Author's Note
Hello everyone!
The partner story for this fic, "Falling Apart with You" about Charlie and Ashlynn (remember the woman who saved Fred's life?) is now complete! ('Wow, that's amazing' you say? I know, right!?) So please do pop on over to my page and check that one out.
I hope you love, love, love this chapter, there's something in here that's been a loooong time coming but do not panic, this fic is barely started so there's still plenty of Fremione's ups and downs of love to go.
Have a great day,
Wishin' Girl x x x
...
Three weeks later saw Fred and Hermione celebrating after finding the address of the fourth Monica and Wendell Wilkins on their list. They had so far been to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney and in each location had tracked down the potential parents in muggle town records before visiting the Wilkins couple in person and finding out that they weren't who they were hoping for.
It had become very disheartening and each time Fred watched the light of hope dimming and dying in Hermione's eyes as they failed time and again to find her family. So Fred had decreed that they would now celebrate the little wins at every opportunity, no matter how small. Their flirtations hadn't much passed those of their first night but both Fred and Hermione had definitely fallen even more in love with the other each day.
Hot water streamed down Hermione's back as she washed the macadamia nut conditioner, provided by the holiday let cabin they were currently staying in in the rain forest near Daintree, out of her thick brown curls. She lathered her skin in the soapy water of her body wash and carefully shaved her legs the muggle way, she preferred to do this the way her mother had taught her, before climbing out of the shower and wrapping herself in a thick fluffy towel. Humming absent mindedly to herself she walked back to the double bedroom the not-quite-a-couple were sharing through the open plan living area and re-emerged in her pajamas with her damp hair hanging over one shoulder moments later so settle comfortably on the sofa and brush her nut oil through her curly hair.
Fred's jaw hit the floor every time he saw her walk by in a towel and his cock twitched appreciatively every night at the sight of her in those booty sleep shorts but he always managed to gather his composure just in time to avoid getting caught oggling her.
He joined her on the sofa with two glasses of sparkling Australian wine as soon as he had regathered his composure and the two chatted comfortably well into the night. Hermione had been thinking about the questions she had asked Fred on their first night in the country and, in an attempt to wrangle the truth from him, suggested they play truth or dare. She had taught the Weasley kids this game a few years earlier during a school holiday at the burrow and Fred thought it was a brilliant idea. Hermione had quickly put in place a two turn limit when she discovered that George and Fred only ever chose 'dare' so that now you could only choose the same option twice in a row, and she reminded Fred of this fact tonight with a pointed eyebrow raise causing him to chortle and cross his heart in a promise to follow her rules.
"I'll go first" Fred announced eagerly "dare"
"I dare you to… sing me your favourite Celestina Warbeck song" Hermione said with a roll of her eyes at the predictable act of Fred choosing dare over truth.
"Dare" said Hermione once she'd finished calming down from her laughter at Fred's ludicrous rendition of 'Beat Back Those Bludgers, Boys, and Chuck That Quaffle Here'
"I dare you to down the rest of your wine" Fred countered, emptying the remains of the bottle into her almost empty glass.
Not one to be outdone by such an easy dare, Hermione downed the rest of the wine in one, she was good at holding her drink so she knew this amount wouldn't have too much effect on her other than boosting her confidence.
"Truth" said Fred
"Who's your favourite brother after George?" She asked
"Ron. We tease him a lot but I'm super proud of what he's done and he must be pretty damn great to have bagged you, even if only for a short time." He finished with a salacious wink to cover up for his vulnerability.
"Truth" Hermione said confidently as the alcohol lowered her inhibitions very slightly.
"Do you have any romantic feelings Ron?" and although he tried to mask it, Fred's voice still held a fragile vulnerability as he asked.
"No. I thought I used to like him but I didn't understand my emotions, as soon as we kissed I knew it was wrong. Plus I've always had a thing for his brother." she said the last sentence so quietly that he only just heard her but didn't let on that he had yet and waited patiently for her next 'truth' turn.
