Secrets they have a way of coming out; it was never good to keep secrets because eventually they almost always got revealed. Hermione had for a long time morally objected to secret keeping but then she'd become friends with Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. As such her Moral Compass had changed, shifted if you will and she took on the perspective that it was okay to keep secrets if it was for the Greater Good. Keeping Secrets had helped win the war, had shielded her parents from the dangers in her magical life, they had protected them from thing's they'd struggle to comprehend. Secrets had been essential to their success time and time again as they faced dark forces throughout their time at Hogwarts. As such her new Moral Compass allowed for secrets and the odd whiteish lie if the benefits outweighed the cons.
Hermione could lie and keep secrets, she considered herself to be Morally Grey these days, some secrets were important, they were worth keeping, she could justify them, they were for the Greater Good. Secrets like not telling Harry when she suspected he was a Horcrux or keeping her mouth shut when they'd been captured by the Snatchers. Hermione was rather proud that she'd kept her mouth shut in Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix had tried to break her; held her under the Cruciatus, carved into her flesh with a poisoned blade and threatened to give her to Greyback to be his plaything. Not once did she break; she kept all of Harry's secrets, never once compromising their mission to bring about Voldemort's downfall. It would have been easy to break, to share everything she knew, to end her suffering but for the Greater Good; she'd forced herself to stay mum while the deranged bitch tortured her over many hours.
There was one secret however that was selfish, one hundred percent not for the Greater Good she'd been working towards ever since two boys rescued her from a troll and became her best friends. The secret she kept not even Harry and Ron knew, it was a secret she initially shared with only one other person, a man who was incredibly dear to her heart, a man that she loved more than anything else in the world.
Their romance had started in a cliché sort of way, the way many stories start; a young redheaded man finding a crying girl on the Grand Staircase at Hogwarts after his younger brother had ruined her fairy-tale evening. The man had wiped away her tears and asked her to dance, all the while cracking jokes until she had begun giggling, the confrontation with Ron all but forgotten as she stared into a pair of mischievous brown eyes, that promised adventure if she so wished it. He'd had a cheeky grin and had tucked a loose chestnut curl behind her ear, his smile becoming more crooked as he looked into her eyes causing a fluttering sensation to appear somewhere deep in her stomach. For the first time in her life she understood what it felt like to have butterflies. As the school's clock struck midnight, chiming the hour with twelve long bells, he'd ducked his head bringing his lips to hers, in a sweet innocent kind of kiss, her first ever kiss in fact, her eyes had closed and she'd reached up her hands wrapping around his neck, not wanting his warm soft lips to leave hers. When he'd pulled away with a tender expression, she'd felt herself falling for this older boy who had cared enough to cheer her up and make her evening special. Fred had taken her by the hand and walked her back to the Common Room, their fingers laced together; thus beginning their shared secret. They'd been friends before that evening but that had been the start of them been something more. She'd kept this a secret from everybody, but most especially from Ron. Ron would never understand you see the man that had stolen her heart, was his older brother.
Fred and she had become a something, they didn't label it; only George had any inkling that something more was happening between his twin and youngest brother's best friend. How much he truly knew she never asked but she assumed Fred wouldn't keep his romance from his twin brother and other half. George kept their secret, often diverting any attention from the pair with a joke or scandalous comment which gave them moments to exchange notes or suggestive looks without getting found out by Ron or any of their other friends. They didn't expect any of them would take the news well if it were to come out. They were opposites. The prankster and the bookworm. But the thing about opposites is that often they attract, and boy were the pair of them attracted to one another. Yet they kept this attraction a secret, or at least they tried too.
At first their secret had been kept simply because they were so unexpected; why share it with the world when it was so new, there was no guarantee their little something would become something more. They met in secret, having dates in the dead of night. They explored each other's bodies and Fred took her virginity on her sixteenth birthday after apparating to her childhood home and taking her on a picnic in a glen filled with fairies and a bubbling brook. Still they did not share this with their families and over their time together they'd become more than a simple something, though they didn't use labels, they both felt love in their hearts for the other and were each other's special someone.
Their love kept them going throughout the war, grounding them as they worked tirelessly for a better world where their romance would be accepted by society. Though first they'd kept their secret selfishly to avoid the drama their friends and family may have caused or else to avoid the gossip a relationship between the pair of them would create in the halls of Hogwarts, after Voldemort's resurrection and the fall of Dumbledore and later the Ministry of Magic, the secrecy of their relationship became necessary to protect one another. Neither wanted the other to be used, tortured, or abused as a way to get to the other.
