Silken Red Hair

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own HP

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Chapter 3: Strange Things Happen on Halloween

Hermione checked the clock that was hanging on the wall of the girls' dormitory. It was seven-thirty. She closed the book she was reading and got up. She opened the white box on her bedside table. The beautiful red dress was still inside. She sighed happily before taking it out and laying it on her bed. She got undressed and carefully pulled on the dress, smoothing the skirt so that there wouldn't be any wrinkles in it. Parvarti came out of the girls' bathroom. She was already wearing the deep purple dress she had bought.

"Finally you decided to get dressed. It's only a half hour till the ball starts," she prompted. Hermione shrugged. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at her hair. Instantly, it was set in neat curls.

Parvarti nodded in approval. "That's an improvement from your normally bushy hair." Hermione threw a pillow at her. Parvarti laughed and ran a brush through her already perfectly straight black hair. She looked into the white box on Hermione's bed.

"Did you buy that tiara? I don't remember you getting one," she said. Hermione walked over to the box. A tiara was sitting in the bottom. A note was attached to it.

Hope your date goes well. This is a gift from me to a girl with great taste. Good luck.

Loraine

The tiara had red stones set in gold. Hermione had trouble breathing, it was so beautiful. She slipped it into her hair, put on her gold shoes, and left Gryffindor Tower. She came to the entrance hall. Where's Ron? Finally, she saw him. He was talking to Harry. Harry spotted her and slapped Ron on the arm. Ron looked over to Hermione, his smile broadening. She walked over to them.

"Hi."

"Whoa, Hermione. You look… whoa," Ron muttered. She smiled. "You look really beautiful, Hermione," Harry said.

Hermione was grinning now. "Thanks. Shall we?" She linked arms with Ron and all three of them entered the Great Hall. Harry left to find his date.

"So… you wanna dance?" Ron asked nervously. She nodded joyfully. They stepped onto the dance floor. The song was slow, so Ron uncertainly took Hermione's hand and waist. "You know, you don't have to be afraid to touch me. I'm still Hermione," she reminded him.

He nodded. "I know. You just look… so different then I'm used to. Really lovely," he said quietly. Hermione could feel herself blush. A smile grew on her face. But the song ended and they stepped off the dance floor.

"I'm going to get something to drink. I'll be right back." Ron left. She looked around. Everyone was talking and laughing and having fun. And for once, she was one of those people, and not someone who was so uptight about studying and following rules. She walked through the crowd. Most boys who didn't have dates stared and smiled flirtatiously at her, but she ignored them. She was happy that Ron was her date. Until she witness what she saw next.

Ron was kissing Lavender.

She stormed over to them. "Ron, how could you?" she screamed. Ron and Lavender broke off, and Lavender ran off. "I finally agree to go out with you and you go kissing your ex-girlfriend!" she continued.

"Hermione, I can seriously explain," Ron insisted.

"Don't bother! I never want to see you again!" She ran out of the Great Hall and out of Hogwarts castle, down the road to Hogsmeade. Tears were running down her cheeks. That bloody git! She entered the Three Broomsticks. A few men whistled at her, but she ignored them. "One butterbeer, please," she told the bartender in a broken voice. He handed her a bottle of butterbeer. She popped the cap off and sipped at it. Tears were still running down her cheeks. I hate my life. She stared into her butterbeer bottle. A few tears dropped into it.

A man sat next to her. "Hey, honey. Want to go to the ball with me?" She rolled her eyes and ignored him. "Come on, no need to be cold," he coaxed.

"No. Leave me alone," she hissed.

A cold, clammy hand touched her back. She faced the man.

"Get your filthy hand off me and leave me alone!" He pulled her against him.

"Let go!" she screamed.

"Hermione?" She looked to the source of the voice. Fred Weasley was standing in the doorway.

"Fred!" She broke free from the man's grip and ran over to him. The man followed. Fred put Hermione behind him.

"I hope your not messing with my girl," the man warned.

"She's not your girl, you don't even know her name. Leave her alone," Fred snarled. The man made a menacing face at both of them and stalked off. Fred and Hermione quickly left the Three Broomsticks. He walked her over to where you could see the shrieking shack and sat her down on a rock.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" he asked anxiously. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for saving me," Hermione insisted. He gently smiled at her. "Good. And if it makes any difference, I think you look absolutely beautiful. What's the occasion?" Hermione's smile dropped.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I… I don't want to talk about it." He looked at her in concern. "Tell me, Hermione."

