Heartfelt thanks to;
SaruDM,
Muggle-Born-Witch and Proud, arabellagrace,
echizenochi,
gimarkley2013,
LyndahJune,
palephoenix,

LeeArt and

NickelRamaMetalHydride

for such lovely reviews in response to the last chapter.

I was so excited you'll liked it!

Here's the next one!

Happy reading!

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CHAPTER 27.

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Hermione woke up early in the morning, with the familiar sensation of wanting to relieve her bladder.

Damn it. She thought. She never needed an alarm to wake up early because come what may, she would always need to pee between 5-6 am.

She got up to go to the bathroom when she realised that she was trapped.

Opening her eyes fully and looking to her left, she was greeted by the innocent face of the prankster she had been living with for the past month.

She smiled at his innocent face. It was probably the only time he looked innocent. Just like that day when she had become fat and had barged into his room.

Wait a minute... She thought, smile vanishing from her face.

Why is Fred Weasley in my bed?

She looked around, and to her shock she found that this was not her room.

Why am I in Fred's bed ?

And then she suddenly remembered last night's events.

Turning a bit, trying to jiggle her way out so she could get up and use the loo, she started wondering why she was having such a hard time getting up.

Yanking the covers off her, and Fred, she saw that his large arm was lazily draped over her waist, causing her to be snuggled against his chest.

She looked at his chest from the corner of her eyes. They were covered in a thin grey T-shirt, but it clung to his chest as she lay tightly wrapped against him.

Through her back, she could feel his torso and the strength from just being against his chest.

She sighed and tried to change her position again. This time so that she could face him and run her hands over his strong chest as long as he was asleep. She didn't know if she'd have the guts to do that once he woke up.

His leg was also draped over hip. He had cornered her in all possible ways, afraid that she would run away.

She smiled up at his sleeping form.

His face was content and his hair was all over his eyes.

She wanted to blow his hair away and kiss those eyes so that he would wake and she could see those blue mesmerizing eyes again.

Like how she had the night before. Just before he had asked her permission to kiss her with his pleading eyes.

Until yesterday, she had no idea how she felt about Fred Weasley.

Well she had had occasional bouts of staring and appreciating and all that. She had never given it much thought but during her dates with the other Fred, she would subconsciously compare the two very often.

And she didn't need the fact that neither she nor her shower gel stopped him from doing what he was doing yesterday to know that she felt for him too.

She stopped struggling from his hold and leaned back into her pillow, partly because she didn't want to wake him up and partly because her urgency had abated for now.

She drifted back to last night with a smile playing on her lips.

"So is this how you apologize to everyone you've pranked?" Hermione asked, breathless from the latest onslaught on her lips.

"Depends." He said, cocking his head to one side, "only to the ones who are mental and drive me absolutely insane even in modest clothing and a bird's nest for hair."

She playfully swatted his arm and looked at him intensely before saying. "Seriously Fred. I'm sorry. I really am. I was way out of line yesterday. I had no right accusing you and saying those horrible things to you. Especially when I didn't even care about the other Fred that way."

"The other Fred?" He raised his eyebrow.

She giggled. "Oh yeah. Didn't you know? The guy I've been seeing on and off, his name is Fred too."

"Merlin's pants! You had your heart set on the name Fred didn't you?" He joked.

"Maybe. Maybe not." She said.

Turning serious again she looked at him and said, "Fred? Umm today what happened...? It was... Umm..." She couldn't make a sentence.

Hermione Granger, a teacher, top of her class every year and here she was unable to even string a simple sentence.

"No Mione. It wasn't a mistake. Neither was it a onetime kiss. And I hadn't planned it this way to tell you the truth. But looking at you so sad because you were afraid that you'd hurt me instead of the other way around, I couldn't help myself. I umm... Got carried away." He said sheepishly.

"But," he said, cheering up again, "Since I didn't get any boils, I was encouraged to make you feel better in my very own special way."

"I know it's weird Mione. I don't know how it happened, but we, you and I, I feel that we just mould so well. I never have to think when you're around. It's like breathing. Being with you is so natural now that when I'm not with you, it seems odd. And I'm not only saying this because I want to make you feel better. But because I've known for a long time." He said.