They maintained the status quo and didn't tell another soul of their relationship, none but George knew for a long time, and he resolutely kept quiet about the whole affair. For months during what should have been her Seventh Year at Hogwarts they had zero contact, each worrying about the other but unable to do anything about it. Hermione had been on the run, hunting pieces of the Dark Lords soul while Fred had worked tirelessly for the Order getting as many Muggleborn's overseas to safety as he could all while running Potterwatch with George and Lee, to get the real truth of what was happing in their world out to the masses. Each radio broadcast brought sweet relief to Hermione during her darkest times. While they starved and were hunted, freezing in the dead of winter; Fred's voice was a reminder of what she fought for each day and a comforting reassurance that he still lived. Likewise Fred kept his ears peeled listening for any hint of news at his beloved's welfare while she was gone. More than once over their time separated the Order had heard of the Golden Trio's almost capture and Fred had been relieved to hear that his beautiful smart witch had escaped each time.
Fleur and Bill were the next to discover the relationship between the pair of them, though Hermione had not intended for them or anyone else for that matter to know of the relationship and would not have let on about it at all had she in fact been in the right mind. When Hermione had been brought to the safety of Shell Cottage after her torture at Malfoy Manor, she'd been delirious, from pain, blood loss and poison. While the pair had tended to her wounds and burned the poison of Bellatrix's blade from her system, she'd called out to Bill whose red hair was the same shade as the twins and told him that she loved him and missed him, begging for him to come and hold her. Bill and Fleur had been confused by this, thinking that she thought that Bill was Ron. "I'll get Ron for you," Bill had suggested, trying to slip from the room to get his youngest brother who was resting downstairs. "No Freddie, I want you," she'd responded before passing out cold, much to the shock of the eldest Weasley sibling and his wife. Bill had brought Fred into the cottage, sneaking him into Hermione's room without any of the other occupants of the house been aware of the prankster's presence within the cottage. Bill and Fleur had slipped out of the room just as Fred collapsed onto the bed Hermione's pale form rested on and lovingly pulling her into the cradle of his arms, his voice low and soothing as he whispered comforting words of love to her unconscious form, thick uncontrollable tears streaming from his usually jovial eyes.
Still Fred and Hermione kept their secret largely that; only three other people knew of the relationship and none of them would share it without their blessing. He stayed with her for three days' hidden in the spare bedroom of Shell Cottage. Bill and Fleur ran interference, insisting to Harry and Ron that Hermione wasn't well enough for visitors. On the third night Hermione knew they couldn't stay in their bubble any longer and she begged Fred to touch her and make love to her, knowing it could be many more months before they could be together again. After a passionate night in the spare room of Shell Cottage, Fred slipped out into the night silently with a single final longing look at the sleeping form of his lover before he closed her bedroom door. When Harry and Ron were finally allowed visitation to her and came in the next morning, they were convinced they knew where the next Horcrux was, of course Hermione was all business, never mentioning the tryst she'd had hours before in the very same room they all now sat planning to break into Gringotts.
When the final battle came just over a month after their final night in Shell Cottage, they found a moment to kiss in secret, each promising that they'd see each other on the other side. Hours later, Fred almost lost his life to a crumbling wall of all things but quick thinking on Hermione's part saved him from such a fate. Fred had been injured despite Hermione saving his life. He spent a month in St Mungo's recovering from his injuries. Hermione visited him as often as she could; both maintaining the secret of their romance and knowing they'd have to come clean about their relationship, a relationship they'd kept secret for over three years in some form or another.
Upon his release from the hospital Fred had proposed to his beloved; never wanting to be apart from Hermione again of course she'd said yes, her face glowing with joy as he slipped a beautiful diamond ring onto her ring finger.
After so many secrets the pair finally planned to tell everyone the truth of their relationship to their friends and family. After all the war was over, and they no longer had to hide in the shadows, Fred wanted to shout how much he loved Hermione from the rooftops. They determined that at the next family meal they'd come clean and hoped that everyone would be happy for them. After the atrocities and loss during the war; they figured this would be the case, love after all was something to be celebrated. What they didn't expect however was that Ron would have plans of his own.
Ron the youngest of the Weasley brothers was decidedly besotted with his best friend and thought that the next family dinner would be the perfect opportunity to declare his intent. He was by no means a traditional Pureblood and he didn't buy into the need to marry so young, he did however believe that Hermione was the one, so Ron been the loveable idiot that he was, went out and bought the most expensive promise ring he could; using a large portion of the money that came from the Order of Merlin First Class he had recently received from the Ministry.
