Fred woke the next morning with a simple yawn and stretch. A glorious week of silence and awkward blushing had passed since Hermione and his snog-session in the bar. Still, every time his eyes found hers, it was as if her lips were pressing against his so wondrously all over again.
It was when he was standing in the kitchen when it happened. Hermione came tumbling down the stairs, disoriented and dizzy from waking up too fast. Fred smirked sadly as she stumbled into a barstool and muttered the lamest greeting ever heard. Fred re-checked his pocket for the vial; yup, still there. Smiling, he crossed over to the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice.
"How'd you sleep?" He asked casually as he twisted off the cap. Hermione grunted and lay her head down so that her cheek was resting on the cool table-top.
"Not-so-well." She breathed out in one gasp. Fred held back a laugh. If it had been any other morning, this wouldn't have been necessary. But he had business to take care of.
Over two weeks had passed since George had given Fred the Love Test Potion. Fred knew now was the time to use it. After that kiss…well, he couldn't be sure. Hermione groaned again as he poured the juice into her mug, whistling softly and trying to keep the atmosphere light.
Then, with the slightest dip of his hand, he pulled out the bottle of teal liquid, eyeing it. This was it; he slowly uncorked the top quietly and poured the contents into her mug. It dissolved easily and with the smallest of twinkles. Hermione didn't even peek up as he swirled the liquids together, making sure everything was mixed in. Then, with a sigh of relief, he put the mug in front of her.
"Here you go." He said happily as he washed his hands and walked out of the kitchen, returning to his whistling.
"Where you going?" Hermione asked sleepily, holding her mug with one hand and peeking at him from under heavy lids. Fred smiled again.
"Just upstairs. I'll be back in a little bit. We'll watch a move or something." He lied easily. Before walking up the rest of the stairs, he nodded for her to drink.
When he closed the door, he checked the clock. Hermione would drink the "orange juice" in about two gulps as usual. After that, the Love Test would cause her to fall asleep within a minute. Then, it works its way in her bloodstream (with no harm done to her except a vivid dream about the person who gave it to her) and is transferred to the heart. This takes about five minutes for the potion to accomplish. After that, she wakes up, alert and awake. That's when Fred would make his move. What the Love Potion did was to force the drinker to act upon any sort of romantic feelings towards whoever gave them the drink.
Fred rubbed his hands together nervously. It would be quite the experience for both of them. He smiled with a sigh and grabbed a comic book from his shelf before settling down to read until Hermione woke up.
……….
Hermione groaned slightly as she lifted her head from the counter. She rubbed her eyes and looked around; the kitchen? Had she fallen asleep during breakfast? Sighing, she yawned and stretched her arms above her head, wondering where Fred was…
Fred. The name suddenly came crashing into her mind, causing her knees to buckle as she stood from the stool. She gasped and clutched the chair for support, holding her heart. It had begun to beat wildly and randomly, making her chest hurt. Hermione suddenly longed for him to hold her, to kiss her…and a whole mess of other things. She stood, carefully, making sure she wouldn't lose her balance again.
"Fred?" She shouted desperately. Where was he? She needed him…now.
"Yeah?" He responded, and she turned to see him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and with a smirk. He looked bloody gorgeous, she couldn't take her eyes away from him. She suddenly felt very warm in her black tank-top and red plaid pajama pants.
Meanwhile, Fred's mind was buzzing. Hermione looked incredibly frazzled, with her hair pulled back into a messy bun and her hands wringing in front of her. He knew he had only half an hour to act on the potion, since that was how long the drinker had to prove their heart's emotions.
"Is something wrong?" He asked Hermione, an almost teasing look of concern in his eyes. Hermione gulped, feeling the sweat beginning to gather on her forehead beneath her hair.
"I…you…I feel…we…" She choked. Why was she unable to work out an intelligent noise in front of him? All she could focus on was those lips, the freckles on his nose…
Within two steps she was in front of him, on her tiptoes, pulling him by the tee-shirt down towards her.
Fred slowed her to pull him to her, oddly entertained. If only there was a way to film this and then show Hermione later. Instant blackmail much?
"Were you going to say something, Hermione?" He teased in a whisper. Hermione remained mere centimeters from him, licking her lips and taking short breaths. Fred raised his eyebrows. She was somehow battling the potion. It looked like he was going to have to take the initiative.
"Allow me." He whispered again. He pulled her fingers from his shirt and guided them around his neck, never taking his eyes from her chocolate, scared ones. Then, he smoothly snaked his arms around her waist.
"Your turn." He murmured, brushing his nose against her own. She shuddered and took another gasping breath. Then, pushing herself up onto her toes, she did it.
She kissed him, pulling him to her, getting him as close as possible. Fred's eyes remained open for a moment, even though hers were squeezed shut.
Then, he responded. He parted her lips and dipped her back into an arch, holding her back all the while. The kiss was instantly deepened as he scooped her up from her bent position. He cradled her in his arms, like a little child.
The two stumbled over to the couch before he gently laid her down then placed himself over her, his arms on either side of her shoulders. He couldn't stop kissing her when she acted so passionate with him, running her hands up and down his back, murmuring his name between kisses.
Stop it Fred! Stop now before you get carried away!
No way! This is…bliss.
You idiot, you're going to ruin everything!
Well then, allow me to rip it up and burn it.
Shoving aside the pesky voices, he slid his arms again underneath her back and pulled her into his lap. She sat on his crossed legs, their lips never parting as they melted together.
Hermione didn't know what to do, think or hear. A fuzzy ringing was sounding in her ears as Fred dipped her back again, supporting her with those lovely, muscular arms of his. She entwined her fingers in his fiery hair, loving the way the silky strands flowed past them. It was perfect…perfect beyond anything else she had ever felt in the world. She and Fred…They just fit together like puzzle pieces. The kind that usually lay forgotten by the rest of the world underneath the sofa until brought together by fate.
And then, everything vanished. Hermione's eyes popped open, only to see Fred's eyes were closed as they continued to snog. Hermione released his hair in an instant and threw herself off the couch. She landed on the ground with a thud before she went into hysterics.
"What the hell? What's going on Fred? How did we…end up…you know!" She screeched, staring at him incredulously. Fred was staring back, shocked beyond words.