A/N: I'm sorry. This took too long for me to write, just been having a major case of writer's block, so here we are. I hope you like this chapter as much as I do, I spent a full day writing through a headache to get this done for all of you that have stuck with it and are still reading. Much Love- Bookworm
"I just don't get it. I thought that you wanted to marry her?" George said, shaking his head and leaning his hip against the counter. He crossed his arms and tiled his head at his twin, who was handing their last customer their bag.
"Thank you, have a good night." Fred said with a sideways grin before turning to George. "I do want to marry her." He insisted.
"Then why wait?" George asked, uncrossing his arms and flicking his wand lazily at the front door, locking it. "You told me that you were going to ask her to marry you if we lived through the war."
"It's just… I don't think it's the right time." Fred said, avoiding George's gaze.
"How? She's moved in already, how could this not be the right time?" George asked with a sigh.
"Just…" Fred let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, trying to think about how to word what he was thinking.
"Just…?" George prompted, turning to their register and dumping the money from the day into a bag to take to the bank.
"Percy…" Fred said softly, looking at the wall behind George.
"Percy? Fred, she forgave you, you know that." George said, shaking his head in apparent confusion.
"Yeah, she did. But… I haven't… I acted like a git, worse than a git. She has forgiven me over and over again, and I don't deserve it." He said, looking ashamed.
"Fred... " George set the bag aside, and turned to his twin.
"No. I broke it off with her because she was still in school, because I knew that she would go off and try to save the world with our kid brother and Harry Potter. Then.. I blamed her for Percy. And she just… forgives me. I was an utter idiot." Fred explained. "How could I ask her to marry me, when the obvious answer is no?"
"You really think that she would say no?" George asked, his mouth hanging open in surprise.
"Of course she would… how could she say yes?" He asked sadly. "She probably thinks I'll leave her again, just like I did when she needed me most."
"Fred, I know you love her. She loves you. There's no reason for her to say no."
"There's every reason for her to say no." Fred groaned.
"Fred, she's already moved in!" George said loudly, trying to get Fred to understand. "I see the way she looks at you, the way she cares about you. Hermione loves you more than anything, and I swear that if you don't ask her to marry you, I'll ask her for myself!" He sounded a little angry, and though Fred was surprised at the sudden change in emotion, he focused on what he had just said.
"You wouldn't." Fred said, glaring at him.
"Wouldn't I?" George snapped back. They stood there, staring at each other for a moment, until George sighed and broke his gaze.
"Wait… How does she look at me?" Fred asked, furrowing his brow.
"She- she looks at you like…. Blimey, like you hung the moon in the sky just for her." George sighed, giving Fred a small smile.
"Oh." Fred said gently, looking down at the floor.
"Just… ask her." George said, grinning at Fred before turning and walking toward the stairs that led up to the flat.
"Love, could you please just go put on the dress?" Fred asked, grimacing at himself in the mirror as he shaved his face.
"Do I have to go? There's still so much to do down in the shop." Hermione said, poking her head around the doorway to look at him in the mirror.
"And we can do it tomorrow. We've missed family dinner the last two weeks, we have to go." Fred explained, setting the razor down on the counter and raising an eyebrow at her reflection.
"I hate when you're right." Hermione muttered.
"Well, it tends to happen every now and then." He said, giving her a crooked grin. "Now, please. Go, get dressed." He urged her.
"Right, yeah. I'm going." She said, turning and disappearing from the doorway. Fred let out a breath, and checked out the door to make sure that she had really gone back to their room before digging his hand into his pocket and pulling out a small cloth covered box.
"Is that it?" George startled him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Fred jumped slightly, but let out a short breath before nodding and popping the box open. "She'll love it." George assured him with a grin.
"You think so? Maybe I should have asked Ginny to help me…" Fred said nervously.
"No, look at it… it's very…" George trailed off, trying to think of the right word.
"Hermione." Both of them said at the same time. Fred grinned and glanced over his shoulder at his brother, who was smiling widely back at him.
"You best put that away." George said, nodding to the box just as Fred snapped it shut again. He slid it back into his pocket and ran a hand nervously through his hair.
"I should go make sure she's ready, we should be leaving in a minute." Fred said. George nodded and shooed him toward his room. Fred rolled his eyes before cracking open the door and peeking inside. Hermione had just pulled her hair out of the deep green dress that she had slid on, and Fred took a slight moment to admire how she looked before speaking.
"Ready to go, love?" Fred asked. Hermione turned to him, smiling, and nodded as she lifted the hem of her dress up to put her wand into the holster on her thigh.
"Let's go." She said, pulling the dress back down and walking over to him. She paused at the door, getting on her tiptoes and giving him a quick kiss.
Fred smiled, and put an arm around her back, leading her over to the fireplace just as Lee threw in some floo powder.
"The Burrow!" He shouted, and the other three watched as green flames rose and swept him away.
"You next love, we'll be through in just a second." Fred said, pushing her gently toward the fireplace.