"Dare"
"I dare you to pole dance right there, without a pole" she instructed with a giggle.
Fred was brilliant. He jumped up immediately and enthusiastically entertained her with the perfect mix of sexy and silly to keep her laughing and hopefully turn her on a little bit. It definitely worked and she felt flutters in both her heart and fanny.
"Truth" she said between giggles as he flopped back down onto the sofa beside her to catch his breath.
"Do you still have a thing for the brother you mentioned?" he asked causing her to blush profusely and drop her gaze to the floor.
"Yes I do still have a thing for him, a massive thing for him actually." She said quietly, refusing to lift her eyes to meet his, fearful that he would see that it was him and break her heart.
"Truth" he said quickly to prevent her from wallowing in embarrassment.
"Do you think I'm pretty?" her eyes betrayed how self conscious she felt, she had faced trolls, dragons and Voldemort's very best death eaters time and time again, she was a true war heroine, the golden Gryffindor princess but deep down she was still a young woman who was desperate to be loved by the man she so adored.
"I think" he began, speaking softly and sincerely, hooking a finger under her chin and holding her eyes steady on his "that you are the most beautiful woman to ever grace this earth. You are so pretty it makes my heart stop and any man, any Weasley brother, would be the luckiest guy alive if you had a thing for him."
"Dare" she said beaming and blushing at his response as a thousand butterflies fluttered about inside her.
"Kiss me" he dared her quietly, his eyes never leaving hers for even a second "but only if I'm the brother you've always had a thing for."
Hermione stood up from the sofa with a shaky deep breath and stepped in front of her favourite Weasley. She had been crushing on him for years and dreamed about this moment countless times. Hermione carefully placed her knees on the sofa cushions on either side of her crush's hips and put her hands on the back of the sofa either side of his head. Fred's breath caught in his throat and his heart thumped loudly, he had dreamed of this moment just as many times, maybe even more so, than Hermione had herself and couldn't believe it was about to come true as her hair fell in a curtain around their faces and she lowered her lips to meet his. Her soft rosy lips brushed against his, temptingly and uncertain to begin with but it felt to them both as if this was exactly where they belonged and their mouths soon began to move perfectly in unison.
Fred's hands grasped her hips desperately and pulled her down into his lap not wanting any space left between them. Her lips parted in a quiet mewl and his tongue immediately seized its opportunity to dance in her mouth, the sweet taste of wine passed back and forth between them as her tongue wrapped around his and she moaned more loudly now at the feeling of his large hands roaming across her body.
The two kissed passionately for what felt like hours before their lungs began to scream for oxygen and they separated to breathe deeply, their eyes closed and foreheads pressed together an intimate display of trust. They didn't say a word but the silence and closeness of their bodies felt more honest and intimate than anything either would be able to voice. After several long minutes they had both brought their heart rates back down and Fred led them to bed, his large hand encasing hers as he walked backwards into the bedroom refusing to look away from the gorgeous women. Both he and Hermione were grinning like loons and Fred eagerly spooned Hermione like he did every night, his mind began to wander even more than usual and he took extra care to keep his hands away from any dangerous areas. He was not willing to push her too fast and mess this up now he was finally here. He was in this for the long haul. He wanted this to last forever.
"Ask me again" Fred spoke softly into her curls as sleep began to claim them, his nose gently brushing against the tender skin behind her ear "the question from the first night, I said to ask again in a few weeks. Ask me again now."
"Why do you call me love?" he heard her response muffled around an adorable yawn.
"Because I love you" Fred replied holding her closer to his wildly beating chest, his heart felt like it would explode with the sheer volume of love it felt for the brunette in his arms.
"But you've always called me love…" a very sleepy Hermione pointed out in confusion.
"Because I've always loved you" he whispered and pulled her tight into his warm chest as she drifted off to sleep with a very happy smile dancing across her well kissed lips.
