For Heart of Aspen.

Special thanks to RooOJoy for alpha and beta reading, and for being wonderfully supportive; and to crazy4wood for alpha reading!

xXx

Something broke inside of Hermione when she saw Fred Weasley's, seemingly lifeless body lying on the stone floor. At that moment, nothing else mattered. Desperation fueled her movements. She couldn't allow him to die.

Moving solely on instinct, she sprung into action, utilizing the Muggle life-saving techniques that she'd studied a bit before leaving on the Horcrux hunt. Her magical healing knowledge had been sadly limited, and she'd felt the need to be somewhat prepared in that area. Checking for a pulse, she was overjoyed when she found one. It was weak, and barely there, but he was still hanging on.

Lowering her mouth to his, she ignored the shocked gasps and shouts around her and forced air into his lungs. As the breath left her body and entered his, the world grew dark and silent around her. Suddenly, she was aware of a strange burning sensation encircling her left wrist. With everything that she'd just gone through, she should have been afraid. Instead, she was filled with a sense of peace and inevitability. Even with the darkness closing in, she was somehow sure that everything was going to be alright.

xXx

Awareness returned slowly. At first, it was just quick snippets of sound intruding on the solitude shared only with a comforting presence.

Someone familiar spoke. Their voice breaking, clearly from weeping. "...didn't know… never suspected… could lose them both."

Something about the sadness and pain filling that particular voice was incredibly disturbing to Hermione. She was somehow aware that the person was referring to herself and Fred. It made her want to offer comfort… reassurance that everything was just fine. Trying, but failing to speak, everything faded once again.

The next time she knew anything, it was quiet, but a different kind of quiet than she'd been experiencing. Finding that she was able to open her eyes, she blinked a few times before she was able to focus and found that she was lying in what appeared to be a hospital bed. That didn't surprise her nearly as much as the realization that Fred was there too, not in his own bed, but physically sharing the bed with her.

Wracking her still fuzzy brain, she tried and failed to come up with a scenario that would necessitate bed-sharing in a hospital. Mind racing, she attempted to recall everything that happened. She remembered her efforts to revive Fred, but nothing after that. Had she been cursed? What caused her to lose consciousness?

Abruptly aware that she was being watched, she lifted her gaze and found herself staring into Fred's kind brown eyes. When their eyes met, she felt her stomach flip. She'd always been attracted to him and with the intimate nature of their current situation, she was having a difficult time controlling her emotions.

Realizing that their hands were joined, she felt her face heat with embarrassment and started to pull away. She was stopped by a hoarse voice murmuring. "Don't."

Confused, she didn't attempt to remove her hand again. Instead, she waited patiently as Fred attempted to clear his throat before speaking. "Hermione," he gasped out. Rolling to fully face her, he reached up with his free hand and caressed her cheek.

Heart pounding, Hermione was unable to look away from his unexpectedly intense gaze. As his eyes flicked to her lips then up again, she couldn't help but wonder if this was all some kind of dream.

Licking his lips, Fred implored, "May I kiss you? I really need to kiss you now."

Still struck dumb, Hermione could only nod as she wondered again if this was actually happening.

When his chapped lips hesitantly brushed against hers, she was unable to prevent the moan that seemed to come from some hidden place inside her. Fred responded by drawing her closer and deepening the kiss, lightly brushing his tongue against hers. This was everything. It felt like she'd been waiting her whole life for this moment. It was like coming home.

Abruptly, there came a gasp from the direction of the door. "Oh! You're awake!" Then, a shout into the hallway. "Healer, healer, I need a healer in here! They're awake!"

Drawing away, they both stared wide-eyed, as the room was suddenly full of commotion. Healers rushed in, waving their wands, and the source of the excited voice came into view. Molly Weasley stood at the edge of their bed, beaming at them through what were clearly joyful tears. "Oh, my dears, we were so worried. We nearly lost both of you. To see you awake…" trailing off, she succumbed to tears once again. When she'd collected herself a bit, she pressed kisses to both of their foreheads and waited patiently at their bedside while the healers worked.