She sighed. "It's your git of a brother. There's a Halloween Ball tonight at Hogwarts and Ron was my date. He left for a few minutes and I found him kissing… kissing Lavender Brown." She burst into tears. He gently pulled her into a hug. "Hermione, I'm so sorry. Ron is just a git. You deserve better," he assured. She pulled away and stared at Fred with watery eyes. "Thanks. That means a lot."

He smiled at her. "No problem." He paused for a moment. "Tell you what. How about I take you back to Hogwarts and accompany you to the ball. I'm sure Dumbledore won't mind," he proposed. She looked at her dress.

I didn't pay good money just to let this dress go to waste. "Ok. But promise me you won't go off kissing someone else," she teased. "Of course not, you have my word. May I?" He held out his hand. Hermione giggled and took it, getting up off the rock and heading back to Hogwarts. "So, do you hate my git of a younger brother?" Fred asked lightly.

Hermione giggled. "No. I may not want to help him with his homework for a while, but I don't hate him," she decided. They reached Hogwarts and went into the entrance hall.

Filch suddenly stopped them. "Mr. Weasley. I'm quite sure you don't attend this school anymore. And you have no invitation to be here. Miss Granger, you are to be held responsible, sneaking people into the castle. I'm afraid I'll have to…"

"Argus."

Filch turned around. Professor Dumbledore was behind them. "Argus, is everything alright out here?" he asked calmly.

"No, Professor. Miss Granger has been sneaking people into the castle." He looked to Fred. Professor Dumbledore smiled.

"Mr. Weasley, a pleasure to see you again. I hear your business is doing quite well." Fred smiled. "Yes, sir, It's doing great." Next, Dumbledore turned to Hermione. "You look very stunning this evening, Miss Granger." Hermione blushed. "Thank you, Professor." Dumbledore turned back to Filch.

"Argus, Mr. Weasley has my permission to attend the ball tonight, no need to punish anyone. Have fun." He smiled and winked at Fred and Hermione before going back into the Great Hall. Filch eyed them suspiciously until they walked back to the ball. A faster-paced waltz was playing. Professor Dumbledore came back over to them.

"Miss Granger, I was hoping to have a chat with you. Will you join me?" Hermione looked to Fred out of the corner of her eye. He nodded in approval. "Of course, Headmaster." She followed him over to where the other professors were. Fred looked around. Everything in the Great Hall was perfect. There were orange and black decorations and the ceiling was glittering with stars.

"Fred?"

He turned around.

Ginny was behind him with Neville Longbottom.

"What are you doing here? Did mum make you come back to school to finish the last year that you skipped?" Ginny asked.

Fred grinned. "No, I'm here with Hermione. I found her in Hogsmeade, crying her eyes out and getting sexually harassed by some man. I brought her back here," he explained. "Where's Ron? He's her date," Neville asked. Fred frowned a little. "Our git of a brother kissed Lavender Brown and Hermione found him." Ginny's face turned red. "The minute I see him, I swear, I'll pound his face in, I'll…"

"Ginny, mum will not like it if Ron comes back with a bloodied up face and you with his dried blood on your fist," he warned. She calmed down. "Your right. Neville and I are getting something to drink. Want to come?" she offered. "No, I'm going to wait here for Hermione. Have fun, lovebirds." Ginny stuck her tongue out at him before she and Neville left.

Hermione appeared in front of Fred. "How was your chat with the headmaster?" he asked lightheartedly. She giggled. "It was fine. He was just talking to me about Head duties and things like that," she answered. A slow song started to play.

Fred bowed to Hermione. "Miss Granger, I was hoping to dance with the prettiest girl in the room. Would you join me?" he asked. She giggled again and curtsied. "I would be honored." She took his hand and they walked onto the dance floor. He enclosed his arms tightly around her and she wrapped her arms around his neck as they began to dance. She laid her head on his chest.

This is perfect. Like a beautiful dream. This is how my date should have gone from the beginning.

She lifted her head off his chest and looked into his blue eyes. They were sparkling from the stars shining on the ceiling. She could feel him getting closer.