He was nervous but excited when he walked into the Burrow for Sunday Lunch. All of the Weasley's were present as well as many of their friends from the Order and Dumbledore's Armey. It was a loud gathering, a celebration in fact. Ron helped himself to a drink, a bit of liquid courage, one might even say and stood chatting to Harry as they waited for everyone to arrive. It didn't take long and soon his mum was leading them all out into the garden where a long magically extended table sat, laden with home cooked food.
Ron found his seat, sitting opposite Hermione who sat between his twin brothers. She looked wonderful today, her curls were tamed, and she had on a pretty blue summer dress with a daisy print pattern; he smiled at her, and she returned it, her eyes shimmering in the light of the sun. She was so beautiful and looked much healthier than she had while they were on the run; he could tell that she had begun to regain some of the weight that she had lost over the past year and had a lovely glow about her; likely caused by proper nutrition and time in the sun. Ron waited for everyone to finish sitting before he stood and cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair nervously.
"I'd like to start by thanking everyone for coming today, it's so good that we can all be together again safely," he told the table at large, casting his eyes about, a warm smile on his face. Some people made exclamations of agreement while others nodded in agreement; Tonks wiped an escaped tear from her eye clutching baby Teddy close to her, a reminder that not everyone was here today. They'd lost many during that final battle, including Remus, Ron frowned at his choice of words but ploughed through, casting his eye's across the table to Hermione, he smiled at her tenderly, "Before we have this wonderful feast, there is something I want to do," he said, reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the ring box and flicked it open holding it out to Hermione whose eyes had gone wide.
"Ron don't," Harry whispered from beside him, Ron ignored his friends' words and the gasps from others at the table, his focus on the woman opposite him.
"Hermione we've been best friends for over seven years and during that time we've faced many obstacles but come out stronger because we had each other to support one another," he began.
"Ron, I," she stammered out cutting him off midsentence.
"Let me finish Hermione, I love you," he told her quietly as he tried to remember where he was up to in the speech he'd planned. Hermione pushed herself up from the table, shaking her head, her eyes filled with tears, Ron frowned in confusion, she was meant to be happy but all he saw in her eyes were sorrow.
"Ron please stop," she begged, a lone tear escaping her left eye.
"I love you; don't you feel the same," he asked her, he hadn't considered this as a possibility to him, Ron and Hermione were like Peanut Butter and Jelly, meant for one another.
"You're my best friend," she stammered, desperate to stop this conversation.
"And your mine, give me a chance Hermione, let me show you how we are meant to be," he begged her, he cast his eyes around the table, a table filled with friends and family who were meant to share in his joy today. Instead he could see them looking embarrassed for him or horrified. His mother looked sad, Fred looked angry, Harry averted his eyes unwilling to meet his, so he turned back to the woman he loved.
"We can't," she whispered.
"Please Hermione," he asked desperately, his eyes locked on hers.
Hermione felt sick with horror as she stared at Ron who had looked so hopeful when he'd first un-pocketed the awful ring he held in his hand. Ron now looked desperate. A different version of her would have been happy, a version of her where a handsome redhead had never wiped away her tears and danced with her after the Yule Ball, a version of her where the slight crush she'd had on her best friend many years ago had bloomed into something similar to what she now shared with Fred. But this was not that version of her, in this reality, Ron had broken her heart and Fred had mended it. She was engaged, after over three years of secretly seeing her best friend's older brother and she was about to break her best friend's heart. There was no other way, she needed to finally tell the truth. Her childhood self-had been correct; it was never good to keep secrets because eventually they almost always got revealed and now that she was older, looking into the face of someone she did love but not in the way that Ron wanted to be loved she realised she'd been wrong too; secrets were wrong because eventually they came out and caused pain. She didn't want to hurt Ron but there was nothing else she could do, except tell the truth thus breaking her best friend's heart.
"I'm in love with someone else," she whispered so quietly, her lower lip wobbling as she tried to keep a sob at bay. She was worried no sound had escaped her lips, Ron heard however, his knees buckling as he fell back into his seat. Around the table there was dead silence, as those around them took in her words.
"Who," Ron asked brokenly, before she could respond she felt a familiar arm wrap around her as Fred stood up, his familiar scent of gunpowder, parchment, nutmeg, and mischief surrounding her like a cocoon as he responded to his younger brother's question.
"Me," her fiancé spoke confidently, Ron cast his eyes frantically between the pair of them, horrified while others around the table gasped at the news.
"How long," Ron asked, his voice hollow.
"They've been together since after the Yule Ball," It was Harry's voice that responded before either Fred or Hermione could, Hermione stared at him shocked while Ron cast an accusing look at their mutual best friend.
"You knew about them and didn't tell me," Ron asked, his voice rising as his face took on a hue of deep crimson.
