured, "I'll be down soon. Just have to wish extra hard for it to happen this time."

George chuckled and walked over to ruffle Fred's hair. "Freddie, you know Santa's not coming to give you your soulmate, right?"

"He will. I know it," Fred argued, shoving George's hand off his head. He kept his hands clasped when he said, "I have a feeling it will be soon."

George laughed and stepped back to sit on the edge of his bed. He offered a spoonful of fondue to Fred, who immediately opened his mouth and swallowed it. George fed him another spoonful and taunted, "Yeah, right! What do you think is going to happen? Your soulmate will fall from the sky and land in your arms?"

Fred rolled his eyes, swallowed the delicious, creamy chocolate fondue, and muttered, "I wish."

Just then, out of nowhere, the ceiling cracked open overhead. Fred and George shot to their feet, shocked as a long fissure appeared before splitting the ceiling into two. A black hole formed in the cracked space that swirled and swirled and swirled until…

Hermione fell out of the black hole screaming and flailing her arms in abject terror. Before anyone could whip out their wands to do something, she landed right in Fred's open arms, gasping for breath. She clung to Fred's neck, still trembling in his arms.

"Wow, Santa did grant you your wish, huh?" George teased, winking at a now-mortified Fred.

Fred shot him a half-hearted glare and tightened his hold on Hermione, bewildered by what had just happened. He cleared his throat and asked, "Hermione? You alright?"

Hermione shakily nodded, her face buried against his upper arm. "I'm fine," she squeaked out, but her fierce grip on the back of his neck spoke otherwise.

"What happened?" George questioned, climbing up onto the bed to check the fissure that was slowly disappearing as if it hadn't just deposited Hermione in Fred's arms mere seconds ago.

"The spell shouldn't have done that," she mumbled weakly, her nails digging into the nape of Fred's neck. "It shouldn't have done that."

"What are you talking about?" George asked, bouncing on the bed to poke the ceiling. Nothing strange happened, so he hopped off the bed and stood beside them.

"I don't know," Hermione wailed, still obviously terrified of whatever had happened. "One moment I was in Ginny's room, and the next, I'm falling through the floors!"

"What were you doing in there?" George asked with a laugh. He glanced at Fred before teasing Hermione, "Attempting to find your soulmate?"

Hermione's face lost all its colour. "What? How did you—"

"You were?" George exclaimed and burst into peals of laughter, bending over double and smacking his thigh simultaneously. "Oh, Merlin, this is great! It's so perfect! I can't breathe!"

"George, stop laughing! How did you know I was trying that? Did Ginny tell you that? Were you spying on us?" Hermione demanded, still clinging to Fred like a baby.

George almost fell to his knees as he continued howling with laughter. "I'm going to die! Please stop!"

Hermione scowled and wriggled, hopping out of Fred's arms. She stormed up to George's side and smacked his head. "Stop laughing and tell me!"

Fred was still silent. His heart was pounding against his ribs, and his stomach was in knots. Could this truly be a coincidence, or was it...fate?

"Ask your Fred, dear," George said, now on his hands and knees. His body shuddered as another bout of laughter erupted from his mouth. He banged his fist on the floor and cackled. "Merlin—I'm going to—piss myself—this—is—hilarious! I'm amazing!"

Hermione whirled around and strode towards Fred, a scowl on her face. She jabbed him with her finger and demanded, "How did George know I was trying a spell to find my soulmate? It was Ginny who found the spell and told me I should try it out!"

Fred swallowed nervously before murmuring, "He didn't. He was just teasing."

Hermione's scowl darkened. "Why would he say that then? He could have said anything else, so why did he choose to say—"

"It wasn't for you," Fred said, interrupting her quickly. His face warmed as he looked her over and mumbled, "He was teasing me."

Hermione stopped ranting, her finger still hovering in mid-air. "Wh-what?"

Fred shot George a glare, wishing for him to disappear, but George was still lying on the ground, curled up in a fetal position, tears of mirth streaming down his cheeks and dripping into his ear. George understood what Fred wanted, so he kept laughing while rolling towards the door. He banged his head against the frame but continued cackling like a lunatic and slipped out.

Fred sighed and looked down at her—(hopefully) his soulmate. He reluctantly answered, "I've been wishing for my soulmate for the past thirteen years…"

"So?" Hermione frowned, lowering her hand to her side.

"He… He was taunting me about how my soulmate wasn't going to just fall out of the sky and land in my arms when…" Fred trailed off pointedly.

At first, Hermione's face was still blank, unimpressed by his explanation, but then, a look of comprehension washed over her features.

Fred hadn't noticed it before, but her brown eyes were really beautiful. Her long lashes framed her eyes perfectly, and they looked so soft. Fred could imagine the flutter of her lashes against his cheek, and his face turned warm at the thought.

"You mean…" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. She swallowed and licked her lips, trying to complete her thought, and Fred's attention was caught by the small motion.

Her peony-pink lips were dry but looked soft and pillowy, and Fred was filled with the urge to lean in and kiss her. He forced himself to look away from her mouth and met her gaze instead. His heart lurched at the expressiveness in her brown eyes. His mind went hazy and as a result, the words tumbled out of his mouth.

"I hope so."

Hermione's blush spread from the tops of her cheeks to the tips of her ears. She ducked her head and her curls curtained her face. Fred decided he couldn't have that.

With a sense of bravery he didn't realise he possessed, Fred stepped closer to her and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears. Her head shot up at his action, and she let out a soft gasp. "F-Fred… What—"

"I don't know if it's fate or not, but I find I don't really care at the moment," Fred said, allowing himself to caress her cheek. He was in awe of how soft and squishy it was; he did his best not to pinch her cheeks, knowing she would most likely smack his hand away. He stepped in even closer and murmured, "I've been searching my whole life to find my own place, and maybe it's Christmas or the chocolate fondue… but with you, I feel like I've found where I belong."

Hermione's lips slowly turned up in a shy smile as she stepped closer, her chest bumping against his. "You mean it, Fred?"

"I do," he murmured, placing his hands on her hips before slowly winding his arms around her. She fit perfectly against his body as if she was made just for him, and the comparison made Fred's heart soar. "Do you… I mean, do you feel the same way?"

Hermione's blush darkened as she shakily nodded in reply. She whispered, "I think so… I'm not certain, but—"

"Maybe this will make your feelings more obvious," Fred murmured, tightening his arms around her. He dipped his head and kissed her.

Hermione gasped and then wrapped her arms around his shoulders before kissing him back. Fred turned to mush when she sighed into his mouth, their breaths mingling, and stepped up on his toes to deepen the kiss. Fred clutched onto her, holding her flush against his body, as wave after wave of intoxicating pleasure coursed through him. There wasn't anything else in the world except the burning flame of their newfound feelings.

Gasping for breath, Fred pulled away, almost cross-eyed with pleasure, and panted out, "So… what do you think now?"

Hermione's chest heaved while her gaze was trained on Fred's mouth. "I think… I'd like to try that again… You know, just to be completely sure…"

Fred grinned and said, "I'd like that, too."

Their lips met in another unhurried yet passionate kiss. When she fisted the back of his shirt and dragged him closer, Fred's whole world stopped spinning to make room for the new emotions blooming in his chest.

Santa had finally granted him his wish.