A couple of weeks later, Fred found himself at a tree farm helping Hermione pick out her Christmas tree.

"What am I doing here?" he grumbled.

"You said we were friends right? Well, friends help friends pick out Christmas trees!" Hermione insisted.

Their friendship had started small. At first, they would wave to each other when she passed the shop on her way to Gringotts to deposit the cafe's revenues. Then they exchanged letters while planning their part of the Christmas party, asking questions and making lists. A few times, they would open the windows of their flats facing the back alley and they would talk this way for a few minutes before Hermione went to bed. She still had to maintain early hours for the café but would take time to catch up every few days while drinking her evening tea. Once, after a late night, Fred had bursted in her office and asked her for caffeine in order to keep up with the production WWW had scheduled for the day.

Following that event, Hermione sent little care packages once or twice a week with scones and croissants. Even more welcomed than the pastries were the coffees Fred would discover each day on his working bench, under a stasis charm, when he started to work. At first he had received different flavors and toppings, but Hermione had seemed to zero on his favorite and his order had not changed for the last week. He had no idea how she managed to get through the wards on the shop before they opened, but when she offered to explain, he refused and asked her to let him figure it out. He liked nothing more than a challenge and Hermione Granger was nothing short of the biggest challenge he had in his life.

At first, he was sure she could never change his mind on his views towards the holiday, but faced with her determination and genuine holiday spirit, he realised he might be facing a worthy opponent and was at risk of losing.

Speaking of, he didn't understand how accepting a "mission" she had asked him about had anything to do with Christmas trees.

"Well, there are trees all around. Pick the closest and let's go!"

"It doesn't work that way," Hermione exclaimed. "You have to feel it. The tree must be perfect. It has to fit the room you're going to dress it in, and it has to give off the appropriate vibe."

"But — and hear me out — why are we in a muggle market for the tree?" Fred asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to just transfigure a tree?"

"Because magicals are the only ones who just transfigure trees, while Muggles use trees that grew for years, and were connected to the earth. It's much better that way, don't you think? Even Hagrid decorates the Great Hall with trees he cut down himself. Don't you have any fond memories of how those looked and smelled?"

"Sure," he grumbled, following her. "Because physical labor and chopping down a tree needed for the ecosystem is much better than saving the planet by just transfiguring it."

"It's better this way," Hermione insisted. "One day, I'll just buy a synthetic tree like the one at my parents' house, but for now I want to enjoy the smell of fresh fir needles in my flat!"

"Because there aren't air-refreshing charms for that as well.

Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored his snark as she continued to peruse the lot. She complimented the pros and cons of each tree. She tested the fullness of different options and tested the weight tolerance of the branches. Most importantly, she felt the needles as she went. She wanted to be sure they were supple and full of water rather than brittle and parched.

After more than an hour of him pointing every possible tree, and Hermione rejecting every last one of them on some sort of arbitrary criteria, even she was starting to lose hope.

"Every year it used to be so easy, why can't I get it right this year?"

"You know, these trees are important to you because they grew normally, right?"

"Yes, but what—"

At that exact moment, Hermione saw the one . She gasped and made a mad dash for it and reached the tree at the exact moment another couple did.

"I was here first," Hermione insisted, knowing how these situations went down.

"But I saw it first," the other woman insisted.

Fred's eyes widened in alarm as he recognized the start of the tell-tale argument. While the women started arguing about who was more entitled to the tree, he subtly drew his wand and cast a glamor charm at a nearby tree. Instantly, it looked richer, fuller, and envy-worthy.

He made sure Hermione saw him reholster and disillusion his wand before he drew the woman's attention to himself.

"Hey Hermione. Forget that tree. We'll be the envy of the block with this one."

The other woman spun around and narrowed her eyes at Fred before she caught sight of the magically enhanced tree. He could easily tell that he'd caught her as her eyes grew wide with desire.

"Unless, you'd rather have that old one? Then we could give this tree to the nice couple?"