After several minutes everyone left except for Mrs. Weasely, and one healer, a grey-haired, bespectacled wizard with a kind smile. The healer introduced himself. "I'm Senior Healer Roberts. I've been assigned to your case since you were brought in." Pausing momentarily, he regarded Fred and Hermione, asking, "Do the two of you know what happened?"

Hermione shook her head while Fred replied, "No."

The healer opened his mouth to speak when something important occurred to Hermione. Interjecting, "I'm terribly sorry, but before you explain, can you let us know what happened with Harry, Ron, and everyone really, but did Harry do it, is he okay?"

Meeting Mrs. Weasley's gaze, she begged silently for her to tell them that he was safe, that they had won.

Smiling broadly, the older woman nodded. "I should have realized that you'd need to know that first. He's doing just fine, Ron too. Worried for you, of course, but they're safe. Harry defeated You-Know-Who and saved us all. The rest can wait for a bit, but I'll tell you everything."

Fred squeezed her hand as she let out a relieved sigh. "Thank Merlin." Making eye contact with the healer, she apologized, "I'm sorry for interrupting. I just had to know."

"It's quite alright, Miss Granger. Now," he looked from Hermione to Fred, asking, "What do you remember?"

Shaking his head, Fred answered, "I don't remember anything past Percy making a joke during the battle. It's all unclear after that until today."

Hermione looked over at Fred, tears shining in her eyes, "F...F...Fred was dying. Everyone thought he was gone. I couldn't imagine him being dead. I had to check for myself. When I did, I found a weak pulse. I started CPR, which is what Muggles use to revive people when their hearts or lungs have stopped. As soon as I gave Fred a breath, everything began to fade around me." Pausing to think, she added, "I do remember feeling my left wrist sting."

At that recollection, she pulled her hand from Fred's grasp to examine her wrist. As soon as she removed her hand from his, she felt cold, sad, and lonely. Glancing at Fred, she saw that his expression mirrored her feelings, he looked shocked and upset.

Quickly, she examined her wrist and gasped. "What is this?" she asked. Indicating the tiny, shimmering white symbols that now marked her inner wrist. Looking closely, she could discern that they were runic markings. Her brain was still too foggy to determine which runes, and what they could mean. Looking over at Fred, she saw that he was examining his own wrist, and she could see a similar design glinting there.

Desperate for Fred's touch, without understanding why, she grabbed for his hand again, lacing her fingers with his. Feeling his body relax next to her confirmed that he was, indeed, feeling the same way as she.

Raising her head, she could see Healer Roberts exchanging a meaningful look with Mrs. Weasley. A little frightened now, she demanded, "What, exactly is going on? Why do I have this on my wrist? Why do I feel the need to constantly touch Fred? For that matter, why are we sharing a hospital bed?"

"Were the two of you romantically involved before now?" This question, coming from their healer, made Hermione even more confused.

"No! What on earth does that have to do with anything?"

To her frustration, the older man offered no answers, only another question. "Did either of you feel drawn to the other before now, or even just basic attraction."

Mortified to feel her face heating, knowing that she was blushing furiously, Hermione admitted, "Yes," in a whispered confession.

To her surprise, Fred confirmed the same.

Shyly, she turned to Fred, asking, "You did?"

Smiling at her, he nodded, "I did."

Biting her lip, heart now fluttering madly, she found herself thankful that St. Mungos didn't utilize the same type of monitors that Muggle hospitals used. Her heart rate must be high enough to set off alarms. Stopping herself from actually giggling at this crazy thought, she turned back to the healer. "Please tell us, what does all of this mean?"

"To be blunt, the two of you are soul mates. This particular bond is rare these days. In ancient times, it was much more common. The bond you share can only be initiated by an act of self-sacrifice. When you, Hermione, used your own breath to try and save Fred, the bond was formed. The magics interpreted you using your own life force to save him as a willingness to sacrifice yourself for him." He paused for a moment, and Hermione felt herself gaping at the man. Flashing them an understanding smile, he went on. "Witches and wizards during modern times may very well find their soul mates and marry them. This bond, however, doesn't often form because there haven't been as many times where one partner finds themself in a situation where they need to physically sacrifice their life for the other."

