Chapter Four - Friends Who Cuddle

After a fitful night, Hermione awoke not expecting Fred to send an owl as he'd promised. She'd convinced herself during the night that he simply wasn't interested, and that had been his reason for fleeing instead of kissing her when she'd clearly been willing. There seemed to be some attraction on his part, otherwise, the pheromones wouldn't have affected him, but he was obviously not inclined to act on that attraction.

So, when she emerged from a long, indulgent shower, she was surprised to find Fred's owl at her window. "Hello, Matilda," she cooed, grinning as she did each time she thought about how the little creature had gotten her name. During Fred's recovery after the war, she'd introduced him to a few of her favourite Muggle books. He'd immediately decided that Hermione would have been exactly like Matilda had she grown up with the Dursleys instead of Harry.

Hermione had known just how much the stories meant to him when he purchased his owl, and the first delivery was to her. It was a note that simply said, 'Hi, I'm Matilda.' He hadn't even bothered to sign it, but, of course, she'd known who it was from.

After giving Matilda an owl treat and a dish of water, she tore open the note.

Hermione,

Good morning, my sweet. I hope you slept well. Admittedly, I did not, but the fault lies only with me.

I'm writing, as promised, but also because I was hoping that I could talk you into having lunch with me, and then doing a little Christmas shopping in the muggle world. I don't have a clue what to get dad this year, and I hoped you'd be willing to help. If you say yes, I'll be there at noon. Send your response back with Matilda.

Fred xx

Of course, she would say yes. There wasn't any way that she could justify saying no, and honestly, she didn't want to. Scrawling her reply, she sent it off; seeing that it was already half-past ten she decided that she would go make a pot of tea before getting dressed. She wouldn't bother with breakfast since they would be getting lunch so soon.

After drinking her tea, she returned to her bedroom to get ready. She dressed with much more care than she typically would when just out for the day with a friend. Was that what this was though? Did she want it to be just an outing with a friend? If she was being completely honest with herself, she wanted it to be more. Fred's words from the first Sunday of December when she sat next to him at The Burrow came back to her then. He'd offered to take her on a date. Could he have been serious?

With a sigh, she collapsed onto her bed. Everything was so confusing. She was attracted to Fred, there was no denying it. Closing her eyes, she allowed the real fear to surface… What if Fred wasn't her secret admirer? Could his behaviour toward her be a coincidence?

Checking the clock on her bedside table, she saw that it was nearly time for Fred to arrive. She made a decision then. Today she would have fun with Fred; enjoy whatever they did, and try not to analyze every little thing. If she spent her time dissecting each interaction, she would miss out on the pleasure of simply being with him, and whatever this was, for however long it lasted, she wanted to enjoy it all.

At precisely noon, Fred stepped through her floo. He pulled her into a hug, completely wrapping her in his arms. Hermione melted into him and it felt amazing. She smiled up at him. "You give the very best hugs."

He beamed down at her. "Well, how do I smell today? Back to normal?"

With a laugh, she nodded. "Back to normal, which is nice. You do typically smell really good." She stepped out of his arms. "Let me grab my bag and coat, and then I'm ready to go if you are. I haven't had breakfast so I'm starving."

A moment later, she returned and they exited through her front door, walking out into the muggle world. Suddenly, Hermione was struck with a thought: How would Fred react if she suggested Trattoria Bella Rosa for lunch? It was nearby, but honestly, if they wanted to eat quickly, that wouldn't be the place to go. At noon, on a Sunday, it was sure to be jam-packed. Regardless, she'd promised herself that she wouldn't test him like that.

"You're lost in thought, where did you go?" Fred nudged her playfully before taking her hand, and lacing his fingers through hers as if that was the most natural thing in the world.

Grinning at him, while trying to calm her fluttering heart, she told him truthfully, "I was just thinking about where we could go for lunch that won't be packed at noon on a Sunday. Do you fancy anything in particular?"

They continued their stroll along the pavement as he considered her question, "Whatever will be quick is fine with me because I know you're hungry." After a moment of hesitation, he admitted, "If we find a convenient place, I would love some Chinese food. Most other muggle foods have made their way into Diagon Alley in the past couple of years, but not Chinese, and I've been wanting it for a few days."

"I know just the place! It's one of my favourites actually, but it's nothing fancy, so the posh Sunday crowd won't bother." She tugged on his hand, guiding him to turn down a side street. "Come on, I think you're going to love it."

Ten minutes later, they were seated in the cozy booth of a tiny Chinese restaurant. Hermione typically got takeaway from there, as did most patrons, but there was a small seating area, and she was excited to be there with Fred.

As they perused the menu, she decided that she wanted a cup of their wonderful hot and sour soup to start. It was the perfect thing on a cold day. Realising that she didn't have a strong opinion on the main course, she asked Fred what he wanted.

"I really like those little pancake things with the pork. You know, the ones with the sauce and spring onions," his eyes grew wide as he animatedly described what he was talking about. "Also, noodles with the prawns, and those crispy roll thingies."