Hermione's eyes twinkled in amusement as she picked up on the ruse.

"Oh Fred, it's so lovely. I don't think we can give that one up… Unless they really wanted it over this one?"

"It is the season of giving, afterall," Fred's eyes were lit up in excitement and amusement as the couple practically pounced on his tree, leaving Hermione to keep her perfect fir.

"Thank you," she smiled at him while he quickly paid the nearby clerk for the tree before anyone else could claim it and add to the torture of being there for pointless hours on end.

"So we're good?" he asked as he turned back to her. His smile disappeared at the look of mischief in her eyes.

"We still need to find a tree for you," she corrected him. He groaned in dismay.

A few hours later, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had a tree in the middle of their shop and Fred was helping Hermione lug her perfect tree up to her flat.

"I thought this was for the café," he grumbled as she refused to shrink the tree while they heaved it up the narrow staircase.

"That one's enchanted," she corrected. "I like to have one tree for my flat and a magical one for downstairs so it doesn't mess with any allergies. Also no aroma means it doesn't mess with the coffee experience."

"You and your bloody coffees," he grumbled angrily as he got it up the last few steps. "I thought your goal was to make me like Christmas," he grunted as he maneuvered it into her flat.

He had never been invited to her flat, as all of their interactions had been inside the shop or the adjoined kitchen up until now. Looking around, he realised that the building was the mirror image of his and George's flat. He already knew that the closest door led to her bedroom, it was where she would sit at the window when they talked over the alley. Next was her bathroom and then the open space containing her lounge, the kitchen and her dining table. The second bedroom was tucked in the back, converted into an office from what she had told him.

She sighed in relief and levitated the tree into its proper position in the corner of the lounge. Fred was kind enough to screw the base in place as she added tree food and water to the stand.

Stepping back, Hermione added charms of her own to prolong the life of what was her favorite Christmas tree yet.

With a sigh, Hermione looked at her watch. "We should call it soon, I have to work in the morning," she said, sadly.

"Yeah, I guess," started Fred. Despite all of the shopping and physical labor, he didn't want to leave either. He was starting to understand what she meant about magical vibes, but he wasn't sure if they came from her or the tree.

"Before you go?" Hermione fidgeted nervously before making a decision. "Can I ask why you hate Christmas so much?"

Fred sighed, despite knowing she'd eventually have asked no matter what.

He made his way towards the sofa and sat down, leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Tell you what," she said, teasingly. "To thank you for your patience and your help this evening, how about I serve us some eggnog and we can drink it by the fire while we talk before I have to go to bed?"

"Sure, why not?" Fred answered, smiling again. She immediately started riffling through her cabinets and refrigerator. Minutes later, they both had a mug of the spiced drink as they enjoyed it by the fire.

Hermione wanted to ask a million questions, but knew better than to press Fred for information too soon. She took long sips from her creamy drink and let the liquor soothe her as Fred took his time explaining.

"Growing up… We didn't have a lot, but we did have family," Fred started. "I never minded the gift part. We all knew that money was tight, but Mum and Dad always kept us warm and fed and that's what mattered. It's just…" Fred hesitated as the memories came back. "I know I'm going to sound like a brat, but it never felt special to me. I knew we were poor and it wasn't about that. Everyone else got really personalized gifts, but George's and mine were always based on telling us apart. They never were tied to our interests like the others were. In the beginning, it didn't matter since we were so grateful for anything new. But once we noticed that all of our gifts were identical except for our initials, it took some of the joy out of it. By the time we were at Hogwarts, we were both tired of it. George let it roll off his back, but I guess it stuck with me more."

"I'm so sorry," Hermione frowned.

"That's part of the reason why George and I always make prices really affordable around the holidays. We know what it's like for all of the other kids to get the new flashy toy and then go home to receive a Christmas sweater. And I always love sweaters, don't get me wrong… It's just always the same maroon color with the same letter. Have you noticed only George and I get letters on our sweaters? After so much time, I stopped caring and I didn't want to strain my parents anymore so I stopped celebrating."