"What does this bond mean for us?" asked Fred.

Healer Roberts looked slightly uncomfortable. "This would be easier if the two of you had previously been romantically involved." He glanced over at Molly, meeting her gaze with a look that said he wasn't sure how to proceed. Hermione saw her give him an encouraging smile and nod.

Clearing his throat, he continued, "The two of you are forever bonded. Please don't let this upset you. This type of bond isn't possible unless you are each other's perfect mate. Your relationship will flourish, and you will be happier than you ever thought possible. However, due to the bond, you can never be romantically involved with another. Also, until you consummate your relationship, you won't be physically comfortable unless you're touching."

Hermione and Fred were silent. Fred gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, but she knew that he must be feeling as shocked and concerned as she was. They needed time to process this and talk about it without an audience. Fred must have felt the same way because he spoke up. "Can the two of you give us some time alone? We need to discuss all of this with each other."

Nodding, the healer rose. "Certainly, if you don't have any other questions, I'll leave you two and I'll make sure that everyone stays away for the next few hours."

After thanking him, Hermione realized that she did have questions. "Before you go, can you answer a few questions, please?"

At the affirmative inclination of his head, she went on. "What are the markings on our wrists? They appear to be runes. What do they mean?

"Have you studied runes, Miss Granger?" When she nodded, he continued, "They are runic symbols. There is one that symbolizes your bond and one that represents each of you. The markings will fade over time. The two of you will always be able to see them, but they will become much less noticeable to others."

Hermione's mind went into overdrive. The academic part of her nature wanted to immediately know more about the bond, the runic markings, and how all of this came to be. While the teenage girl who had just fought a bloody war was simply overwhelmed.

She must have drifted for a moment because when she glanced at the healer again she saw him watching her expectantly. When she still didn't speak, he prompted kindly, "Did you have another question?"

"What? Oh, yes, I'm terribly sorry. This is quite a lot to take in. Can you give us an idea of when we will be released?"

"I'm sorry to say that it will be a few days at least. The two of you have been unconscious for the past seven days. We need to be sure that you are well enough before we can allow you to leave."

When he'd left, Mrs. Weasley spoke up. "I'll be going as well. I'll make sure that the others know that you are doing well, but that you aren't to be bothered for the next few hours. I know that they're all going to want to visit."

Smiling lovingly at the two of them, she bustled over, gathering them up into a hug. "I know that all of this must be overwhelming, but it's truly a blessing. Hermione, dear, we already love you and think of you as one of our own. After what you did for Freddie…" Her voice broke and she trailed off, sniffling before she continued. "We can never thank you enough. I'm just so incredibly thankful that you'll be an official part of our family now."

Standing, she stopped next to the bed. "The two of you just need to keep an open mind and make sure that you discuss anything that has you worried or upset. Don't hold back with each other. I know that once you have time to adjust, you're going to be incredibly happy together."

With one final watery smile and a little wave, she was gone, closing the door firmly behind her.

Hermione blew out a breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding. Chancing a look at Fred, she found him gazing at her, a concerned look on his face. Shyly, she whispered, "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"When you told the healer that you'd been interested in me previously?"

Grinning down at her Fred nodded. "Yes, definitely. I just didn't ever do anything about it because it seemed as if you and Ron were going to start something up."

Biting her lip, Hermione made a decision. Snuggling into Fred's side, she smiled softly up at him. "Alright then."

Quirking an eyebrow at her Fred queried, "Alright?"

Wordlessly, Hermione nodded, leaning up to initiate another kiss. Fred reciprocated eagerly, pulling her in closer and snogging her enthusiastically.

Hermione knew that they would have to talk eventually, but she was sure that everything would work out just fine. This hadn't been the plan, but sometimes the best things were unexpected.