Summary: Hermione and Fred are separated by war, their relationship and recent engagement completely hidden from everyone. Terrified for each others safety both still have to play their separate parts.

Pairing: Fred/Hermione

A/N GUYS. I realise I don't update as much as I used to but I have to tell you, the reason is that I don't feel too excited to when I don't get any reviews. 49 of you are following this story and my hits are in the thousands. These chapters take a lot to formulate as does all fanfiction, and I review every story I ever read. Let me know what you think.

Sorry to nag, enjoy it!

"Hermione?" Bill entered the room where I was folding clothes. Harry and Ron and I had spent a lot of time plotting our next move, but i'd taken the oppurtunity of being near a house to give our clothes a better wash than the odd 'scourgify' that we'd been doing over the past months. I turned to face him, knowing what he was going to want to talk about.

"Hi." I said, offering a small smile as he turned slightly on the spot, apparently unsure of how to continue.

"Fred and you are together?" He stared uncertainly, and I nodded.

"I realise I put you in a weird situation. I just, I.." I faltered, but Bill nodded understandingly.

"I assume i'd have got the story and explanation along with the rest of the family, after the war?" I nodded wordlessly, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Your secrets safe with me, sweetheart." He said, patting me on the shoulder before walking out of the room, leaving me with a definite feeling of calm, quashing my worries that i'd have to deal with Ron and Harry now, it seemed I still had time.

The fact that I'd seen Fred, and that one of his family knew about us now had given me knew courage when it came to our mission. I could feel in my heart that we were reaching somewhat of a final stretch, everything we did felt like it was more important, and a bigger deal. Bill hadn't mentioned Fred or I in any more detail atall over the next week in which we stayed at Shell cottage and I had appreciated that. On the day we'd left I'd left a quick note to Bill and Fleur together with a sealed envelope simply reading 'Fred' on the cover.

While it was perhaps selfish of me to think of my relationship with Fred at such a critical time, and perhaps my letter had been a mistake, I felt very much that after what had happened to me at the Manor, how I'd been victimised in such a way for something I couldn't help, I had a small right to be selfish.

And it was the strength of Fred being carried alongside me that had helped me to travel through Diagon Alley as Bellatrix Lestrange, and now, to clamber into a Gringotts boat still wearing the face of the woman I perhaps hated over all other. Her pale skin stretched over the scar she had gifted my arm with but I still felt it there, a cold and painful reminder of what we fought against.

"No!" the goblin was suddenly shouting and I realised we were heading toward a waterfall which we shot straight through, water filling my eyes and mouth.

"Hermione, hide your face!" Harry was hissing in my ear and I came back to the present to numbly recognise what the Goblin had just told us.. And what I should of remembered. Dimly I realised that I was myself again and with a gasp of horror I pulled the hooded cloak over my face and looked around me, feebly gripping the wand with a gusto which I hadn't before. Then suddenly, the cart flipped over and we were all tossed into the water.

"Harry!" I shrieked and from the water whipped my wand at him as he fell across the rocky ground. He slid aimlessly and I flailed for a moment.

"Cushioning charm" I gulped as Ron pulled me from the water and I stared at him. His disguise was gone also.

"The Thief's Downfall!" Griphook shouted, climbing to his feet and looking back onto the tracks, which was now obviously more than just plain water.

"It washes away all enchantment, all magical concealment! They know there are imposers in Gringotts, they have set off defenses against us!"

The main priority now was to get to the vault and as Harry met my eyes, we wordlessly communicated this. We set off by foot along the narrow winding passageway, led by Griphook and followed by the goblin which Harry had enchanted, Bogrod. While we rushed forward I attempted to calculate in my mind a possible exit route for us but could think of none.

"How are we planning on getting out?" Ron voiced and I smiled, ridiculously.

"We'll figure that out-" I started.

"When we come to it." Harry panted. Griphook had broken into a run and we were all rushing to keep up with him along the dark path. Very suddenly, we rounded a path and I gasped under my breath at the quite frankly, completely terrifying sight before me.

"It's massive." Ron gulped, and I shuddered as I examined it. It was huge, and not as fine as the dragon's we'd seen before during our fourth year. It was slightly pale, and as we were currently being informed, partially sighted. It was chained to the ground, and even though the indignant thought rose to mind about enslaving magical creatures I pushed it back down as it turned toward us, and aimed a jet of flame in our direction.

"Give me the Clankers!" Griphook hissed as he darted out of the way, and Ron quickly passed him the small sack that until now, I hadn't noticed he'd remembered to bring with him. Griphook started to shake them, and the dragon instantly shuffled back. Examining it more carefully now I could bring myself to, I recognised sharp slashes across it's face. It'd been tortured to fear them. To calm myself, I turned my mind to what Fred might be doing at this moment, whether he'd received my letter.

"Hermione, we're in!" Harry was beckoning me and I followed him quickly into the vault, instantly stunned by the amount of treasure within. As quickly as it had appeared though, it went, as we were plunged into darkness.

"Bogrod will release us!" Griphook hissed, and we started to look around. I spotted a goblet, and reached out to show it to Harry.

"Could this be it?" I questioned, but the instant my hand made contact with the metal I shrieked and drew it back.

