"Okay so this is the dress Ginny and I chose" Hermione re-emerged a moment later "what do you think?"
She was wearing a white dress decorated with a print of dark green leaves, the dress was sleeveless and had a v shaped neckline that just caught the top of her cleavage and a similar, much deeper v at the back. The shape was that of a skater dress but the stiff material kept the short skirt sticking out slightly rather than hugging her legs in the growing heat of the day, which meant that the hem reached just above her mid thigh.
Fred was rendered speechless so he just nodded with an awed expression on his face.
"Or" Hermione vanished again behind the door only to re-emerge in the other option she had brought with her, a simple navy blue halter neck dress "this one is my back up."
Fred raked his eyes up and down her again, still thrown that she trusted him to help her with things like this.
"You look gorgeous in both of course" he began and brought his gaze up to meet hers as he heard her self deprecating scoff, his eyes overflowing with the sincerity of his words "absolutely gorgeous. But you look particularly phenomenal in that first one."
"But the waist sits wrong and it makes me look frumpy" Hermione whined pitifully.
"Go put it back on." Fred encouraged, shooing her back into his room to change again.
She emerged again a minute later and Fred had to very strictly and silently tell his lower body to stop misbehaving and his heart to calm down before she realised that that was the source of the loud thumping noise filling the apartment.
"What's wrong with it?" Fred asked as she walked over to him, her skirt swishing slightly with each step.
"Here" she turned and indicated the point where she had bunched the material in her hand at the middle of her back where the dress's gold zip ended and the waist of the material nipped in "it doesn't sit against my ribs unless I pull the material tight like this."
"Oh I can fix that" Fred exclaimed in relief "Mum taught me years ago how to do small alterations so that the clothes we got handed down from Percy would fit better."
Hermione marvelled at how talented and kind this man was, he had grown up with so little in terms of finances but with a wealth of love and skill. She felt the material move beneath her fingers and soon the fabric lay snugly against her ribs, tight enough that it no longer moved oddly but loose enough that she could still breath easily.
Rushing back into Fred's room and over to the mirror she twirled around and drew her long curls over one shoulder to admire his very neat handiwork on the back of the dress. The soft skin across her shoulder blades now visible down to her waist. Fred hovered at the doorway into his room, watching her intently as she relaxed and became more comfortable in the clothes she was wearing. This would be only the second time she was going back to the Hogwarts castle since the final battle and Fred understood that her trepidation would be more about that than her clothing but this was a good outlet for it.
"Aren't you getting ready?" She asked after taking a few minutes to calm back down.
"I'll take five minutes max," he shrugged "just need to take a quick shower and throw on my formal robes."
"I'll drop my other dress back off at home and grab my bag and shoes and meet you here in five minutes then" she grinned, grabbed the discarded navy dress and kissed his cheek as she squeezed past him in the doorway.
As the emerald flames died down in the floo Fred shook his head to clear the fog that had accumulated while he had been admiring Hermione. The wide boyish grin stayed on his face though all through his shower and was still firmly in place when he stood by the fireplace four minutes later, clean and well dressed ready to head off to his sister's graduation.
"Oh" came Hermione's quiet exclamation of surprise as she stepped out elegantly onto the lounge rug.
"What do you think?" He asked, throwing her a charming smile as he gave a spin, partly to show her his new robes but mostly to disguise the nervousness in his eyes for he really wanted her to like what she saw.
"You like very dapper" she said with a small, honest smile.
Accepting his proffered arm, Hermione walked with Fred out through the shop, which had been left in Lee and Verity's very capable hands for the day, and apparated to the gates of Hogwarts.
…
The graduation ceremony was beautiful.
The celebrations were muted and a special time of quiet given in honour of the horrors the graduating students had experienced and in memory of all those who should have been here graduating or celebrating alongside them. Rows of chairs were left bare at the front for the missing students and at the back for missing family and friends, each with flowers laid by the graduating students.
As Ginny's name was called she left her seat and completed her loop of the great hall. She lay a handful of pink and red carnations on the empty seats of Remus and Tonks, indicating that they were sorely missed. She would be helping to raise their son with Harry, and while she was thrilled to be able to offer Teddy that level of love she wished it hadn't come at the cost of their lives. She gave Teddy a kiss on top of his vivid blue hair as she passed him where he sat nestled in his godfather's lap.
She also placed a single chrysanthemum on the empty seat of Colin Creevey to signify their friendship as she passed the front rows and ascended the steps to receive her NEWT certificates and a handshake from both Professor McGonagall and Minister Shacklebolt. Tears and cheers mingled together from the Weasley family and friends as Ginny shot a triumphant but watery smile at the gathered audience.
The rest of the celebrations went smoothly and soon the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Teddy, Andromeda Tonks, Luna Lovegood and her father and an assortment of loved ones were gathered at Hogsmeade station waiting for Ginny to arrive back across the lake via boat. They all tumbled into a carriage on the Hogwarts Express once the graduates arrived and the Weasley group claimed a series of neighbouring compartments. Teddy went back to his Grandmother's lap for the journey so that Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Angelina, Luna, Luna's fiance Rolf (they had been matched by the ministry thanks to her being pureblood and Rolf's mother being muggleborn but had instantly hit it off perfectly as though it was always meant to be), Charlie and Oliver could all squeeze in together for one last train ride home discussing quidditch, Hogwarts and everything else.
