After dinner, Hermione was reading a book to herself. Ever since the break-up she hadn't allowed herself to relax because relaxation meant thinking of Oliver. But being at the Burrow, surrounded by her friends just like the old days, made everything seem right with the world, and she was finally in the mood to pick up a book. She had missed evenings like this and gave out a content sigh just before she felt someone plump down beside her on the sofa.

"So, Granger," a Fred said while putting his arm around her shoulders - a gesture that still felt a bit unwelcoming to her. She was still unsure of what exactly was going on with him.

"Yes, Fred?" She replied without removing her gaze from the page she'd been reading.

"Listen, I've been thinking," he whispered, "If you want to talk about Wood, you know where to go, right?"

"Yeah, to Ginny or Angelina," Hermione joked.

Fred blew a raspberry and Hermione laughed a little. Then, he continued, "nah, I mean...Might be nice for you to talk to someone else"

"Like who?" Hermione lifted her eyebrow at him.

"Like me..?" he rubbed his neck in an uncomfortable manner. Hermione knew that Fred really wasn't one to talk feelings and she wanted to know what he was playing at.

"Thanks Fred," she said suspiciously, "why are you acting like this? Are we friends again all of a sudden?" she couldn't help herself.

"What do you mean?" Fred looked almost offended, "We've always been friends."

"You know what I mean..." Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

Fred hesitated for a second before he said, "I know I've been acting like a prick lately but everything has just been crazy with the shop and all. It wasn't as if I stopped coming around because I didn't want to see you. Regardless of what you may think of my behaviour recently, I've always enjoyed your company - and it was definitely never my intention to make you question our friendship. Can you forgive me for being selfish?" he pouted at her.

The more she thought about it, the less it mattered that they hadn't talked for quite some time. She could tell by his sincere eyes that he still cared for her and that they were friends still. No reason to discuss it further.

"Yes of course. I'm sorry for giving you a hard time about it. It's just been rough. I've missed you. We all have."

He smiled at her and let her continue with her book while he tried getting comfortable next to her on the sofa.

After a few minutes of non-stop squirming, Hermione couldn't help herself anymore, "Sit still, Fred. I can't concentrate."

"But I'm so bored! It's too quiet in here!" he looked at George who was sitting on the floor in front of the crackling fire with Angelina sitting between his legs. The couple were stroking her pregnant belly lovingly, looking very much in love. "Yuck," Fred said and pried his eyes away from them with a disgusted look on his face.

"Come on, Fred, don't be so childish," she laughed at him.

Fred stood up from the sofa, "You can't expect me to sit here and look at that.. Wanna go for a walk?" he asked Hermione.

"Now?"

"Why not? It's really nice outside. Not as cold as earlier - and it stopped snowing. Might be nice, you know."

"Absolutely not!" Hermione spluttered, "I only just got warm."

"I'll let you wear my puffy coat!" he pouted. He knew that she loved that coat. She had worn it for several snowball fights last winter.

"But it's dark outside.." Hermione whined.

"Please," he pleaded her, "I can't stand being around George when he's wearing that face," Fred said with a shudder and urged her to follow him.

Hermione looked at George's goofy expression, "Okay, you convinced me," she laughed and followed Fred.

Just as he had promised, he handed Hermione his green puffy coat, and pulled on George's less warm one.

It was starry outside and the beauty of it almost made her forget that she wasn't alone. The two walked in silence for a few moments before Hermione said, "this is really nice. I'm glad you convinced me to go out here."

"Yeah, me too. Thanks for joining me... Listen, about earlier; I just wanted you to know that I've missed you too," Fred smiled at her, "I've just been.."

"Busy," Hermione cut him off with a smile, "yes I know. You don't have to explain."

"Right," Fred nodded and looked up at the stars.

"So why'd you want to go for a walk?"

"I just needed some air," he said with a shrug.

Hermione could tell that something was bothering him, "oh come on," she pried, "you'll have to try harder than that if you want to convince me," she laughed.

Fred sighed, "I just hate it when he makes that stupid face. I can't stop imagining myself wearing the same horrible expression," he shuddered, "I have a reputation to uphold, you know."

Hermione laughed at his remark, "yeah, it would really be a shame if you let people see that you have feelings too."

"Sod off!" he laughed at her, "you've seen my soft side plenty."

"I have?"

"Yeah. After the war. That wall, you know. And everything that followed."

Hermione had a flashback of Fred lying unconscious on the ground. He had been dead for a few minutes but had been resuscitated by a healer. In the days that followed, Hermione had seen George and Fred walk around with red-rimmed eyes, hugging all the time, constantly mumbling to eachother. It had been the best and the worst days of her life.

"Yeah, being dead doesn't count," she laughed a little. Glad that they could joke about it now.

"So, crying out your eyes and hugging your brother like a pansy doesn't count as feelings in your book?" he lifted an eyebrow at her, "then what does?"

"This is different," she laughed, "George and Angelina are in love. I've seen you with plenty of girls but never with a girl that you actually liked."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," he said. He had stopped smiling.

"It's okay Fred. It was just a joke," she tried but she could tell that he didn't believe her. With a sigh she continued, "I'm not judging you," she put her hand on his arm reassuringly, "it's just... You are more like a 'hit it and quit it' kind of guy and that's okay. I remember what you were like at Hogwarts. You had a new girl in your dorm every night," she laughed.

