Hermione took another sip of her firewhiskey and wiped her mouth daintily with her napkin. Fred also took a large gurgle of his drink and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Hermione smiled. It was ironic how different they were…and yet, here they sat as husband and wife. What had the world come to?

"Anyway, I remember a time in third year when Filch grew a mustache that was pure orange." Hermione continued. They had been discussing the most memorable times from their school-days, each exchanging a story, laughing their heads off, and then repeating it all over again. Fred raised his eyebrows at her and a smirk crossed his lips.

"Yeah. George and I snuck Hair Growth potion and food dye into his pumpkin juice the day before." He confessed, smiling widely with pride. Hermione exhaled with exaggeration.

"Seriously? Is there anything you can't do?" She asked incredulously, draining her firewhiskey and motioning for another. Fred laughed and got a refill too.

The game continued with simple stories to make the other smile, and they were always successful. Hermione even squirted firewhiskey out her nose from laughing too hard, earning an even more booming voice. This caused them to receive more then a few odd looks from the strangers around them.

It was around Hermione's fourth drink that Fred started to get a little concerned. Hermione smiled goofily in front of him, resting her head on her hand and tapping her fingers on the table, hiccupping every so often. Fred leaned over with his napkin to wipe some of the drool away from her mouth. Hermione coughed lazily and laughed.

"Hey sugar!" A man called from the bar, waving her over to him and a few friends. Hermione waved back happily and knocked over the rest of her mug. Fred sighed. Than, Hermione stood up and leaned on the chair for support as she began to stumble over towards the guys. Fred's eyes widened and he practically leapt over the table to her. Wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her against his chest, he stood next to her. The men all pouted and a chorus of 'awww's rose.

"Aw come on man, let her have some fun!" One of them cooed, licking his lips sloppily and winking at Hermione, who giggled and hid her face like a little girl. Fred glared at him.

"If you even dare touch her, I'll cast your sorry ass back to the twenties." He threatened coldly, looking from one shabby face to the next. A guy in the front put his hands up.

"Whoa dude, calm down. We didn't know she was with you." He said, smiling still.

"Yeah, you two don't look much like a couple." Another threw in.

"I'll bet they ain't even together! She probably jus' his sista'!" An extrememly wasted man came fumbling through the group, and though he was the most hopeless of all of them, Fred was most terrified at what he would do if he got his hands on Hermione.

"C'mon Fred! Lemme' have some fun! Whoops!" Hermione gushed happily as she stumbled slightly into Fred, knocking him backwards. Luckily, he pushed her back and pinned her against the nearest wall, taking a place in front of her so that his body was shielding her face. One of the taller men, the 'leader' of the group, stepped forward. He looked like the most sober, and the most intimidating. Fred stood tall, ignoring how Hermione seemed to be playing the piano on his back, humming softly and laughing every so often.

"Well, if she your gal, why don't ya prove it?" The leaders suggested, earning a dozen yells of support from his goons. Fred looked from one to the other.

"Isn't that kind of unnecessary?" He gulped, in spite of himself. The leader sneered and tried to side-step around Fred's form.

"Either you kiss her, or I will. And believe me, I like to kiss girlies like that." The leader said, glancing around Fred's shoulder at Hermione and winking. Fred grimaced, than slowly turned to Hermione.

Her brown eyes, usually dark-chocolate, were lighter possibly. Like a milky, creamy brown color. Her cheeks were incredibly pink, and she was gazing at him with sheer, pure, oblivious happiness.

"Oh God…" Fred muttered darkly to the ceiling before he held her neck with his hand and entwining the other in her wavy hair. She hiccupped once before his lips descended upon hers, capturing them in what had been planned as a very short kiss.

But, as drunk as she was, he couldn't pull himself away. He slowly removed his hand from her hair and placed it on her cheek, rubbing the soft flesh with his thumb. Her lips parted and he deepened the kiss. It was as if the men; the barstools; the creaky wooden floor had melted away into a blissful nothingness.

Hermione's mind, meanwhile, was become less fuzzy by the second. Fred's kiss was sobering, clearing her clouded brain. Slowly, she realized that Fred Weasley, her opposite, her friend, her husband…was snogging her in the middle of a bar.

And she reacted as any girl would if an attractive red-head man kissed her; she wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed happily. She breathed him in, the sweet-smelling scent that was a mixture of his cologne with the slight smell of alcohol. It was bliss.

"Alright you two! Alright! We get it!" The leader shouted, breaking them apart as he pulled Fred away. Hermione's eyes slowly opened to Fred's shocked face. He was rubbing his head with his hand which had been previously on her neck. Now, it was burning. Hermione took deep breaths to stabilize herself. She looked away, but Fred's face; his wide eyes and open mouth, stayed in her mind for the rest of the night.

……..

Sighing, she turned her head on her pillow again, sighing frustration. Fred shifted in his bed too. Even though their beds had been moved as far away as possible, she could still hear him…see him…taste him.

Stop it Hermione! She yelled at herself mentally, squeezing her eyes closed and burrowing her head into her pillow. You don't love him! You don't even like him that much! Even if he makes you smile! No, stop. That doesn't matter. Get over him. He's out o your league anyway.

Why was it so hard to get rid of his image in her brain? Had it been imprinted permanently into her skull? It would be hard enough now that they had made out. You just don't make out with a guy and expect everything to be okay afterwards.

She turned again and found herself looking into his eyes. She gasped and covered her mouth. Fred leaned on his haunches, smiling slightly.

"Hey." He muttered. Hermione uncovered her mouth and allowed herself to return the smile.

"Hi." She responded, sliding her elbow under her pillow and looking at him in earnest. Fred sighed and opened his mouth for a moment, than shut it again. Hermione gave him a quizzical look.

"What's up?" She asked him. He looked at her again, clearly.

"Well Hermione. I don't really know how to explain myself after tonight. I mean, honestly, it was just supposed to be a simple kiss. Short and sweet. But then…when you responded…It's like I was taken away from everything else. Like it was just you and I, kissing in the air, and I know that sounds corny. But you have to understand; I entered this marriage with only friendship for you. But after tonight…I don't think that's possible for me anymore. Hermione, I think I'm falling in love with you."

Sighing to himself, he looked down at the floor for a moment. He could never actually say that to her. So, with as much as a smile as capable, he looked back into her concerned, chocolate eyes.

"Nothing. Never mind."