Disclaimer: I own nothing...at all. Nor do I make money off of this. Whoops- wasn't supposed to tell you that! Oh well, it's the hard truth.
A/N: I'm awful. I know. No need to rub it in. Here we go...
Chapter Eight: Since When was That New?
Hermione straightened her dress for the last time before turning back to look at her reflection. She looked remarkably similar to the Yule Ball, but much more battle hardened. The small scars which littered her face often looked cruel or gruesome, but tonight they caught the light in just the right way to remind her of a Muggle fairy. A sweet, simple, black dress was accompanied by a deep red jumper and charm bracelet which Harry had given her for her birthday. Little to no make up covered Hermione's face, yet she had never felt more beautiful. She smiled happily at her reflection- Hermione was done waiting. This was the night where she told Fred how she really felt, this was her do or die moment. Hermione felt radiant that evening, she only hoped Fred would think so too; when she opened the door to her flat and his eyes widened in surprise, and a blush overcame his features, Hermione felt that he did.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Hermione." He said with a smile, holding out a lovely bouquet of roses. Why did he have to go and complicate things further? Well, Hermione reasoned, at least this way it showed that he was interested...even if they were just acting.
"Wow Hermione! You look stunning, love. Not that you don't usually look stunning- because you do- just tonight? Wow...just- wow."
"Thanks Fred. You look pretty wow yourself." Hermione said, carefully tucking a loose curl behind her ear. He did- smart black dress robes adorned his Quidditch toned body. His usually messy hair had been tamed ever so slightly, and the effort he had made put a smile on her face.
"So- one last time: we don't outright tell him, but if he asks we're here together." Hermione recapped, going over all the details again in her head.
As though he could sense the clogs turning in Hermione's brain, Fred chuckled lightly and took her arm.
"Everything will be fine...Now come. Mum will have our heads if we're late for dinner." They apparated in silence, save for the loud crack, and casually strolled up to the door of the Burrow, each lost in their own thoughts. They each were carefully planning how to tell the other their feelings, when the door burst open and Molly enveloped them in a hug that could've rivalled one of Hagrid's.
"Oh thank goodness! I was beginning to worry. Now dears- who's up for a spot of tea? I swear, if I have to listen to Ronald for one more minute talking about Quidditch, I'll put him in the oven instead of the turkey."
"Turkey?!" Hermione whispered to Fred. He smiled sheepishly at her before going to join his mother inside. He and Hermione had broken apart when Molly had hugged them, and she felt a slight chill on her arm where his used to be. He held open the door for her and she took his hand, leading him into the sitting room. Their entrance was met by a knowing smile from Ginny and Harry (Hermione really wondered what the witch had told her husband), a pleased expression on George's face, and a handful of shocked redheads. And then there was Ron, who had been animatedly telling Romilda Vane a story, but turned to see why the rest of the room had gone quiet. A quick glance at the pair's intertwined fingers and the man jumped from his chair with a shout.
"What do you bloody think you're doing here?"
"We're here because it's Mum's Valentine's dinner- or didn't you hear?" Fred drawled casually, enjoying the effect their new relationship had on his younger brother.
"But why are you here with Hermione?!" The younger man demanded.
"Well, why wouldn't I be here with her? Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I'd like to spend Valentine's Day with my girlfriend." There it was. No more beating around the bush. No more secret rendezvous or meeting up for dinner to plan this moment- it was here. And Ron's reaction wasn't exactly what they had thought it would be...
Ron leapt upon Fred, shoving him to the ground before straddling his waist. Before anyone could do anything, Ron started punching his older brother furiously. And then chaos broke out.
Molly shrieked, and Arthur started yelling at Ron to 'get off your brother this instance or not dinner!', Harry leapt up and tried to pull Ron off, accidently getting a fist to the face, Ginny's bat boogey hex missed Ron and instead landed on Bill, who Fleur leapt up to try and help, however, Hermione quickly silenced George and Charlie's betting (along with the rest of the shouts) with a quick silencio.
"Engorgio skullus!" The brunette shrieked, her wand pointed at her ex-boyfriend. Suddenly the boy fell off her lover, grabbing the sides of his head as it expanded. He looked remarkably similar to a Muggle bobble head, Hermione thought, as he sat there looking dazed and dizzy whilst clutching his head. Sirius (who had just apparated in with Remus and Teddy) sent a proud smile her way, remembering all the times he himself used that spell on others. The silence was ended, as Hermione removed her charm, however for the most part it remained.
Teddy's muffled snuffles were soon the loudest nose in the room, though they were not very loud at all. Everyone looked at the bookworm, who in turn had her gaze resting on Ronald.
"Is there a problem, Ronald?" Hermione asked, taking Fred's hand in hers. Fred had stood up, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"He...doesn't...deserve you." He gasped, still trying to get accustomed to his magically enlarged skull. Hermione walked over to where Ron was sitting and a resounding crack came from where Hermione's hand hit his face.
"How dare you?" The witch seethed, hand red from the force of which she had slapped him.
"How dare... I?" He choked. "How dare..you? Dating...my...brother? Instead...of me?"
Hermione let out a sharp intake of breath, furious.
"May I remind you that youleft us when we needed you most? That you abandoned us when we needed you? Harry and I were fine on our own- we didn't need you- but the fact that you left us? You cannot say he doesn't deserve me, because out of anyone in this room, you are by far the least deserving of anything!"
"At...least I'm...not going through...your family. At least... I'm not...too lazy to... find a partner- you...didn't even...have the...decency to find...someone...besides your ex's brother." His words obviously stung. They were meant to.
"Is this the fact that your brother makes me happier than you ever did, or the fact that it's not you who I'm doing this with?" She accused, and without a single hesitation she pulled the edge of Fred's robes, effectively shortening their distance, and kissed him furiously. She passionate tried to convey all the 'I love you's she knew she couldn't say...at least not yet. She tried to tell Fred that out of all the people in her life, he was the one who had always been there to pick up the shattered pieces of her heart. She wound her arms around his neck, his instinctively wrapped around her waist. The kiss deepened, and she savoured it while it lasted, not knowing if or when it might happen again. Soon, they remembered that oxygen was required and pulled away breathless. The two stood there, starring at each other, ignoring the cat calls and unconsious Ron on the floor. They hadn't noticed him try and stand, ending up loosing balance and smashing his overly large head on the nearby table. They didn't notice anything besides each other. But then again, since when was that new?
A/N: 2,115 views? You're the best. The rest of this evening will be posted tomorrow, along with my shoutouts to my lovely people. Then the epilauge. Sorry. I will get you all mentioned tomorrow. ;) Actually two more chappies because I love you all and I'm excited for it! Hope you are too. Thanks for staying with it so long.
-ForensicGeek2-