Fred groaned, "Gods, I was such a prick back then... I had hoped no one would remember."

"I think everyone remembers," Hermione laughed, "Good for you bad boy reputation, yeah?"

"Not good for much else," he mumbled and fell silent for a few seconds, "wow, people really do see George as the nice one, don't they?"

Hermione laughed and started walking again, "come on," she urged him to follow, "I don't mind that you keep your feelings private. I bet you must've liked at least one of the girls you used to shag at Hogwarts," she winked at him.

"Well since you seem to be so interested in my love life, I think you should know that I haven't seen anyone for at least a year! I'm taking a break from all that."

"Is that supposed to make me proud?" Hermione laughed, "I'd much rather see you go on dates with millions of girls and be happy instead of being alone."

Fred didn't answer her and they walked quietly for a while until he said, "it's really nice to see you again, Granger.. I know you said that it's okay and to leave it alone, but I just need to let you know that I'm sorry I didn't answer any of your letters.."

Hermione sighed, "I guess I'm not completely blameless. I should have visited your shop instead of just owling you. Ginny tells me that you have expanded a great deal. I just didn't want to intrude. You didn't exactly seem happy to see me last time. Remember? Oliver and I came around a few days after the wedding," Hermione bit her lip.

"Sorry.. I guess I was just stressed out," Fred smiled apologetic at her, "I don't blame you for not coming around the shop - especially since I didn't answer any of your letters. I mean; what kind of a prick ignores their friend like that?" He joked and smiled at her before he continued, "...and it wasn't exactly as if I came to any of those ruddy Sunday suppers either. You came to almost all, yeah?"

"Well, I only stopped going about a month ago." Hermione said in a small voice, "I haven't been since..." her voice trailed off.

Fred caught on quickly enough "Yeah, what even happened between you and Wood? Last time I saw you, you practically couldn't keep your hands off each other. When I heard that things were getting serious between you two, I wasn't surprised. You seemed really...passionate," he said in a weird voice.

Hermione sighed, "I honestly don't know what happened. One day he just...broke it off. Just like that," she snapped her fingers, "and I haven't heard from him since."

Fred stopped dead in his tracks, "wait... Wood broke it off?" His smile faltered, "I thought you broke up with him?"

Hermione shook her head, "no, I was quite taken with him. It was him who ended things.."

Fred looked at her without saying anything. His expression almost pained. Hermione could feel how the entire atmosphere between them had shifted during the last minute.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he finally managed to mutter, "no wonder you're still not over him then.."

"I'm almost over him," Hermione offered a small smile. Fred sent her an unconvinced look, "I swear I am! Earlier, when you met me outside, certain things about being here just reminded me of him," she nodded to the shed that she knew Fred knew the meaning of. After all, he had been the one to barge in on her and Oliver just as things had started getting heated between them at the night of the wedding. Hermione remembered how Fred had stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her and Oliver half-naked.

She felt Fred nod beside her. He was looking towards the shed as well. Hermione knew that he was thinking of the same memory she was because he pulled her close and said, "we'll make you a better memory over Christmas, okay? I promise."

"Better than your horrified look as you caught us in the act?" she laughed. In the dark, she couldn't make out Fred's facial expression but she could tell that he didn't find it funny.

She continued as if she hadn't noticed him acting weird all of a sudden, "I don't even know why I'm putting so much feeling in to a shed," she laughed, "after all, it's just a shed. Nothing too exciting. It's for keeping your brooms"

"You and I could make a memory," Fred said with a shrug and a wink. He was clearly back to being his old cocky self.

"Yeah, I'm not going on a broom with you if that's what you're referring to.." Hermione looked at Fred with a puzzled expression and he was just about to say something when they heard someone call Fred's name from the Burrow.

At first, Fred didn't seem to hear anything and just looked a Hermione with a smirk.

"I think that was George...," Hermione said and pointed to the source of the noise without breaking eye contact with Fred.

"FRED!" George called once more from the kitchen window, "Don't ignore me, you prat!"

Irritated, Fred tore his gaze away from Hermione, "What now?" he yelled back to George.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have an emergency at the shop!" George called. Something in his voice was different. It was almost sharp. Hermione had never heard him use that tone with Fred before.

"Are you sure?" Fred called back with an equally annoyed tone, "are you absolutely sure?"

"Positive! It's a code two, okay?"

"Now?"

"Yes - now! And it's serious! Meet me back at the shop."

Fred sighed deeply and looked at Hermione, "I have to go, okay?"

"Okay - code two sounds serious," she frowned without really knowing what she was talking about, "do you think you'll be needing some help? I don't mind."

Fred smiled at her, "I'm sure it's just George being melodramatic - I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

She was about to answer him and thank him for a lovely stroll but he had already disapparated. She was left confused and alone in the snow. It had been a weird day, but she was glad that her and Fred were on good terms again. She had definitely missed his company over the past few months, and was happy to see that everything seemed to be fairly back to normal.

A movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She could see George keeping an eye on her from the kitchen window while he was stuffing something down his pocket. Not long after, he too disapparated to go meet up with Fred at their shop.

As Hermione walked back to the Burrow she couldn't help but wonder if she really had seen George put away an extendable ear.