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

"Oh Fred, Oh Fred, please don't be dead." Hermione was sat back on her haunches, unable to touch the completely still, silent body of her fiancee. She shut her eyes and rolled back onto her heels. Arms were holding her, she had no idea who's. Only that they weren't Fred's..

"Hermione." Harry, she realised, was the one who had come behind her, placed what he thought were reassuring arms around her shoulders.

"Mi." George spoke, and she opened her eyes to meet the terrified eyes, so like his, full of fear. She leaned forward, feeling bile rise in her throat at the sight of Fred, unmoving, still, silent... Her hands hovered over his throat, the one she'd caressed so many times, rubbed the tension from. Her hands shook as she tried to find a pulse.

"Please don't be dead, baby.." She whispered, falling onto her knees and her other hand found his as she felt frantically, wanting to feel.. anything.

"Wake up Freddie." She hissed, feeling a lump forming in her throat.

"Please don't leave me..." These words were even quieter, only heard by her, probably Harry, and George.

Suddenly, she felt something under her fingertips. A slight bump. Her breath caught in her throat, and she leaned forward frantically, trying to stop herself from hoping, but unable to stop the feeling of elation that ran through her instantly.

"George.. George I think.."

It happened again. A bump. And another.

"His pulse.. His pulse is there." She looked at George.

"It's faint, it's really faint. But it's there." George's eyes widened, and Hermione realised he, the same as she, had thought Fred was dead.

"Hermione.." Harry trailed off and her eyes closed. She turned round on her heels.

"We have to go." She stated, and Harry nodded.

"He's going to be okay?"

"I don't know. He's not dead."

"Are you?"

Hermione faltered at this question, and tried to read Harry's expression. As her brother, her closest friend, the other half of her.. He had to forgive that she'd kept this secret, and he was definitely starting to see what it was. Neither Harry nor Ron knew the extent to which her lies had gone, but Harry had definitely caught on that there was more to Fred for Hermione than Ron's brother.

"We have to go on." Hermione said calmly. Every inch of her wanted to stay with Fred and check that he was okay, but she had a higher duty, a different cause and Fred knew that. He'd think of her as a lesser person had she stayed by his side, and that knowledge would carry her to the end.

"I'll watch over him." George said, a hand on her arm, and she nodded again, not speaking in case her voice shook.

'you can do this, you were always going to. I believe in you'. Fred's voice in her head didn't scare her, or worry her. Far from that, it spurred her on. Hermione knew Fred, he'd been the most important part of her life for 4 years. He'd want her to go.

She didn't look back.

Harry, Hermione and Ron walked through the halls of Hogwarts, battles everywhere.

"We have to-"

"Fight through." Ron spoke for the first time since they'd left his brother on the floor, a hardened look in his eyes and avoiding Hermione's gaze.

"Go as quickly as you can." Harry instructed, and the three of them powered forward, eyes on the door.

There was ridiculous commotion outside, but in the room of requirement, it was quiet. George Weasley stood alone, watching vigil over his brother as Fred Weasley breathed in and out evenly, but did not wake, his face chalk white. George had no idea what to do, but knew that it was an incredible blessing that his twin was hanging on.

He wondered in the back of his mind if Fred was just staying alive due to his promises to Hermione, and George hoped it wouldn't fall to him to tell her he'd broken them.

Hermione had thought the pain of thinking she had lost Fred was bad, worse than if she herself had died. And there was one person that right now, could definitely empathise with her.

Ginny.

"NO! NO! PLEASE PLEASE NO!" her hysterical shrieks were the worst sounds Hermione had ever heard, though of course, she hadn't heard her own. She reached forward and grabbed the younger Weasley and pulled her back toward her, shushing her as she put her arm around her shoulders, steeling herself for whatever was about to happen.

A deep, gut wrenching pain was in her stomach because sure enough, Harry Potter, her brother in all but blood, was lying dead for them all to see. But Hermione and Ginny couldn't stand and grieve yet. There was still fighting to be done, and she knew that.

"You will all bow down..."

Hermione wasn't listening. She knew she should, but in her heart she knew that if they truly had failed, these may be the last moments she had and there were more important things to listen to, to think about.

Commotion had erupted around the castle in an instant. Ginny whimpered slightly as someone tore past her, and Hermione kept a tight grip on the younger girl as she sent a careful hex into the crowd forming around Voldemort's feet. She looked up, and a sickening realisation came to her.

Harry's body was gone. She looked around frantically, until.