"Well, I was going to have some soup to start, but what you're wanting sounds perfect. Want to get all of it and share? It will be more than enough to feed us both."

He nodded eagerly. When their waitress approached, Hermione gave their order, "Two cups of hot and sour soup, chicken spring rolls, moo shoo pork, and prawn lo mein."

It wasn't long before they were enjoying their delicious meal. As they ate, they discussed what to get Arthur for Christmas. He was finally going to retire after the New Year and Fred wanted something that would keep his dad busy. Something that he could tinker with that would keep him from constantly watching the television that they'd all gone together to purchase him two years prior when Hermione, working with Dean and Seamus, had finally figured out how to make muggle electronics compatible with magical homes.

An idea came to Hermione, and she hoped that Fred would think that it was as perfect as she did. "Your dad is still interested in muggle automobiles, planes, and things like that, yes?"

Fred nodded. "He is. Can you think of something like that to get him that mum won't hate? She'd murder me in my sleep if I got him an entire lorry or something like that."

Hermione laughed, thinking of the Ford Anglia. "What I'm thinking will keep him busy, entertained, and your mum won't find it objectionable. There are shops that sell kits to build and paint your own replicas of all of the different modes of muggle transportation. They range in difficulty levels from ones that children can do, to more complex models that take adults loads of time to complete. Most of them are very realistic though, so it's also a way for him to learn more about muggle things."

Reaching across the table, Fred grabbed her hand. "You're brilliant! He would love that. Can we go? Is there a shop like that nearby?"

"Well, there is one model shop that's really well known, but it's actually closer to Diagon Alley than here; I used to go with my dad sometimes, he enjoyed building models. We could go back to my house and floo over to the Leaky and then go from there."

With a smile, Fred squeezed her hand gently. "I'm really happy that you came with me today."

Hermione felt as if she would float away from the joy that simple statement made her feel. "I'm really happy that you asked me."

A short while later, they returned to Hermione's house carrying their leftovers. After a stop to put them in the fridge, they flooed over to the Leaky Cauldron. Waving hello as they passed through, they stepped out onto the street and into Muggle London.

Several hours after that, they made their way back up the pavement toward the Leaky Cauldron. Fred was holding her hand again, and Hermione was thrilled. They'd successfully shopped for Arthur, Fred having purchased him ten different model vehicles to build, a mixture of aeroplanes, motorcycles, and cars. Hermione had also bought him a couple of jigsaw puzzles, as well as the various paints, brushes, glue, and other tools and supplies that he would need to build and complete his vehicles.

Although they'd only been planning to shop for Arthur, Hermione hadn't been able to resist when they'd found a shop selling luxurious yarns. She'd pulled Fred inside where they'd both purchased several skeins of top quality yarn and some books featuring knitting patterns to give to Molly.

All in all, it had been a successful afternoon and Hermione really wasn't ready for her time with Fred to be over. If only she could figure out how to broach the subject. And then inspiration struck, and she smiled to herself. "Would you like some help wrapping the gifts for your parents?"

Fred grinned. "That would be brilliant, I'm shite at wrapping!"

"Well, if you don't have plans now, we could head back to my house and get these wrapped. After that, you're welcome to stay and help me eat our lunch leftovers."

"Merlin, yes! I was hoping that you would suggest that. Lunch was delicious and I was just thinking that I wanted more of it. Honestly, I'm hungry again already."

Laughing, she bumped him with her hip. "Of course you are."

As they passed through the Leaky, Hermione saw speculative looks on a few familiar faces. She looked down at their joined hands and wondered if Fred would be bothered by that kind of attention. Glancing up at him, she saw him wave at a table filled with men who looked vaguely familiar and decided that either he hadn't considered the ramifications or he didn't care. Regardless, there was nothing that they could do now, they'd already been spotted.

Instead of stopping at the floo as she'd expected, Fred motioned toward the door that led to the entrance of Diagon Alley. "Do you mind if we stop into my flat for a few minutes? I want to grab the rest of mum's presents. If you're offering to help me wrap, I want to take full advantage!" He grinned, nudging her side playfully.

"Of course we can stop by your flat, I don't have any plans for this evening." Hermione cringed internally at how pathetic that sounded. Refusing to meet Fred's eyes, she missed the smile that lit his face.

"Great! I don't have plans either. Does that mean you would be up to have me stick around and impose again tonight? I would love to watch another Christmas film with you."

Hermione's heart flipped and she was unable to contain the grin that suddenly spread across her face. "Yes, of course, you can stay and watch a film. I'd really like that."

After a short stop at Fred's flat, they flooed over to Hermione's house. When they arrived, she turned to Fred and asked, "Dinner or wrapping first? You said earlier that you're starving."

"I am," Fred rubbed his tummy dramatically to emphasise his hunger, "but, I think it's smarter to wait and wrap first. If I indulge in as much of those leftovers as I'm planning to, I'll be far too stuffed to do anything remotely physical. All I'm going to want to do is get into your splendid chair and watch a film with you."