"So you always hated Christmas because you never got to feel special during the season?" she clarified.

"That pretty much sums it up," Fred sighed. His defeated look pulled at Hermione's heartstrings. She suddenly felt a compulsion to do something stupid to chase away the sad memories — like kiss him.

She quickly shook the feeling off and moved to sit next to him instead. Despite knowing the gesture would most likely be unwelcome, she tucked herself into his side and gave him a hug. He immediately stiffened, but eventually relaxed enough to wrap an arm around her. He tucked his face into her curls and she pretended to not notice as he finally released years of hurt into her hair in the form of a few stray tears.

She didn't know how long they stayed there, but eventually he stood up, thanked her for the tree, and left her flat.


A week after they had gone tree shopping, Hermione Granger huffed angrily as she tried to figure out what to do about breakfast. You would think she had her options down pat considering she owned a coffee shop, but nothing looked appealing that morning. She resigned herself to the knowledge that she would probably have to eat out to fill her stomach. She didn't want to spend any more money than she had to though because she had to go Christmas gift shopping today.

Huffing angrily she stomped down the stairs of her flat to the office of her business. Moving into the kitchen, she pulled out several ingredients from her fridge which she knew were about to go bad. Analyzing her options, she realized the best use of ingredients was probably an omelette.

She quickly made breakfast and gobbled up the nutrition so she could get on with her day. She grabbed her purse and stepped out the back door into the alleyway between Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and her café.

At the exact same moment, Fred Weasley stepped out of his shop.

"Hello Fred! How are you this morning?"

"I'm well, Hermione how are you? Do you have more plans to chop down even more helpless trees?"

"You're so funny," she rolled her eyes, grateful things weren't awkward after their abnormally close evening the previous week. "I still need to decorate the one we got, but for today I only have plans to go Christmas shopping. Are you working?"

"I was planning on it," he nodded "but I can always talk to George if there's some new grand adventure you want to drag me on."

"I'll only drag you along if you haven't gone Christmas shopping yet," she bartered as she adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. "If you're busy, I don't wanna pull you away from your shop on a hectic day."

"I think I can spare a little while, considering it's a Wednesday," he laughed as he ushered for her to follow him. "Let's go talk to George, so we can get going."

She bit her lip as she followed him into his shop. It wasn't open yet but she knew the main room would soon be filled with eager Christmas shoppers. There wasn't a question that Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was the favorite place to visit when buying Christmas gifts. All of the pranks and toys and even Muggle novelties made the shop a desirable destination.

Fred urged her to look around as he made his way to the back offices. She started looking around at the merchandise while his voice drifted from the back accompanied by his twin brothers slightly deeper timbre. As strange as it was, Hermione had never had an issue telling the twins apart. She had always thought their voices sounded just a half octave different. After they've grown up and hit puberty, Hermione didn't even need to see George's ear to be able to tell them apart.

She was inspecting some Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder when Fred materialized behind her, shocking her. Despite her efforts to prevent the inevitable disaster, the powder slipped from her fingers in her surprise and the room was clouded in darkness.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I should have been more careful but I have such butter fingers sometimes."

"It's quite alright, Hermione. It's not the end of the world," Fred's bemused voice calmed her. "It's not the first time the powder has accidentally gone off and it definitely won't be the last."

Hermione felt a breeze and moments later the room was clear again as the powder was sucked into the tip of Fred's wand.

"Although," George laughed. "I have to insist that if you break it, you buy it. Can't lose business to kids testing everything out in-store."

"That's completely alright by me," Hermione laughed as she pulled out her wallet. "Is there anything else I should be buying while I'm here if I'm planning on Christmas shopping today?"

George's eyes sparkled and Hermione immediately regretted her question. Even a fool knew better than to ask a business owner if they should be buying his products — especially when he knew her well enough to know she was shopping for many people.