"I suspected, they were always together on the Marauders Map, I didn't know for certain until I snuck into Hermione's room at Shell cottage to check on her, the night after we'd arrived and discovered them both asleep together," Harry answered.
"Harry why didn't you say anything," she asked quietly, flabbergasted that he'd suspected all these years and known for certain for over two months without ever giving away a hit of his suspicions.
"You were happier after you started hanging out with Fred and I knew you'd tell me eventually, it wasn't my secret to share," he shrugged, a kind smile on his face.
"Fred makes me happy," she told him, Harry grinned.
"Does he really," Ron asked, his eyes fixed on his brother.
"He really does, I'm in love with him Ron and I'm truly sorry that we've hurt you today, it wasn't our intention to do so, in fact we came here to announce something," she told her friend, her voice becoming quiet towards the end, she cleared her throat, her mouth feeling very dry all of a sudden. She reached across the table for one of the many bottles of wine and began pouring it into her empty glass.
"Hermione don't you know that you can't drink alcohol while pregnant," Luna asked he voice serene, as she flicked her wand transfiguring the red wine she had just poured into water. There were more gasps around the table and Mrs Weasley who had been remarkably quiet until this point let out a squeal.
"Luna, I'm not pregnant," she told her friend incredulously after a quick swig of the transfigured water.
"Have you not done the charm yet," Luna asked cocking her head to the side, "I thought that was the news you planned to share today," Luna told her seriously.
"We're engaged," Fred interjected, removing the concealment charm from the gorgeous ring he had gotten her.
"Oh my babies engaged," Molly gushed, pulling them into her arms tightly as people called out their congratulations.
"Luna love why do you think Hermione is pregnant," Neville asked his girlfriend, his voice loud enough to carry across the table to where she was sitting.
"Because her aura has changed, before she had only one aura and now, she has three, she's pregnant with twins," Luna responded.
"No I am not," she responded instinctively, glaring at her batty friend.
"Only one way to know for sure," Ginny spoke for the first time, shooting a spell across the table, Hermione had no chance of blocking the unexpected charm and looked down in shock as two fluttering orbs appeared above her abdomen: one blue and the other pink.
"Grandbabies," Molly sobbed, pulling her into a tighter hold, Hermione met Fred's eyes expecting to find horror mirrored in his eyes but all she saw was tender love and devotion.
"Looks like Luna was right he chuckled", pulling her into his arms as Arthur pulled Molly away from them.
"But I haven't sat my NEWT'S yet, we haven't got a house, we've only just got engaged, I don't have a job," she spoke, her voice filled with panic.
"Hermione love breath, everything is going to be alright," he told her before kissing her forehead tenderly and indeed he was right.
Hermione and Fred bought a large cottage in the countryside together shortly after that eventful dinner. She sat her NEWTs at the ministry without returning to Hogwarts and got Os in every subject. She had job offers from all over the Wizarding World but didn't accept any of them until after their twins were born. Fred was a devoted partner throughout the pregnancy, doting on Hermione and taking care of her every need. Molly insisted that they had to be married prior to the birth of the twins and so the two got married in a small casual ceremony with only their immediate family present. Ron who had taken all of this rather well decided to support the pair, he concluded that he'd rather her be happy and, in his life, than potentially losing her all together. He planned to be the twin's favourite uncle after George of course, nobody could compete with one who was identical to their father.
The twins: Rose and David were born on a cold winter's night in December, named after Hermione's parents who still resided in Australia with no knowledge of their daughter. Hermione was never able to reverse the obliviate charm though she worked tirelessly as a Healer trying to help those thousands of people who had been damaged, physically, and psychologically during the two wars. They visited Australia regularly as a family and befriended Monica and Wendall who treated their children like grandchildren, perhaps somewhere deep within them they could feel the familial bond that tied them all together.
When their third child Nancy came along, another happy accident when the twins were in their first year of Hogwarts, Kingsley who had become the Minister after the war approached them and asked if Hermione would consider running if he retired. Hermione was reluctant, she was a healer first and foremost although over the years she'd consulted for the Ministry and helped to overturn oppressive outdated legislation. Together they decided she'd give it a try on the condition that Kingsley would not step down for at least five years. Hermione had supported Fred as he took his and George's joke shop international, and he was proud to support her in becoming the youngest female Muggleborn Minister in British history, and of course they lived happily ever after, even Ron who married Pansy Parkinson of all people, had more children than his parents and became a famous quidditch player for the Chudley Cannons, his favourite team, with him as their keeper they won the Quidditch League for Eight Years in a row until the national team poached Ron to play for England in the Quidditch World Cup.