"Hermione!"

She jumped and let go of Fred. He let go of her at the same time. Ron was standing beside her, grinning. "I'm glad I found you, I have to explain something to you." "Sorry, Ronald, I'm not talking to you. Go give your explanation to Lavender," she spat.

"That's what I have to tell you about. I just need a minute." Ron finally noticed Fred. "What're you doing here?"

"I found Hermione in Hogsmeade after you were caught snogging with Lavender. I was just escorting her back," Fred clarified. Hermione looked at him with scrunched eyebrows. Didn't we just nearly kissed?

"First of all, I wasn't snogging with Lavender. And I need to talk to Hermione." Fred rolled his eyes impatiently and walked away.

"What did you do that for? Fred was probably the only one being kind to me tonight, except for Dumbledore," Hermione yelled.

"Lavender kissed me! She wanted to get back together with me, so she kissed me to try and break us up, I had nothing to do with it!" Hermione was still scowling.

"Ok. I forgive you. But I have to find Fred, I'll talk to you later." Ron smiled a little, knowing that he was forgiven. Hermione ran into the crowd and started frantically looking around for Fred. She spotted a flash of flaming red hair, but it turned out to be Ginny who was dancing with Neville. She got out of the Great Hall and into the entrance hall when she finally saw him. She took off her shoes, ran over to him, and flung her arms around his neck.

She caught him by surprise and nearly knocked him over. "Hey, Hermione. Seeing how happy you are, I'm guessing you told Ron off," he said vaguely. "No, I forgave him, I just wanted to surprise you for once." He grinned at her.

"I'm really tired. You want to head up to my dorm?" she asked. "Only if Filch doesn't come after us with a knife or something." She laughed. "I promise he won't. Come on!"

"In that case…" He picked her up bridal style and carried her down the hallways and up staircases until they reached Gryffindor tower.

"Tommertoose," Hermione prompted. The Fat Lady eyed Fred suspiciously, almost as Filch had. "He doesn't belong to this house," she said in a snobby tone. "He used to. I said the password, now let us in," Hermione demanded. The Fat Lady sniffled in slight disgust before opening the portrait hole.

Fred and Hermione scrambled inside. They quietly crept up to her dorm, careful not to wake any of the first or second years, seeing as it was nearly midnight. Parvati and Lavender, plus the other seventh year Gryffindors were already in bed and asleep. Fred laid Hermione comfortably on her bed and laid next to her. After a moment of silence, Hermione spoke.

"Thanks for tonight, Fred. It was great. You really pulled me out of rock bottom," she whispered. He smiled. "No problem. I had more fun tonight than I expected." She smiled back. "Why were you in Hogsmeade? Your shop is in Diagon Alley." "I was checking on the competition. George and I heard some rumors that Zonko's was selling remakes of our products, so I went to check it out," he explained.

She rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. "I'm glad you did. At least you know that you're a success, since others want to copy you," she pointed out. Fred gently stroked her brown curls. "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty successful if other people make money of my ideas." Hermione paused again.

"Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"When… when you and I were dancing… did you… did you almost… kiss me?" she asked quietly. He looked straight into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Hermione… call me crazy, but I think… I think I've fallen in love with you. Since the moment you looked into my eyes on the dance floor and I felt your breath on my lips."

There was just a moment when they looked into each other's eyes.

And they let their lips crash together; putting all the passion they had into the kiss.

Fred gently pulled her into his arms. Hermione slipped her arms around his neck, feeling his red hair. It's like feeling silk. They eventually had to pull apart for air, but they quickly pulled back together. Fred slid his tongue across her bottom lip, and Hermione parted her lips a little. The kiss deepened, both Fred and Hermione fully enjoying each other's taste.

They continued into the night, and soon they both fell asleep, Hermione still enclosed in Fred's arms.

A/N: Yeah! It's done! Fred and Hermione finally kiss! Woo hoo! I just decided on a whim that I wanted Hermione to be Head Girl and she's in her seventh year. Right now I'm pretending that the seventh and most of the sixth book don't exist, so that's why it's written how it's written. Personally, I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Over two thousand words! But the next chapter's going to be good too, finding out how Ron takes it or if he finds out! Dun, dun, dun! Cheerio, mates!