A/N: Thanks to iLoveRomance2o11 for reviewing again, and for forgiving me for taking so long to post the last story. I hope you like this one as well, even though I think I repeated almost all the dialogue, again. -.-
Again, all suggestions and requests are welcome.
Enjoy!
Was it you who caught me staring?
Fred didn't really care much for shopping, but he loved to watch Hermione as she shopped. She loved books and quills and fancy parchment, so he loved them, too. He had begun to make only short forays into Gambol & Japes and Quality Quidditch Supplies (The only two shops he had ever cared about before) for things that he needed. Even Tom the bartender didn't see much of him anymore. He did find himself in Flourish and Blotts more often then he had ever been in his life, buying books for Hermione and hiding them away. First, he put them in a box in the back room of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The box grew into two, and then into three. Pretty soon, he had more books then his back room could hold, so he bought a house to put them in, in the same neighbourhood that his parents lived in. Slowly, the books kept accumulating. He built shelves for all the books he collected, stacking them and organizing them neatly in the library of his new home. Every day after work, he would walk into Flourish and Blotts and buy the latest book. The owner knew who he was and always had the latest arrival on the counter for him. It was an expensive arrangement, but one that his (and his brother's) business could afford. They had recently bought Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade and were making more of a profit then ever, their bank vaults bursting. They had even started a small vault for their parents, giving a quarter of their earnings every year to the vault, and, though their parents refused to move from the simple home they owned, the Weasley family was no longer poor. Fred bought a large mahogany desk, and had it brought to his home. He bought reams of parchment, fancy quills, crystal inkpots, and every day he bought a new book. George teased him mercilessly for it, but even he admitted that Fred's library was impressive. Everyone thought his collection of books was magnificent- everyone except Hermione, from whom it was being kept a secret. Fred wanted it to be perfect before he showed her, and so, day-by-day, book-by-book he filled the shelves. Finally, exactly one year after he had begun (on September the 19th), the library was finished. The massive walls of stone were carved out with bookshelves, rolling ladders leant against every one, and every space on the shelves was full. There was fireplace, ready to be lit, and the desk he had picked out himself, standing magnificently in the centre of the room. There were several nooks, occupied by soft armchairs and small gas lanterns on tables. He imagined Hermione curled in one of the armchairs, reading, and smiled. It was finally time for Hermione to see her library. For that was the real reason Fred had spent the entire year creating this wonderful space- Hermione.
He sent an owl to her at work, asking her to meet him at the Leaky Cauldron. He knew she would, if not because they had been steadily dating for several years then because he had been uncharacteristically and purposely vague. As he suspected, she arrived through the floo network precisely on time. She stepped gracefully from the flames and into his waiting arms, where he kissed her quickly before she could ask the inevitable. "Fred Weasley, why did you ask me to meet you here today?" She asked it anyway, not three minutes later. "Because I wanted to see you on your birthday?" He grinned at her. "You would have just come to my flat," "'Do you doubt me, Mione?" He pretended to be hurt. Rolling her eyes, she replied, "I doubt that was your only motivation, Frederick." He grinned again. "Alright, you've got me there, Granger," She scowled and he kissed her quickly, "Now close your eyes." "What-" He placed a finger on her lips to silence her protest. "Just trust me." Slowly, she closed her eyes. He gripped her hand tightly, and twisted in place, disapparating with a crack. When they stopped moving, Hermione asked, "Can I open them yet?" "Nope," Fred replied cheerfully, leading her inside his home and through the corridors to her library. "Okay, now you can open them, but only to open the doors in front of you," He told her, and her eyes snapped open. "Frederick Weasley, if this is a joke…" She narrowed her eyes at him before glancing around curiously. "Where are we, anyway?" "I'll tell you in a minute. Go ahead, open the doors." She pulled open the heavy doors, and gasped audibly. "Fred, w-what…" She broke off and walked a few shaky steps forward. "W-what...?" She looked at him, her eyes wide. "Do you like it?" He asked her, grinning. "It's…. amazing!" She managed, before running over to the nearest bookshelf and snatching a book. "T-this is a first edition of Magical Herbs and Fungi…" She flipped through the pages rapidly. "That's not all," Fred told her as she slid the book back in its spot. "What else could there possibly be?" He guided her to the desk, and she gasped again. She stumbled forward and snatched the large tome off the centre of the desk. "This… how did… A hand-written, first-edition of Hogwarts: A History?" Fred smiled, but stayed silent. "Whose library is this?" She set the book down carefully. "Yours," Fred replied, "If you want it." "Fred…" He saw tears in her eyes. "You don't have to," He said quickly, taken aback. "N-no… it's just… this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Fred smiled before pulling her into his arms and kissing her. "But…" she pulled away from him, "Where exactly are we?" "My house… Yours if you'd do me the honour. I bought it last year, for, well, for us, and the books I bought you." Hermione looked shocked. "Georgie teased me for ages," Fred chuckled. Hermione, who looked dangerously close to crying again, suddenly kissed him, standing on her toes to reach him. He smiled, "Happy Birthday, Love."