It turned out the price for stealing Fred away for the day was two skiving snackboxes for Harry and Ron, a new pygmy puff for Ginny — who had lost hers the previous year to old age, a black eye punching telescope for Percy (although she planned on buying him a few books as well), and two of their brand new miniature dragons for Charlie's birthday and Christmas, seeing as they functioned better in groups or pairs.

Hermione was most impressed by the dragons because they were perfect replicas of the dragons used in the selection process for the Triwizard Tournament. The twins had been working on enchantments for them for years and had finally finished the magic to re-create them as toys for the new holiday season.

"Are you ready to go Christmas shopping?" she asked Fred as she handed over the galleons to George. "I was thinking we could stop by Flourish and Blotts first to pick up a few gifts for Percy."

Fred moaned dramatically but still followed her as she made her way out of his shop to head down the street. He followed her willingly and they spent the afternoon window shopping for each of his family members as well as a few extra people who she needed to buy gifts for. The entire afternoon she made sure that Fred didn't just pick the first thing he saw and intentionally picked an item that meant something to the person he would be gifting it to.

For his mother he bought her a new bottle of perfume that reminded him of a scent she had worn once upon a time as a sweet gift from Arthur. Instead of the broom maintenance kit he had planned on getting for Ginny he bought his little sister a locket to put a picture of their family in, and a Hollyhead Harpies hat and scarf combo. When they went by Madam Malkin's, Hermione convinced him to split the cost with her to upgrade Ron's and Harry's worn out leather-hide boots.

Fred got so into the spirit, he got an idea when they turned the corner at Gringotts. He turned her around and actually shook her shoulders in his excitement.

Hermione beamed up at him as she saw him regain a bit of the joy for the season he'd lost over time. The reason for the season was to bring people together and it appeared that all Fred needed was just a little spirit of giving.

She offered him her arm so they could Apparate to the market in muggle London. She helped him pick out a nicely aged wine for Percy and they went shopping for a new motorbike for Arthur to tinker with. For his oldest brothers, Fred had pretty much made the little dragons for Charlie and he had pre-ordered a new toolbelt for Bill ages ago since his was worn beyond repair.

Hermione made sure to pick up her own gifts along the way, but took far more joy in watching Fred shop for his family than she cared to admit. When they both had bought everything they needed, he surprised her by bowing and kissing the back of her hand.

"Thank you so much," he winked up at her through his red fringe as he adopted a posh accent in an old English vernacular. "I typically loathe Christmas shopping, but the Lady of Christmas showed me how to enjoy myself and get something for everyone on the list and I'm eternally in her debt for that."

Hermione blushed deeply as her teeth sank into her bottom lip to hold back a grin.

"If the valiant crimson knight enjoyed himself so much, perhaps he might enjoy helping the lady get her apartment decorated next week?"

"He'd be delighted," Fred jokingly told her in the third person.

"Excellent! Does he also have time for lunch at the cafe? I had a few more ideas for the stalls at the Christmas party!"

"Lead the way milady," he jokingly gestured with a flourish as they walked down the street.

They somehow missed the faces of George and Lee pressed against the shop window as they passed the joke shop.

George grinned at his friend. "I accept payment in the form of galleons or direct bank transfer."

"Oh sod off," Lee rolled his eyes. "He hasn't confessed to her yet. I still have a chance."

"A slim one at best," George argued.

"Stop betting over Fred's and Hermione's love life and help me out here!" Verity's voice hollered at the pair of them from where she was bombarded by customers at the check-out counter.


When Fred got to his laboratory the week after going Christmas shopping with Hermione, he was happily surprised. Beside his now familiar cup of coffee, was a little cookie jar. Opening it, he inhaled the spicy cinnamon aroma of freshly baked gingerbread men. Taking one (to test the batch, he had to make sure they were quality before thinking about sharing them), he munched on the cookie while setting up his bench for the day's work. Placing the jar in the cabinet behind the bench, he realised there was a note attached to it.