"Known what?" She whispered.

He felt silent for a moment. He didn't know what to tell her.

That she was attracted to him, he knew now. But she was not in the same place as he was. He had fallen hard and he wouldn't want it any other way. But he didn't want to burden Hermione with his declaration of love.

She had a lot on her plate these days as it was, she didn't need to be told about his love for especially when she herself was not sure if she felt the same.

He knew that she could love him. But he wanted her to do so at her own time and on her own accord.

If he told her now that he loved her, knowing the kind person that she was, she would surely learn to love him and reciprocate.

But he didn't want that. He wanted her to love him because she did and not because she was obligated to.

"I've known since some time now that I really really like you. I think about you all the time and stare at you when you're not looking. And I knew I was in trouble when my blood would start boiling at the mention of your dates. And also when Lee wanted to ask you out. That bloke's been my best mate for 11 years but Merlin knows I have never wanted to throttle him more when he spoke about you that way." He said.

"What? Lee likes me?" She asked, widening her eyes.

Fred grimaced.

"Seriously, Mione! Our first kiss today and a poor guy is trying to tell how much he likes you and all you registered in that entire rant was that Lee liked you?" Fred said.

"You wound me bad, woman!" He repeated.

She grinned and and hugged him at his waist, pulling him closer, feeling bold because of his new declaration. Her head reached his sternum and she showered sweet kisses at the base of his neck.

He shivered at her touch and if that wasn't enough, she proceeded to do the same with her mouth open now. Her little open mouth kisses had reached his clavicle by now and he was breathing loudly, not even bothering to hide the effect she was having on him.

If this was payback, he thought, he'd gladly suffer !

"So *kiss* you've *kiss* liked *kiss* me *kiss* since *kiss* a while *kiss* now?" She asked.

He grunted. Unable to even speak.

She continued, downward toward his clothed chest.

Repeating the motions on his muscled chest, she said in between her kisses, "I really really like you too Fred. I don't know when I'd have realised if you hadn't pulled that stunt on me. And I'm glad you did. You prevented me from making a huge and embarrassing mistake."

"Hmmmm." Was all that he could say.

She chuckled and released him and put some distance between them. He whimpered in protest and she chuckled again.

"Seems like we have to maintain some distance if we need any conversation to happen." She said.

He frowned, evidently not liking her suggestion at all.

"You do realise that Ginny probably knew about us even before I did." Fred said.

She widened her brown eyes in surprise again, "what? How do you know?"

"Oh. She's Ginny. That woman knows everything. Just like mum. Although I think mums getting old now. Either that or she's too blinded by the excitement of Ron's wedding. I can't believe she made you sit next to Charlie for lunch that day." He said rolling his eyes.

"So? What's wrong in that?" She asked.

"My sweet, unsuspecting Mione. How can you be so clueless? When you look out for my pranks you're so alert, and yet these things that stare at you in your face, you miss them completely." He said laughing.

She stuck her tongue out at him and fake pouted.

He quickly caught her out-turned lower lip between his and settled a long kiss on it.

"If that is how you're going to de-pout me, I may just have to do that more often." Hermione said, straightening her t-shirt.

"I think you should. Now where were we? Yeah. I can't believe mum put you next to Charlie. I was soooo angry. I'm sure Ginny was entertained by me that day." He said.

"You're saying that your mum was trying to hook Charlie and me up?" She asked incredously.

"Yupp. She did. I don't know why she didn't think of me? I'm single and her son too, you know." He pouted.

And she de-pouted him just the way he had done with her.

"I could so get used to this." He smiled and closed his eyes, bringing her closer to him.

"Don't. Not so soon. Now I have options. Hmmm." She thought, pretending to think hard. "Lee or Charlie?" She scrunched her forehead. "What do you think Fred? I've realised your opinion matters highly to me."

Fred looked flabbergasted at her suggestion. He couldn't decide if he was more surprised because he even momentarily took her seriously or because she actually joked about it.

"I'll show you what I think Hermione Granger." He said and charged menacingly toward her, his hands clawed, ready to attack her.

Seeing this, Hermione yelped and ran in the opposite direction, trying to make some distance between herself and Fred.

