Challenge Three.

Set: Six (Romance)

Prompts Used:

Flower Petals

Tingling

Starlight

"Meeting you was fate. But falling for you was out of my control."

Fireworks!

Breathless

(Also, this was written before Tat edited the list, so I also used "dancing" and "rain," but considering I still met the requirements anyway, that's not particularly important).

House: Ravenclaw

notes: A huge thank you to msllamalover who is one the most amazing betas that I have ever had the joy of working with!

In the third paragraph, I would have put NEWTs (with the dots) but for some reason Document Manager kept editing that and making it N.E. which probably wouldn't have done a lot of good ;) So I put exams instead.

Wishing On A Star

Hermione Granger || Romance/Hurt/Comfort

- Pairing is Hermione/Ron, but the "interaction" is between Hermione/Fred -

If there's one thing that every little girl dreams about, it's finding her Prince Charming, sharing that perfect kiss in the rain and eventually riding off into the sunset with a diamond ring on her finger. And even though she was the practical sort, Hermione Granger was no exception. She found the idea unrealistic, childish and a waste of time. Yet there was a still a part of her the wished for her happily ever after.

The idea was abandoned as she grew up. When she was thrust into war as a teenager, she not only left behind her fairytale dreams, but also her hopes of finding love. There was no place for love during war. Too much could happen, and it would be fine thing if everyone made it out unscathed, physically and emotionally.

A year passed. She no longer had the excuse of war. People had finally begun to pick up their lives and even George, dear George who'd lost his twin, was showing signs of life. Hermione had everything going for her. She was a heroine of war, had successfully brought her parents back and she had completed her exams with flying colours. She had even secured a job at the Ministry. The only thing left to do was settle down.

Her teenage years had been wasted in a sense. She knew that and for the most part, she was okay with it. There was no desire to go back, or even try to live like she could have, now that she was free. She was an adult now and intended to act like it.

She'd fallen in love once. Like everyone had predicted, she had fallen for her best friend, Ronald Weasley. The kiss in the Room of Requirement… Well, it had certainly been something. It wasn't perfect. She didn't close her eyes and feel fireworks, like some old cliché. It was better than good though and she distinctively remembered feeling breathless after they broke apart.

Hermione closed her eyes, remembering the scene with a smile on her face. With her legs crossed and her hands folded neatly on her lap, she began to speak again.

"It's funny, Fred. If you were here you probably would've pranked him for being such a dense git, but… well, you aren't here, are you? It's been a year and he hasn't done anything. Maybe I should give up. Oh, you'd prank me for saying that. I feel so silly though. Falling in love with him was a stupid thing to do. Meeting him should've been enough for me. We really are the best of friends, including Harry, of course."

She broke with a sigh, her fingers tracing the engraved words. She hadn't been particularly close to Fred. She hadn't really been close to anyone that had died. But for some reason coming to his grave – talking to him – it helped. Whether it was because saying things out loud cleared her mind, or because she wanted to talk to Fred, she wasn't sure. She guessed it was the former, but she still visited. It felt right. Besides, he always knew what to do.

"I know what you would have told me, Fred. You would have done that annoying sentence sharing thing with George and told me to snog him senseless. I did that at the battle though. Apparently it didn't work very well. And no, Fred, I refuse to use one of your love potions. Which reminds me, I think George fancies Angelina. You don't mind, do you? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. He's just as daft as Ronald, really. Won't do a thing about it."

Dropping her hand from the gravestone, she let her eyes skim over the familiar words, which caused a lump in her throat every time she read them. It didn't seem fair that he'd been lost. He'd been one of those people who she'd never felt completely comfortable around, but had always admired from a distance, even if she didn't show it when she was scolding him for his pranks. Fred had made things seem easy, a skill that Hermione wished upon herself. He was someone who made everything seem okay. His mouth, even in death, had a permanent smile and always seemed to be ringing with laughter. If she wasn't so set on the rules, Hermione was quite sure that she could've fallen in love with him.

Except, of course, she had to fall for his younger brother instead. It was Ron, not Fred, who sent a tingle up her spine whenever their hands accidently brushed against each other. It was Ron who she wished for when she sang that silly Muggle rhyme that her mother had taught her about the stars. And it was Ron who popped into her mind whenever yet another song about unrequited love played on the wireless.

"You must be having a right laugh wherever you are. You probably think I'm mental. I suppose I am. I must come here at least once a week to complain. Never once have I thought to bring flowers for you. I did this time though. Figured that you deserved it for listening to me jabber on about your younger brother, yes? Not that you have much choice."

She fingered the red petals, marvelling at the beauty of the rose before placing it down on the earth. It felt strange – really strange – to think that Fred Weasley was really down there. Hermione shuddered involuntarily at the thought, and pulled her wrap tighter around her small frame.

Picking herself up off the ground, she glanced wistfully downwards, pondering her parting words. She usually told him that she'd do something about Ron and that she had a really good feeling about this week. It wasn't there though. The hope that usually gathered in the pit of her stomach was non-existent. With a watery smile, Hermione blinked her tears away.

"I better go. You know, I might try that 'snogging senseless' thing this week. It's got to be the only thing I haven't tried… well, I haven't tried again, that is. Besides, that's what you would have said, right? You always were rather clever. Yes, that's what I'll do. Git's as thick as anything though, so don't get your hopes up."

With that, Hermione left the graveyard. She was determined this week. Not hopeful, determined. As the wind billowed around her, a single rose petal danced around her. And she laughed, because she'd always known that he had been listening. Her eyes were lit with a smile as she watched it fly away. Funny, how the wind was in the direction of the Burrow that day. Maybe wishing on a star really did work.