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" The scream came from Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione realised, to her horror, that Bellatrix Lestrange's wand was pointed directly at Hermione and Ginny, or just Ginny...

"Protego!"

Harry.

"He's alive?" Hermione said to herself, having missed the rest of the confrontation, but Bellatrix was dead, the woman who tortured her was dead.. She thought, absurdly, that she had better thank Mrs. Weasley for that, if she ever had the chance.

All eyes were above, on the confrontation with Voldemort, Harry screaming out retorts for the world to hear, Harry, very much alive. The hope that filled Hermione was incredulous as she watched the scene above her, all wands down, the Order and Death Eaters alike...

When Voldemort crumpled, and didn't get up, the feeling of elation was that it was finally over, that the suffering was done, everything was finished. Death eaters were dropping their wands, students were hugging each other, and people were meeting Harry in an incredible crowd, hoisting him onto their shoulders, cheering his name, because it was over at last, and they could all rest...

Fred.

Hermione turned around. Harry didn't need her anymore, and with a jolt she realised that she needed to know how he was. She grabbed Mr. Weasley, who, elated, looked to her ashen face with worry.

"Hermione? Are you okay?"

"Fred was injured in the battle. I think he'll be in the room of requirement - We all need to get there." She said simply, but he appeared to be sorting this out in his head from the moment she'd mentioned his son's name.

"Thanks, Hermione." He nodded once and looked around, evidently to locate the rest of his family.

In the meantime, Hermione turned around and sped up the stairs as quickly as her legs would carry her until she reached the 7th floor room and entered the door, the room opening for her easily, understanding what it was she required above all others.

"Hermione." George said.

"Is it done? Is it over?" She nodded, then looked at Fred, scared of what she'd see.

"He hasn't woken. He's breathing." George was monotonal as Hermione sat in a chair that materialised on the other side of the small camp bed Fred lay on. The room appeared to at least for now have transformed itself into a single room which wasn't unlike a private muggle hospital room. She took one of his hands in hers.

"Fred? Freddie?" Mrs. Weasley had arrived on scene, along with Charlie, Percy, Bill and Ginny.

"Arthur's just going to alert Harry, and Ron seemed... a little busy." She informed the two of them, looking disapproving.

"With Luna?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, before leaning over her son.

"Ennervate." She said, her voice breaking, and Hermione recognised the hope in her voice, and wondered why she hadn't thought to try it, even if it hadn't worked... His eyes were flickering.

"He's waking up!" She said excitedly, clutching his hand and watching his face.

"'Mi?" Fred's groggy voice came to, his eyes half open.

"I'm here baby." She responded with a smile, tears glistening.

"You're okay mate." George was clapping his hands, Fred's shoulder, the bedpost... Anything he could reach as Fred started to sit more upright in the bed, looking far more lively than he had a few moments ago.

"I feel okay." He said quietly, then looked around.

"Did I miss it?" Hermione snorted, as did Bill and Charlie.

"It appears we've missed something though, haven't we?" Arthur had arrived at somepoint with both Harry and Ron, and every single Weasley in the room suddenly seemed to be staring at them, at their intertwined hands, and to Hermione, the stronger of the two. She coughed, flushed, then turned around.

"Well, um..."

"We're getting married." Fred said it for her, simply, his voice so full of pride she couldn't have missed it. Hermione looked around nervously.

"We've been together a while..." She said slowly, wondering how their reactions were going to go. They'd planned this moment a hundred times, but all memory of what she'd been going to say was out of her head completely.

"We kept this hidden because when it started there was quite an age difference.. It wouldn't matter as much now but it's always been a secret. And then it always would have been a bit contraversial, and under the spotlight.." Hermione was trailing off and looking to a still weak-looking Fred for guidance, and he simply squeezed her hand.

"Married?"

"I didn't even know you were good friends." Mrs. Weasley stated, looking very uncertain. Hermione smiled softly. Mrs. Weasley liked her, and wasn't completely sure how to deal with this new information.

"We've been a couple since my fourth year. In love since the beginning of my fifth. Fred asked me to marry him a few days before the war broke out officially." Hermione said. Ron and Harry looked absolutely dumbstruck.

"How did you hide that from us?" Ron said, flabbergasted.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Hermione shook her head.

"I knew you'd react badly... Fred was 18, and i'd only just turned 15 the month before." Hermione's voice shook, and Fred coughed.

"I think.. this is a lot to take in. We need to get Fred to a hospital before this is discussed more." Arthur Weasley stepped forward and Hermione, relieved, turned around to help him gather Fred together for the departure.