"Everything alright?" She asked, taking a handful of the powder and pausing before throwing it in, looking over her shoulder at the twins behind her.
"We just want to be sure we locked everything up." George said, rolling his eyes. "Fred here, is worried about the break ins that have been happening." Fred looked sheepish, even though he knew that George was lying to her.
"Right, well don't be too long." She said, giving them a smile before tossing the powder into the fireplace and stepping into it. "The Burrow." She said clearly.
"Are you alright?" George said as soon as Hermione was gone, turning to Fred and looking concerned.
"I… I'm nervous." Fred admitted.
"What's there to be nervous about? Think about it, you were made for eachother." George told him with a smile. Fred smiled nervously back as a memory flooded back to him.
"It's so nice out… can't we just go outside?" Hermione asked him hopefully.
"I can't, I need to find George." Fred said, giving her a sideways smile.
"Fred. Please? I promise, George is fine. Please just walk by the lake with me?" Hermione asked. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, but they had been banned from going by Umbridge. They had spent the last week inside, nursing hands that had just been through another one of her detentions. Fred turned and looked at her, she was so hopeful, and kept glancing at the sunlight coming from the window.
"Let's go." Fred said, smiling and shaking his head slightly.
"Really?" She asked excitedly.
"Yes, go get your cloak." Fred said. She jumped up from her chair happily and kissed his cheek before running to the stairs that led to the girl's dormitory.
Fred pulled the marauder's map from his pocket and checked it for his twin, and let out a deep breath when he saw that he was with Lee at the owlery. Maybe they could meet up later and fly a bit. Gods, he missed flying. The toad had been banning students from things left and right, and George, himself, and Harry had just recently had playing quidditch added to their list.
Hermione came bounding back down the stairs, throwing her cloak over her shoulders and fastening it. She came to a halt in front of Fred, grinning, and he rose to walk with her.
They had settled themselves against a large tree, Fred had his back resting against it, while Hermione was resting her head on his legs. He took the opportunity to claim one of her curls between his fingers, and began to play with it.
"So… the shop." Hermione said softly, her eyes closed.
"Yeah?"
"Do you have a name?" She asked, peeking up at him.
"Erm… Haven't really thought about it to be honest." Fred admitted. He and George were still trying to think about when they were going to leave the school.
"I've thought about it some." Hermione admitted.
"Oh? Anything good?" He asked, grinning down at her.
"One, I think."
"Well, let's hear it then." He prompted.
"Erm… I thought maybe… Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Hermione told him. He stared at her for a long moment. It was perfect, why hadn't they asked Hermione about ideas before now? "You don't like it, it's not very good…" Hermione muttered, sitting up.
"No, I love it. It's perfect." He assured her. "George will love it." He added.
"Well, you don't have to use it." She said, a slight blush filling her cheeks as she turned her body to face him.
"Of course we do!" He protested. He grinned at her, and she smiled back at him. He watched as a breeze picked up, and her curls bounced around her head gently. "I love you." He said gently.
"I love you too." She answered immediately. "Oh, I had an idea… something to really get under Umbridge's skin…" She had told him, a familiar mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I love her." Fred said.
"I know, now let's go before she starts to worry." George said, clapping him on the back with one hand. He let Fred go first, watching as his nervous twin entered the fire and was pulled away by the familiar green flames.
Fred waited by the fire for a moment until George came through, then went to the kitchen in search of drinks. They found Bill, pouring one for himself, and upon seeing them, he grabbed two more glasses and poured a generous amount of what was hopefully firewhisky into each one. Fred took his and drank it quickly, tapping the glass with one finger after he was done, and staring at the wall.
"Are you alright Fred?" Bill asked, raising his eyebrows at him.
"What? Oh, I'm fine." Fred said, shaking his head. George raised his eyebrows at him and sipped at his drink.
"You need to relax, or she'll catch on." He whispered. Fred nodded and set the glass down before taking a couple deep breaths to calm himself.
"What's going on?" Bill asked, looking back and forth between Fred and George. George stared at Fred, ticking one eyebrow up and tilting his head toward Bill, silently asking for permission to tell him. Fred nodded, and turned back to the counter, setting his palms flat on the cool surface.
"Really?!" Bill asked loudly.
"Shhhh!" George hissed, frowning at Bill. "But yes, really."
"Bloody brilliant, congratulations." Bill said, grinning at Fred who only smiled weakly back at him.
"Thanks, but she could still say no." He replied.
"Is he mad?" Bill asked, turning to George.
"He's convinced himself that she hates him and is just making him suffer." George said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Is that so?" Bill asked, amused. "You know… I thought that Fleur would say no to me." Bill said, walking to stand next to Fred.
"She didn't." Fred told him. "And, you haven't done all the stupid things I have." He said.
"True, if I had, she wouldn't have been with me at all." Bill said with a shrug. "But, you and Hermione? You're still together."
