Hermione had always loved watching it snow when she was little. At her own home she would have had to watch from the window as it fell, but here, at Grimmauld Place, she could sit on the front stoop thanks to a warming charm that had been place when the house was built. That had been her plan, but it seemed someone had already beaten her to it. At first, she had assumed one of the twins was here to watch the snow fall as well, but then she heard it. It had been so quiet, Hermione thought she had imagined it. Then, she noticed the slight shake to his shoulders. So he had sniffled. She bit her lip as she watched over the boy. I should leave... This is an invasion of his privacy.. Instead of leaving, she stepped forward and sat next him. She didn't ask what was wrong, knowing he had to be worried about his father. She just simply placed her hand on top of his and squeezed lightly.

Fred stiffened when he realized he wasn't alone. He looked away to hide his tear stained cheeks. A soft hand hovered over his own before squeezing it softly. He knew then that it wasn't George.

"I just need some time. I'll be okay." He still hadn't turned to see who it was yet, but it had to be one of the few woman staying in the house. There was no chance any of his brothers would hold his hand like this. Whoever it was had apparently noticed he was upset, though.

Hermione thought his word over for a minute. "Do you need time and space?" She said quietly.

Fred turned to look at her then. He considered her words. "Just time." He flipped his hand over to lace their fingers together.

Hermione smiled and pulled a small tin of cookies out of her robes. "Biscuit? I bought them at Honeydukes before break. I thought I'd have some while I watched it snow."

So thats what she was doing up this late! Fred nodded and popped one into his mouth. Snickerdoodle, his favorite. He smiled as he watched her take small bites of her own biscuit.

"These are my favorite." She said. "Harry and Ron hate them though, so I usually just buy chocolate."

"They're my favorite, too." His voice was still a little hoarse, but Hermione grinned up at him anyway.

"Who would have thought I, Hermione Granger, the know-it-all-bookworm, would have something in common with you, Fred Weasley, infamous rule-breaking-prankster." She laughed lightly, and Fred grinned.

"How do you do that?" He asked curiously.

"Do what?" She looked up at him confused.

"How do you tell me and George apart? Not even Mum can do that." She blushed and looked away.

"Oh..." She cleared her throat nervously. "Your hair is a little darker than George's... And your eyes.. They're uhh... A brighter blue than his." Her blush deepened and she refused to look at him.

Fred took in her blush, and smiled. It was his turn to squeeze her hand. Any other time, he would have teased her, but tonight was different. Tonight she wasn't his little brothers best friend, she was just Hermione.

He placed his hand under her chin and made her look at him. "Hermione.." She bit her lip, and he was instantly reminded of last year at the Yule Ball when she had done the same thing. He took in a shaky breath, trying to push to memory away. "Thank you."

Her deep brown eyes clouded with confusion. "For what?"

"For knowing the difference between George and I. Its nice to know I'm more than just the other George to someone." He tried to hide the bitter in his tone, but knew Hermione had caught it. He also knew she was thinking of the recent scandal in Gryffindor. Fred had finally gotten Angelina to agree to go out with him, only to walk in on her snogging George. It wasn't George's fault, he hadn't known about them yet, and Angelina had kissed him. I thought it was you she had said. Fred had been disgusted at her complete ignorance, and hadn't talked to her since. He seen the pity flash in Hermione's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with understanding.

"You're welcome... Fred?"

"Yeah, love?"

"You deserved better than her, anyway. The way she was with Oliver..." Fred nodded.

"Thanks... Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." She stared up at him, but didn't say anything. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. "For not doing that last year, when I asked you to dance."

Still Hermione didn't say anything. She moved closer to him, and they continued to watch the snow fall well into the night. When she began to drift to sleep, Fred carefully lifted her from the step, and carried her back to her room. He laid her on her bed, and pulled the comforter up to her shoulders and tucked her in. Looking down at her, Fred sighed. Merlin, she is beautiful. He stood to leave, but stopped at the door to have one last look at her. He shook his head and returned to his own room. Laying back on his bed, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, thoughts of Hermione clouding even his dreams.

Anyone recognize what show the lines about time and space came from? I thought it was cute, so I just had to steal it! Points to anyone who can guess!