"Germino and Flagrante curses." I surmised, and looked back at Harry.

"Don't touch anything."

As one, Harry Ron and I started to shine our wands at everything, doing so I accidentally brushed a Galleon and Ron a flagon. Until eventually Harry saw it.

"Up there!"

It was ridiculously high, and I started to run through plans in my head.

What would Fred do?

Think, Think..

He'd probably just stand on George's head.

Or send someone else up there...

With a curse?

"Levicorpus." I muttered, and Harry flew into the air. Incidentally, knocking into far more treasure and I screamed as bright, hot metal started to sear me all over.

'Keep calm, Hermione. You can fix the burns, but worry about the others.'

It wasn't the first time that Fred's voice of reason had helped me keep my cool and I instantly started to communicate to Ron.

"Keep the goblins above the treasure!" We started to pull Bogrod from the treasure and Harry and Griphook, above us appeared to be having a fight. I saw Griphook lunge for the sword as Harry did, and it was obvious. The goblin was going to sell us out. As the sound of clanking became louder, and the door to the chamber reopened, I was filled with very real fear. We may have difficulty getting out of this.

Crowds of goblins met us. I was burning all over and could see no way out, but Harry appeared to be thinking on his feet. Or not.

"Stupefy!" Ron and I blindly followed his lead, but it was apparent that the three of us were not enough.. I looked around wildly, only to see a thought pass Harry's face, and as I turned, it became clear what he intended..

"Relashio!" He had released the dragon. I shook my head.

"No, NO!" Nontheless Ron grabbed my hand and before it was even acceptable to argue, we were sat on it, about to leave, about to fly off...

"I hate flying." I murmured into my collar as I gripped onto the hard scales, closing my eyes as the enormous creature began to move.

"'Mione, come on. Flying's my favourite thing, I want to share it with you." I squinted up at my boyfriend, his hair bright in the sun and he winked at me.

"Why is it that you insist on making me do things just to make you happy, Fred Weasley?" I asked, with a mocking smirk and he leaned forward, pecking my forehead. I squealed and turned around, making to move away from the broom, admiring the beautiful view in this incredible sun over the Hogwarts lake. He caught me around the waist and with a shriek, we fell to the ground, me giggling and his throaty laugh surrounding me.

"You just love me that much." He whispered in my ear. I nodded, ferverently.

"Being with you is what makes me happy, Hermione Granger." He smiled, and I turned my head slightly to meet his eyes.

"I love you Fred." I said with a smile, and he nodded.

"You're only human." I laughed and squirmed away from him, but instead he flipped us over and lay on top of me, supporting himself with his elbows yet pinning me to the ground.

"Love you too, beautiful." He said, and leaned in to kiss me. After a few minutes, he came back up and looked at me again.

"Ready to try flying then?"

"Do you promise you won't let go of me?"

"Hermione Granger, I can promise you always that i'll never let go of you."

Remembering moments with Fred made me feel strong, but also sad. Carefree moments like the time we'd first flown together, him telling me he loved me, the casual jokes we shared.. They made me miss him. More than anything in the entire world. Fred Weasley was as much a part of me as Ron, Harry, or anything else we were here to do and I missed his strong arms, his smile, the way that he'd do anything in the world for me.

The dragon was in flight now, Ron swearing, Harry shouting his concerns, and I was, well.. I was crying.

"I can't wait to tell you about this, Fred.." I said quietly, my words lost over the sound of the wind.

"Fred?" Bill Weasley entered the kitchen and I looked up at him. I was waiting for word from George, who was in talks with Kingsley about what was best to next include on Potterwatch. The last I'd heard about Hermione was that the trio, along with the goblin that they'd saved from the manor, had left the morning before. I looked up at him, and he handed me an envelope.

"This was on our counter, when they left. Dunno what it is." He smirked, and patted me on the shoulder.

"Know that your secrets safe with me. I'm going to pretend I don't know when you eventually decide to tell us." I nodded my thanks, but any more courtesy I could offer Bill was lost on the curving script that I could obviously recognise as belonging to the girl that was currently, heck, always plaguing my thoughts. With a small smile Bill informed me he was going to see our mother, and without further hesitation I ripped it open.

Fred,

I just wanted to thank you. I know of course that it's silly to thank you, you'd always be there if I needed you, but waking up with you there was something I needed. You made me feel much better about it. I needed that pick-me-up, because I really have to be on the ball for Harry. We've got new plans, and they're moving fast, but I want to tell you. I think we're near the end. The end, or the conclusion to all of this, it's coming. We're nearly there.

I feel like I won't get over what happened. I need to talk about it properly. I'm putting it out of my head for now but I need you to know that I'm not coming back to you the same girl I was when I left. I feel like a bit of me is broken, and I need us to talk it out to make me better.

I want you to know how proud I am of you. How much I miss you, and how much the thought of you and you alone has kept me going.

I can't wait to be with you again.

Give me strength, because it's been the thought of you that's kept me sane this year.

Everything,

Hermione

It was only short, most of her letters were, even when we were at school and not seeing each other during the summer. But still.. Her words each meant a thousand. The gentle statement that she was going to need help.. My heart literally wanted to break at the thought of Bellatrix torturing her.

It was going to be me that finished her.