"Yeah.. but what if-"
"Stop. She'll say yes." Bill said. "Don't worry." He reassured him with a smile. "When are you going to do it?" He asked.
"When… I don't know." Fred said. He really hadn't thought about it, he turned to George, his eyes wide with panic. "When should I do it?" He asked.
"Before the nightcap." George answered, he had obviously already thought about this predicament.
"That's good, everyone will be in the living room." Bill agreed, nodding.
"Right." Fred nodded, suddenly a bit more sure of himself.
"Oh there you are!" Hermione's voice rang in the room, making the three men jump. "What are you lot up to?" She asked, eyeing them.
"Oh, I was just trying to convince them to get another drink with me." Bill said with a laugh, holding up his own glass.
"Boys." She said, laughing and shaking her head. "Your mum is looking for you, wants to say hello." She told them. The twins nodded and followed her out of the room, though Fred looked back at Bill, who gave him a wink.
Dinner that night reminded Fred of the dinners that they would have in the summertime when they were still going to Hogwarts, filled with stories and laughter from all sides of the table. It struck Fred that this was the first time that it had felt like this since the battle at Hogwarts. Maybe it was because Harry and Ron had just done really well in an assessment at the auror academy, or possibly it was Ginny's news that she had been drafted to the Holyhead Harpies as a chaser. Either way, it was a very happy dinner, and somehow it was sign to Fred that today really was the perfect night to propose to Hermione. Every time he made eye contact with Bill, he would grin and wink at him, though thankfully Hermione failed to notice any of them as she was busy talking to Lee about the shop. When his mum announced that everyone should go wait in the sitting room while she made up some tea for everyone.
"Mum, why don't we all go, it's a bit early for tea." Bill said. Molly gave him a curious look, but nodded anyway and followed everyone out of the room.
Bill gave Fred a significant look as they exited the kitchen, and Fred gave him a nod. He took a deep breath, and looked at Hermione, who was laughing at something George had said. Now was good of a time as any. George looked up, and grinned as he saw Fred making his way over to them. He stood and took a couple steps away from Hermione, who looked confused at the sudden distance he insisted on. That is, until she noticed Fred, who now had the box pulled out of his pocket.
He had a fleeting thought about how they had started dating, and grinned as he reached her and gently got down on one knee, opening the box silently and holding it out to her. Her mouth fell open, and her eyes met his over his outstretched arms. He smiled at her, and raised his eyebrows at her, still silent as the rest of the room around them fell silent as well. She understood, of course, what he was asking without words. Her mouth closed and turned up into a grin, though her eyes had obviously filled with tears. He reached into the box and pulled the small ring from its secure pillow as Hermione held out her left hand. He took it gently into his, and slid the ring onto her finger before standing and pulling her into a kiss. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, and he felt a couple tears from her eyes touch his cheeks as they slid down her face. They broke from each other, and Fred brought his thumbs up to wipe the tears away from her skin.
"I love you." She said softly.
"I love you too." He said, brushing his lips gently against hers.
"But you didn't even ask her!" Ginny protested.
"Do I really need to?" He asked, grinning.
"Of course you do!" Ginny said over Hermione's laughter. Fred grinned, sure that she was remembering when this conversation had led to him asking her to be his girlfriend.
"Right then." He said, clearing his throat and once again kneeling down. "Hermione, my love, I know that you are already wearing the ring, that we have been together for years and that you live with me, but will you do me the honor of being my wife?" Fred asked as dramatically as he could.
"Oh Fred... " Hermione grinned at him. "After all of that, how could I say no? Of course I'll marry you." She said, pulling him back up onto his feet. She pulled him into another kiss as his family cheered around them. They were quickly swept into hugs from everybody, words of congratulations coming from everyone.
"I'll be planning the wedding?" Molly asked. Fred glanced at Hermione, who gave him a small smile.
"Of course mum, wouldn't dream of anything else." Fred assured her. Hermione nodded beside him, and Molly clapped her hands together happily.
"Oh I'm so happy for you, of course." Molly said, bringing both of them into a hug. Hermione grinned at Fred, and raised her eyebrows at him. He only winked and gently separated himself from the embrace.
"Mum, didn't you say that you wanted some tea?" He asked.
"Oh yes, but Bill said- oh you tricked me!" She turned and glared at her eldest son, who only laughed and bowed his head at her.
"Mum, I didn't want you to miss that." He said.
"You knew?!" She shrieked.
"Found out right before dinner, had to figure out why Fred looked like he was going to be sick." He explained, making a few people in the room laugh.
"So, who all knew?" Hermione asked Fred as Molly walked over to Bill to scold him even further.
"Just George and Bill." Fred said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to his side.
"Not even Lee?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at their friend who was sobbing onto George's shoulder in the corner of the room.
"Does it look like it?" Fred asked, obviously holding back his laugh.
"Poor Lee." Hermione said with a small chuckle. "Think he'll be alright?" She asked, smiling up at him.
"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine." Fred assured her.