Or was it me who caught you?
Hermione's birthday had never been a spectacular affair. Even as a child they had been quiet, family-only parties. She was in the habit of not making a large fuss over her birthday, and today it seemed as though the world agreed with her habit. She has work at the Ministry and no plans for later. Last year, Fred had taken her to Flourish and Blotts and bought her as many books as she wanted, but he had become rather distant since then, disappearing for hours at a time without telling her where he went. She didn't expect that he would be around today, or even that he remembered what today was, so she was pleasantly surprised to receive a note from him. The barn owl that delivered it was particularly grumpy after having to wait several minutes for her to notice it, and pecked the back of her hand painfully. She offered it an owl treat in apology, which it snatched up quickly before hooting loudly and flying off. Rubbing the back of her hand absently, she opened the letter and scanned it. It was short, and asked that she please meet him at the Leaky Cauldron after work. She shook her head and returned to work. A few hours later, she stood up, collected her things in her small bag, and left her office. No one else had come to wish her happy birthday, and, in fact, there was nothing in her office that suggested today had been in any way special to her. A memo fluttered its way over to her when she reached the Atrium, and she snatched it, reading while she walked. Harry and Ron had written her to say happy birthday, and that they would see her tonight for supper at the Weasleys'. Smiling, she stepped into the flames and called, "The Leaky Cauldron." Mercifully, she emerged gracefully from the fire, and was immediately snatched up and kissed by Fred. When they finished, she asked, "Fred Weasley, why did you ask me to meet you here today?" "Because I wanted to see you on your birthday?" He grinned. "You would have just come to my flat," She informed him. "'Do you doubt me, Mione?" He asked, sounding hurt. Rolling her eyes, she replied tartly, "I doubt that was your only motivation, Frederick." He grinned again. "Alright, you've got me there, Granger," She scowled and he leant down to kiss her again, "Now close your eyes." "What-" She began, but he silenced her, laying his finger gently on her lips. "Just trust me." She, unwillingly, obeyed. His hand held hers tightly, rough and warm. He twisted them in place, disapparating with a crack. Sensing that they had stopped, She asked, "Can I open them yet?" "Nope," Fred replied, his voice cheerful. She followed where he led, trying to figure out where they were. He opened a door, and led her through a series of sharp turns before halting. "Okay, now you can open them, but only to open the doors in front of you," He told her, and her eyes snapped open. "Frederick Weasley, if this is a joke…" She narrowed her eyes at him, then glanced around, trying and failing to recognise anything. "Where are we, anyway?" "I'll tell you in a minute. Go ahead, open the doors." She pulled open the heavy doors and in to the most beautiful room she had ever seen. She gasped, completely stunned. "Fred, w-what…" She couldn't complete the thought. Stumbling forward, she tried again. "W-what...?" She looked at him, still completely shocked. "Do you like it?" He asked, still grinning. "It's…. amazing!" She managed, before running over to the nearest bookshelf. She saw a familiar green cover and pulled it from the shelf. "T-this is a first edition of Magical Herbs and Fungi…" She flipped through the pages of the priceless tome. "That's not all," Fred told her when she slid the book back in its spot. "What else could there possibly be?" Surely nothing could be better. He guided her around another corner and she gasped again. Still stumbling, she moved forward and snatched the large book off the centre of the desk. She would have recognised it anywhere. "This… how did… A hand-written, first-edition of Hogwarts: A History?" Fred was silent. Hermione realized something abruptly. "Whose library is this?" She set the book down carefully, not wanting to damage it in any way. "Yours," Fred replied, shocking her even further, "If you want it." "Fred…" She choked out, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "You don't have to," He said quickly. "N-no… it's just… this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Fred smiled, pulled her into his arms and kissed her sweetly. "But…" she pulled away, "Where exactly are we?" "My house… Yours if you'd do me the honour. I bought it last year, for, well, for us, and the books I bought you." Hermione realized with a jolt what had kept Fred away so often over the last year. "Georgie teased me for ages," Fred chuckled. Hermione, tears of happiness in her eyes again, moved forward and kissed him, standing on the very tips of her toes to reach him. He whispered, "Happy Birthday, Love," and kissed her again. "I would love to live here with you, Fred," She told him as they stood, their foreheads touching, beside the beautiful desk. "Would you like to see the rest?" Fred offered her an elbow. "I think…" She kissed him, "I'd like to…" She kissed him again, "Stay right here." She kissed him a third time. "Brilliant! I've never snogged in a library before," Fred grinned mischievously before kissing her in return. "Me neither," Hermione whispered, "But there's a first time for everything."