"Alright, I'll go grab my wrapping supplies. We'll set up at the dining table." Quickly exiting the room, Hermione thought to herself that she truly hoped that Fred intended to share her chair again. It was lovely being cuddled in his arms.

When she returned, he was already sitting at the table with his bag of gifts on the floor next to him. "Show me what you need to wrap," she instructed.

With a sheepish expression, Fred started removing package after package. "I'm sorry, but I'm truly shite at wrapping. I brought over everything hoping that you would take pity on me and give me a hand with all of this."

Huffing out a laugh, she nodded. "You're lucky that I actually enjoy wrapping presents."

They passed the next hour pleasantly, getting all of the gifts wrapped for the Weasleys. It was during the wrapping that a thought made Hermione's heart sink. She hadn't bought anything for Fred yet. There was still time, and there were several others on her list that she needed to shop for, but what on earth was she supposed to get for the man sitting next to her?

It would have to be something special. They were spending far too much time together for her to get him a generic gift, not that she usually bought anyone generic gifts, but his needed to be extra special this year. Something that made it clear that she'd put thought into it.

That was another thing, how special could she make it without them having a defined relationship? What were they now anyway? Friends, who cuddle? Not exactly a title that warranted a sentimental present. And she couldn't read into things because that would be awkward if she misinterpreted.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Fred who stood and pulled her out of her chair and into an enthusiastic little spin around the room when he saw her tie the bow on his last gift. She hung on for dear life, giggling helplessly as her feet left the ground.

When he put her down again, he placed a sweet kiss on her cheek, lingering just a second longer than might be considered appropriate for mere friends. Hermione's breath hitched and she struggled to keep her composure when he wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Thank you. Honestly, no one will believe for a second that I wrapped these myself, but you saved me so much time and effort. Mine would've been a mess and taken me three times as long."

"Well, you're very welcome, and I really didn't mind at all. If you have anything else that you need help wrapping before Christmas, you're more than welcome to bring it over." She smiled up at him, and, needing an opportunity to catch her breath and get out of his arms before she did something stupid like kiss him, she asked, "Now, are you ready for dinner?"

After they ate and cleaned up the mess, they went into the sitting room to start the DVD. Hermione had decided to go with another old favorite that she suspected Fred would enjoy, Home Alone. As she turned to sit down, a huge yawn slipped out.

Fred grinned. "It's been a long day and you're obviously tired. Why don't you go and change into pyjamas in case you fall asleep again."

She chewed on her lip, contemplating the suggestion. "Are you sure that you don't mind? You don't think it's rude for me to fall asleep on you?"

"No! It's… How do I explain?" Fred stared off into space for a second, "We've been through a war."

Nodding, she watched him intently, not sure where he was going with this.

"I know that you had to force yourself to stay awake for hours on end when you were in dangerous situations, as did I. As a result, we don't trust easily. Knowing that you trust me so completely, enough to allow yourself to fully relax and drift off to sleep without fighting it... Well, that's really flattering. It makes me feel good to know that you're that comfortable with me."

Fred's face had gone a bit pink, but gods, did she understand what he was saying. She didn't trust herself to speak at the moment, knowing that her heart felt so very full. If she tried to say something she wasn't sure if she would simply grin until her cheeks hurt, or burst into tears from the tenderness of his words. Offering him a huge smile, she nodded and fled the room.

Once again composed, and dressed in comfy pajamas, she returned a few minutes later. She grabbed the remote and crossed to where Fred was sprawled in her chair, grinning at her. Without hesitation, she crawled in next to him and cuddled into his warmth.

The next morning, she awoke feeling groggy and a little disoriented. Unlike the last time, she hadn't stirred at all when Fred carried her to bed and she had no memory of how she'd gotten there. Sighing, she stretched, and smiled when she spotted the note on her bedside table.

Hermione,

You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to disturb you last night. I had a wonderful time with you, thanks for everything! Owl me or stop by the shop. We'll be busy all week so I may not see you again until Christmas Eve unless you do come by.

Fred xx

Wearing a giant, goofy grin, she threw on her dressing gown and walked toward the kitchen to make her morning tea. She had to think about Fred's gift and finish her other shopping; today was already the twentieth of December and there wasn't much time left. Entering her kitchen, she stopped dead in her tracks. There on her counter was a beautiful bouquet of red tulips in a crystal vase. Her heart pounded when she saw the card propped against the vase.

Tearing the envelope and opening the card, she read:

Gryffindors wear red

Ravenclaws wear blue

All I want for Christmas this year, my love, is a chance with you

Her knowledge of floriography was limited, but red tulips, she did know. Had the sender intended that message? Could he truly feel that strongly for her? True love was a bold statement. And how had they gotten there? Could Fred have left them last night? Had Harry brought them this morning?

Absently, she closed the card and gasped aloud when she saw the front, which she hadn't paid attention to before. Like the others, it was a simple white card with a silver foil accent. The decoration on this one, however, was a stack of beautifully wrapped Christmas presents. Was that a coincidence, or was Fred her secret admirer and had finally left her a clue? There was no way for her to know.