Dear Fred,

While being busy planning the party and getting ready for this year's holiday season, I fell completely behind on my decoration schedule. While the café's tree is mostly done, I still haven't touched the tree we picked up together. Would you be able to spare an evening to help an overwhelmed Lady in need of rescue? A feast will be served to the brave rescuer in thanks for the life of the Lady of the castle/flat.

Hermione

Ps: Enjoy the cookies, these were made specifically without icing, just for you. Sharing is optional.

Chuckling, Fred searched around for a spare bit of parchment. Sipping his coffee, he answered her query.

Dear Lady of the Coffee Shop,

Tis a major crime that the Lady of Christmas has not decorated her tower. I will endeavour to launch a rescue mission as soon as the sun sets tonight. Fear not, dear Lady, for I am the bravest knight of Britain, and will fight tinsel and candy canes to reach you and bring your flat to a much more elegant status.

At your service,

The Noble Sir Frederick of Weasley

Ps: The cookies were delicious, but I'm afraid no one else here will be able to attest to that. They mysteriously disappeared and I seem to be the only one capable of accessing them.

Knocking on the backdoor of her café later that night, Fred was getting a little bit anxious. He wanted to have a good evening with Hermione, but he didn't necessarily see how decorating could be fun. However, he still decided to trust her as she had not let him astray since they had become friends. Five minutes later, Hermione had still not answered and he grew worried. Maybe he had the time wrong?

He double checked the letter and realized he was right on time. Feeling like an absolute stalker, he pressed his ear to the door and heard the subtle traces of Christmas music.

Upstairs in the flat, Hermione hummed Christmas carols to herself as she flitted about the kitchen, preparing different dishes. She made sure to test the mulled wine she had simmering on the stove as she made her way to check the snacks she'd popped into the oven.

Fred had promised to come over after work to help her finally decorate her Christmas tree and she wanted to be sure she had a few snacks ready for when he arrived.

She easily could've decorated the tree sooner but she wanted to take the opportunity to spend some extra time with Fred and give him another positive memory.

She pulled out different boxes of ornaments and decorations from storage and had them ready to put on the tree. Christmas carols were playing from her television and she was able to enjoy the way the music added something to the ambience of the room. She was so lost in dancing along Jingle Bell Rock when Fred Apparated into her living room.

She did with any other sane witch would do in that situation. She screamed.

"What the hell?" Hermione yelled as she jumped about a foot in the air.

"I come in peace," he promised, holding his hands up in surrender. "I promise I was invited."

"I know, I did invite you," she quickly apologized before glancing at the clock. "I'm guessing you knocked loudly and I completely missed it?"

"Got it in one," he chuckled teasingly as he took the mug she offered him. "What is this?" he asked, taking a whiff of the fragrant drink she ladled from the stove.

"Mulled wine, of course," she answered. "Festive refreshments are a must when fighting tinsel and fairy lights. It gives courage to the weary, and warms the heart of knights."

Still laughing, he took a sip.

"Whatever happened to traditional hot chocolate?"

"I make that with milk and cocoa powder, but let's be honest… eggnog is better than hot chocolate any day of the week!"

"Get back foul demon!" Fred gasped dramatically. "Heathen! Blasphemy!"

Hermione tipped her head back and let out a full belly laugh in amusement while she ladled her own drink from the stovetop. The vision of her so carefree and laughing did something funny to Fred's stomach as it seemed to flip flop for a moment.

As the pair drank their wine they started to unload the boxes and the tree started to take shape. Baubles and ornaments hung from mini branches while pine cones were stuck deep within the needles. She had made a strand of popcorn while waiting for him that quickly adorned the branches between the piles and piles of tinsel he decorated the tree with. He used so much tinsel that she soon found her hair was as equally decorated as the tree.

