A/N : Here's chapter 7! I'd like to point out that the timing is now officially off, but other than that, the rest of the story should be DH compliant! So, enjoy my dears! A very big, THANK YOU to the amazing WeasleyForMe for beta-reading this chapter!! You rock, dearest! :)

Disclaimer: I'm still not her…cloning hasn't been coming along so good…-points to tail-

The Calm Before the Storm

Hermione could practically feel every single nerve in her body tingle as Fred gently took her by the hand and led her up to his room. Once inside, they both sat down on the edge of his bed, hands still entwined together (after a lot of hopping over clothes, boxes and assorted joke shop items that is). Fred wasn't looking at her, and it was making Hermione nervous. It did however permit her to stare at his face without fear of him catching her in the act. He didn't look irritated anymore, that much was certain. The only sentiment she could make out in his eyes was sadness…and maybe a little bit of anxiety.

I don't like it. She thought miserably. My Fred isn't supposed to look like this. His eyes should never be filled with sadness, only with joy and giddiness.

It sent a horrible chill down Hermione's spine and dumped a heavy weight into her stomach to know that she was the cause of his misery, however necessary she knew her actions had been.

Hermione sighed. She couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"I could murder Ron, you know, if it'll get you to smile again," she offered quietly, wanting to erase at least a small part of the sadness from Fred's eyes.

It worked a little. His lips slightly turned up at the edges and when he turned around to face her, his eyes held a glimmer of their previous spark.

"I know you're bluffing, so I won't take you up on that offer, but you really should watch your mouth, Hermione," he said.

Hermione giggled a bit before taking a deep breath. "Fred, I'm-"

But Fred's lips on hers muffled her attempt at an apology. He pulled away quickly though, before pulling her into his arms. "I know. I am too… and I'm the one who's really to blame, 'Mione. Well, not entirely, as I still do think that you're much too sweet for your own good, but I should've realized that that's just who you are. You can't leave your friends behind hurting, no matter how undeserving they can be, and in many ways I admire you for that…as much as it's possible to admire someone while still thinking them a little loopy, that is."

That made her laugh, and the vibrations of her lips against Fred's neck made him begin to laugh as well.

"Who's loopy, now?" She giggled. "You're the one laughing for no reason."

"No reason, eh?" he asked, pulling back and cocking an eyebrow at her smirking face.

That simple question was enough to declare another tickling war between the two, but this time the battle was much more fun,as there were kisses exchanged in between tickling periods.

Finally gasping for breath, Fred pulled a puffing Hermione down onto his bed, arms around her waist. They stayed that way for a moment, both breathing deeply. Regaining a bit of energy, Hermione twisted herself around to face the object of her adoration, and snuggled closer into his chest.

"So…" she began, her voice still a little breathy from laughing too hard, "that was our first big fight? Wow…it wasn't so bad."

Fred chuckled. "Well, I could always make it harder for you, if you'd like."

Hermione burst into a fit of giggles, burying her face into Fred's shirt.

"What?" he asked, trying to pull her away from his chest.

Hermione just shook her head as she came up for air, giggling some more at the look of confusion on Fred's face. "It's just that George would have had a field day with that one," she explained.

Fred gave her a disbelieving look before being subjected to a fit of chuckles as well. "Get your head out of the gutter, babe," he said playfully.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Hermione replied, pulling herself upright and taking a deep, steadying breath. "I think that us making up has gotten me a little bit light-headed and giddy," she said with a grin.

"Makes sense," he replied, sobering up a bit as well, "but now that we've made up, can we make out?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and giving her a puppy-eyed look.

Hermione snorted. "That is so cheesy!" she laughed.

But, of course, she agreed to his proposition all the same.


The following month seemed to be even better than paradise itself for Hermione and Fred.

"It's like heaven with cookies and pie…plus, puppies," Fred had joked. "I continuously feel as if I'm on a never-ending sugar high." Hermione had laughed and agreed that she shared the ongoing sentiment of excessive flightiness and contentment as well.

Once the announcement of their relationship had been made to the whole Weasley family (Ron, the worst part, had already been dealt with, so telling the rest of the family had been fairly easy) Fred and Hermione had been free to spend every waking moment of their lives together.

They'd eat lunch together under their willow tree, Fred would teach Hermione how to play Quidditch during the afternoon, Hermione would then read to Fred in the evening, they'd sit together at suppertime, and would spend long hours together at night, cuddled together in Fred's bed or snuggling outside under their tree when it was warm. After a while, they even began to wake up next to each other as well.

Hermione had never felt so alive. Fred seemed to bring out the best in her at all times. She was never tense anymore; never anxious… the word "stress" itself had been completely banned from her vocabulary. She could joke about everything and found her cheeks continuously aching from smiling so much. She even got along better with her friends, because now that she was so relaxed, it was easy to have long conversations with Harry, giggle about silly things with Ginny and even kid around with Ron.

Life had suddenly been warped into this huge field full of sunshine and daisies, and she never wanted it to end.

But…as perfect as everything was, Hermione constantly felt the distant presence of sadness, hanging over her head. It had taken her a while to identify what the daunting feeling was, but after a few weeks, she knew what it was that she had been subconsciously dreading.

She would be leaving soon. She'd be leaving the Burrow, leaving the Weasleys, leaving her parents, leaving Fred…leaving her life behind, to go search for the remaining Horcruxes. When she first realized it, she had been overcome with shock. How had she not seen it coming? How could she have forgotten about such a thing?

But she understood now that she hadn't really forgotten about it. She had simply chosen to push it out of her mind. She hadn't wanted to think about it, so she had forced herself not to.

But now, she was thinking about it, relentlessly, and the thought was eating her up inside. She knew that she'd have to tell Fred soon. She couldn't live with herself if she left without saying goodbye…even though the prospect of actually saying goodbye felt like it was going to kill her anyway.

She pushed herself to forget a little longer, to make the most of her time with Fred and to enjoy life while she could, but on the eve of their departure, she couldn't make herself forget anymore. It was real, and it was now.

Knowing that the time had come, Hermione made her way to Fred's room, with a heavy heart and tears in her eyes.

She could do this. She could say goodbye. She could leave him behind…

She was now staring at Fred's closed door, willing the tears not to spill over.

She shook her head and angrily wiped her eyes, before softly knocking three times upon the wooden door.

"Come on in, babe!" she heard Fred exclaim cheerfully.

A tear spilled over.

She couldn't do this.


A/N: Thanks for reading! By the way, this is the second to last official chapter!

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far! hugs