He caught up and attacked her sides, ticking her mercilessly.

"Fred ! Please ! Oh please !" She panted in between random laughs.

He continued tormenting her till they reached the edge of his bed and the back of her knees hit the edge and she stumbled on his bed, him on top of her.

She decided to hit below the belt. Fred was not as ticklish as her, so she decided the only way to stop him would be by distracting him.

He was at a very convenient angle and she had to do was to raise her hips to reach his lips.

She didn't even wait for him to open his mouth. She charged fiercely and he complied. Immediately, his hands stopped tickling her and occupied themselves in her hair.

She flipped him since he was distracted and broke the kiss, now straddling him.

"Mione! That's devious!" Fred groaned.

"Thanks. Need to be, with you around." She said.

"I really like you Hermione." He said again. As if saying it again and again would translate it to mean that he loved her.

"I like you very much too Weasley." She said adjusting herself so she now lay by his side.

He kissed her forehead gently and taking her hand in his whispered goodnight to her and pulled her close.

She smiled widely. Recollecting all that had happened. When she woke up and really found herself entangled in his limbs, she was relieved that she hadn't been dreaming.

She looked at her watch. Merlin! It was nearly 8! Had she really day dreamed for almost 2 hours? And worse, she had controlled her bladder for so long that now it was threatening her.

She would have to wake him up. He usually slept soundly. So maybe her moving his limbs might not disturb him. She tried moving his arm and succeeded.

Now to the harder part. She turned to flip his leg, when she looked at his face again.

Screw not waking him up, she thought as she pulled her wand and chanted a cleansing spell on her mouth.

I'll wake him in a way he won't have anything to complain about. She thought.

She used her wand to tear his t-shirt through the middle.

Positioning herself at the level of his neck, she started giving him feather light kisses, trailing till his clavicles.

He moaned. And shifted in sleep. But didn't wake yet.

Grinning, and not discouraged in the least, she went on.

She went lower, outlining his Pecs one by one.

Biting her lower lip, she wondered at what she was doing .

Last night had been crazy. And she had acted in ways that surprised even herself.

Normally she wouldn't ever be so bold enough as to initiate any form of intense physical contact. But with Fred, it was different. He didn't judge her. Didn't expect anything. Let her be whatever she wanted to be. And really made her feel comfortable. And warm. And secure. And beautiful.

She didn't think more and gently kissed around his sternum, teasing him as he had started twitching his chest muscles, showing signs of waking up soon.

She finally kissed it and proceeded to his toned abs till she reached his navel and gave it the same treatment as the rest of his chest and abs had received.

He raised his hips slightly and held her by the shoulders. His eyes were still shut when he said, "blimey, Mione. If this is how you wake me up everyday, I'd never complain to wake up at your odd hours."

She looked up and started with his angular jaw, slowly reaching the corner of his mouth and teasing him mercilessly.

"You have to stop. I sound crazy to myself even saying it in my head, but Merlin if you don't stop now..." He trailed off. "It is morning after all." He said hoping she'd get his drift.

She blushed and kissed him lightly on the lips before getting off the bed.

"I planned on stopping as soon as you woke up. You're rather heavy. And I didn't want to wake you up rudely." She said sweetly.

"Note to self - never stop Hermione from trying to 'wake me up' and also pretend to be sleeping even after you've woken up." He said.

She shook her head at him on the way to the bathroom.

"Hey my shirt! It was my favourite shirt! Not that I'm complaining." He said as an afterthought. "But I should at least get to return the favour." He said cheekily.

"No can do!" She called out from the bathroom. "You can do yourself a favour by waking the kids up though."

"Buzzkill." He muttered as he grudgingly got up.

It was one of the best mornings of his life!

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I know this chapter really didn't go anywhere.

But I just couldn't stop writing it.

Thought maybe they needed to talk about it!

I know Hermione is a bit out of character!

But I'm guessing she's happy so maybe she's cutting herself some slack! ;)

You guys really made me happy with your reviews to the last chapter!

If you liked this one too please review and let me know!

I'm nearing a 100 reviews and I'm so excited! I'm so glad this story is liked!

Thanks for reading!

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