A/N: I'd just like to say thank you to all of you wonderful people who have dropped me a review! They're hasn't been that many of you, but that just makes me appreciate every individual review even more! :) Thanks!
Also, this chapter probably won't be as exciting as the last one, but it is necessary to the plotline. So, I'm hoping that you'll all enjoy it anyway! And once more, sorry for the late update! I'm horrible, aren't I? -sighs- Oh well!

Love,

Jess

Disclaimer: Well, I did dream that I was J.K last night…does that count? No? All right, I suppose that I'm still not her then. Snap!

Pleasant and Obnoxious Encounters

Hermione awoke to the sweet sound of birds and the delicate smell of daisies.

She sighed contentedly as she stretched out onto the soft grass.

Last night had been…beyond words.

Hermione couldn't ever remember feeling that complete or so utterly happy in her entire life. It was as if the second half of her soul had somehow found its way through the darkness of the night and had entwined itself around her heart, willing it to go faster and faster every time their lips connected.

She smiled as she hazily raised her head to gaze at Fred. He was still sleeping soundly, one arm hooked around her waist and the other tucked beneath his head of flaming hair.

How have I never realized just how adorable redheads are? She wondered as she admired his peaceful features. He looked so relaxed. Not a single frown line marred his forehead. The only detail that could betray any sort of emotion was the slight upturn of his pale lips.

Hermione's smile broadened, as she understood that last night had probably meant just as much to him as it had to her.

The way his eyes had sparkled every time they met hers had told her everything she needed to hear.

"Morning, love."

Hermione jumped as she heard, or rather felt, the throaty whisper in her ear.

"Hi." She returned breathily, as she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Ugh, Hermione. Morning breath." He complained.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Kidding, love." He laughed before capturing her reproving lips in an adoring kiss.

"You know that you really didn't deserve that." She informed him, as they both came back up for air.

"Oh, yes I did. I'm the one who brought you here, remember? You owe me."

Hermione grinned as she gazed up at their Willow tree.

"You got enough of a payback last night. This just evens out the score."

Fred shrugged. "If you insist, babe." He said before rolling them both over into a remaining puddle of icy water.

Hermione gasped at the sudden coldness.

"Now, I owe you one." He said with a laugh, before jumping up and running off toward the Burrow.

"Get your moronic ass back here so I can whip the stupid, uneducated thing!" She shouted before sprinting off after him.


"Fred, if you don't get over here this instant, I swear to God that there will be no more kisses for a wee…"

"WHAT?"

Hermione's exclamation was cut short as she barged into the Burrow's kitchen and came face to face with Ron.

She watched with muted horror as an array of emotions made its way across his face.

First came confusion, then shock, then denial and finally, pure enragement.

"What the bloody hell did you just say?" He demanded, his tone as well as the degree of redness of his ears augmenting with each word.

"I…I suppose that I just threatened Fred." Hermione said weakly.

"With a week-long ban of KISSES? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He roared.

"It means that she won't kiss me for a week if I don't show my pretty face. Now, keep your voice down, dumbass. I don't like how you're talking to my Hermione." Fred said as he strode back into the kitchen and placed a protective arm around Hermione's waist.

"YOU'RE HERMIONE? Since when is she YOURS? What the hell, Granger? I thought that…that…" Ron struggled to get the words out.

Hermione's eyes flared.

"Thought what? That I was yours maybe? Ron, do you ever listen to yourself? I mean, just the way that you treated me yesterday should be a pretty clear explanation as to why I'm not yours in any way." She said.

Ron cringed. "I only said what everybody else says. Don't blame me for their words."

Hermione scoffed in disbelief. "Don't try to put this on anybody else, Ronald. You believed every word you said! And I was already aware of that certain opinion everybody seems to have of me that you're referring to. Thank you very much for bringing it up again, though. As you illustrated yesterday, it always does feel good to be reminded about just how pathetic one's life truly is. The fact remains though that as one of my supposedly best friends, you shouldn't think or say that about me. What others say is totally irrelevant."

"And you honestly think that Fred doesn't think that about you?"

"What exactly are you insinuating?" Fred demanded.

Hermione laid a calming hand on his chest.

"I know that he doesn't." She said firmly.

Silence fell upon the three of them, as Ron stood frozen, breathing heavily and glaring daggers at the pair.

"Then I take back everything I said." He whispered roughly, "You're a damn idiot."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she watched him whip around and storm his way upstairs.

"I'll kill him." Fred breathed.

Hermione shook her head as she removed his arm from around her waist.

"He didn't mean it. I think I've just hurt him bad, Fred."

"Then let him hurt!" Fred exclaimed. "After everything he's said to you, he deserves to suffer."

"I didn't realize that he still had that foolish crush on me. He shouldn't have found out this way." She whispered distractedly.

"Don't tell me that you actually feel bad for him!" Fred said, his eyes widening in incredulity.

"Well, yes… kind of. He might have been unnecessarily mean, but he can't control his words Fred, you know that. When he's mad, he just blurts out anything that comes to his mind."

"So, you're just going to forgive him?" He asked, his expression clearly appalled.

"I don't have a choice. For now, I can't let a fight get in the way. For all I know, he could be heartbroken."

"He doesn't even deserve you." Fred growled through his teeth.

"That's not important." Hermione said. "I have to go talk to him."

"You're actually going to go comfort him?" Fred exclaimed.

"No, not comfort. Just…I don't know! I can't just stand here and do nothing."

"Yes, you can." He said quietly.

Hermione slowly looked up at him.

"Well, if you're asking me to leave somebody I care about in pain, then you're asking me to be somebody that I'm not." She said softly.

Fred stared into her eyes.

"Well, if you're asking me to watch somebody I love get hurt, then you're asking me to do something that I'm physically incapable of." He whispered.

Hermione's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Then, maybe you should go."

She heard Fred's shoes squeak as they turned around and the door slam shut as he walked away.

Hermione sighed heavily as she made her way to the staircase and flumped down onto its first step.

She brought her knees up to her chin and laid her head down as the first tear trickled down her cheek.

First, she needed to somehow fix things up with Ron. Even though everything he had said had hurt her badly, seeing her with Fred must have hurt him twice as bad.

Second, she needed to patch things up with Fred. She hadn't been fair to him. He was just looking out for her after all…

And third…had Fred said love?


A/N: So, what did you think? If it isn't too much to ask, you could let me know by leaving me a tiny little (or big, your call!) review! -bats eyelashes-

Thanks for reading!