When "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" came on the radio Fred took great joy in leading her in a Viennese Waltz that didn't match the tempo of the song at all but was just as fun nonetheless.

She could never remember having more fun decorating her apartment. When he tried to challenge her to a 'Christmas off' to see who could come up with the most creative ways to decorate the downstairs café she had no response but to roll up her sleeves.

No one was going to out-Christmas her in her own café.

When they got downstairs they separated. The shop's tree was already decorated but the walls were bare. Fred started shooting garlands from his wand while she summoned the extra ornaments from upstairs to hang from the extra decor. The fairy lights which they had used on the tree now decorated the downstairs walls and bookshelves as well. Hermione casted a Gemini charm on the box and quadrupled the leftover supplies. Very carefully she enchanted the lights to string themselves across the ceiling creating a web of Christmas lighting.

At the sight of her handiwork Fred immediately yielded and bowed jokingly to her title of "Queen of Christmas."

"I should've known better than to challenge someone as magnificent as your majesty," he teased relentlessly as she led him back upstairs.

"I'm so glad you know better now," Hermione giggled as she served them more of the wine.

The pair of them pulled out the multiple snacks and pastries she had baked and cooked. They made themselves several plates and dragged the trays to the living room where she switched the TV from Christmas carols to one of her all-time favorite Christmas movies: How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Hermione and Fred didn't think about it as they crawled up on the couch together to watch the holiday classic. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she snuggled into his side once the movie started.

Lulled into a sense of comfort from their activities, and their stomachs full with wine, both of them dozed off during the film and only woke up when Jim Carrey lifted the sleigh over his head.

Both of them acted as if they never fell asleep as they subtly scooched away from each other.

When the movie was officially over Fred helped her clean up her flat before he kissed her on the cheek and disappeared into his bedroom in the flat next-door.

Most nights he would make it a point to talk with her through the windows but this evening his room remained dark until Hermione went to bed.


Hermione enjoyed her Wednesdays the most. It was Katie's turn to open the café so she could sleep in. She would take her time to wake up properly, shower and get dressed. Then, she would get downstairs and make herself some type of coffee.

Inspired by the holiday prep she'd been thinking about for the last few weeks, she selected a peppermint latte this morning.

Sitting at a table with a croissant, her latte and this morning's edition of the Daily Prophet, she started to drift in her thoughts.

"Knut for your thoughts?" Katie asked, coming in through the kitchen door. "I've been calling your name for two minutes, Hermione."

"I'm sorry," Hermione blushed. "It's Fred."

"So there is something to talk about? Spill!" Katie gushed, excitedly. "I knew you were not telling me the whole truth the last time we talked about him!"

"What? No! Nothing of the sort!" Hermione exclaimed, blushing furiously at the idea. "He came by last night to have dinner and we decorated my tree."

"Is that what the kids call it these days? Dressing the tree?" Katie winked. "I would have figured he'd be undressing you by this point."

"Katie, can you be serious for a moment? I need advice," Hermione admitted. "I kind of think I'm starting to like Fred but I don't think he feels the same. And it doesn't matter, since I know I like Michael. I'm confused."

"You're blind," Katie stated plainly. "Look, just… work with what you have, and try to adapt your plans as you discover new elements of this 'mystery' you're trying to solve. Worst case scenario, just sleep with the man and see if that triggers anything," she quipped playfully while getting an apron and leaving the room.

" Katie !"

While working, Hermione tried her best to ignore the ideas that Katie had put in her head. It was ridiculous. Fred and her were cordial, but any type of relationship was bound to be even more awkward than the one she had with Ron. Ron! Even if the breakup had been amicable, she couldn't in good conscience date one of his brothers. She was pretty sure it was some kind of rule.

No even if she did have some kind of feelings developing for Fred she knew that she already had a man she had a crush on. It wouldn't be right for Michael (at least in her head) to simply change targets like that. Besides, she didn't really like Fred that way, did she?