Never was an early riser
Used to be an up-all-nighter
Never saw the morning light quite like I do now
Never said no to a party
Never started saving money
Everything is different since you've been around
It's the way you're smiling at me
It's in the way you hold my hand
It's the way I've watched you change me
From a boy into a man
It's a million things about you
And I don't know what it is
I have never known a love like this
Love Like This, Ben Rector
oOoOoOo
Hermione blinked her eyes open to see the first traces of morning light peeking around the curtains in Fred's bedroom. She yawned and looked over to find that he was still sound asleep, sprawled next to her across the pillow.
Spending the night in bed with another person wasn't exactly as glamorous as movies and television made it look, but after some minor readjustments they'd both found positions that more or less suited them. And after five years of bunking with Lavender and Ginny, Hermione was just thrilled that he didn't snore.
She laid quietly then, just watching him for a little while; his face was usually so animated and expressive, but in that moment, that stolen moment, it was lax, calm. Like a portrait of the word tranquility.
Knowing that it would probably still be a fair amount of time before he was up, Hermione brushed a feather-light kiss on his cheek and then carefully slipped out of bed without waking him. After hunting across the dark floor, she uncovered and pulled her knickers on beneath his tshirt. It was barely seven and the shop didn't open until ten, so, after brushing her teeth and finger-combing her curls, Hermione walked down the hallway, crossed the living room, and opened the door that led to the stairs and down into the shop.
The contrast between how it had been the other day, loud and vibrant and full of people bustling about, and how it was when she stepped out from behind the counter was jarring. It was completely silent, the other businesses in the alley not yet open either, save for perhaps the owl post.
Hermione appreciated the quiet because it gave her a chance to actually look around without being jostled or shouted over.
She started at the back where the standby products were; the ones that people were going to come in and buy regardless of whether or not they had an enormous display. These included Dungbombs, Fanged Frisbees, Snackboxes and their various fireworks merchandise.
Ducking down the first aisle, she trailed a finger along the middle shelf as she read; trick wands, Comb-a-Chameleon, Sticky Trainers, Headless Hats, Extendable Ears, Nose-biting Teacups… she happened upon a collection of Smart Answer quills on an endcap and pursed her lips disapprovingly.
As she continued to explore, she was struck with that same sense of pride, and the fact of the matter was that she wasn't just proud of him as the man she'd spent the night with, the one still sleeping upstairs.
She found that she was also indelibly proud of the schoolboy from over a year ago, sitting by the edge of the lake and doodling logos before he had even one galleon toward making that dream a reality. The one that had fractured a little bit when his brother left. The one that had cried in a dusty old classroom, terrified of what the world had in store. And the one that had delved into the fray knowing the risks and forged a path forward anyway.
It was hard to wrap her mind around how much had happened in the past year, but there she was, standing in the middle of a testament to all of it. And it was stunning.
oOoOoOo
Fred rolled over and reached out for Hermione only to find her gone. He glanced at the clock and saw that it read 7:30, then felt the bed where she'd been to find it was still a bit warm. He cocked an ear but he didn't hear the sink or the shower.
The previous night had been, without a doubt, the best of his life. Even if they hadn't had sex that would have still been true. The casual way that she strode into his apartment, kicked her shoes off like she belonged there – which she did. Talking for hours about nothing and everything. Seeing the trust in her eyes when she showed him all the pieces of herself, the parts nobody else had seen; the parts that he knew she still struggled to fully accept.
Falling asleep with her in his arms, tucked to his chest, after all of that had been the closest thing to perfection that he could imagine.
Marginally less so when she rolled over and accidentally kneed him in the middle of the night, but such was life.
Fred stretched and grabbed a fresh t-shirt from the wardrobe before ducking into the hall and, confirming that the bathroom was vacant, going about his usual morning routine. He knew Hermione was an early riser, and he wasn't concerned she'd found a way to occupy herself while he was still sleeping.
However, when he stepped into the living room and peeked into the kitchen to find both of those empty as well, he started to get a little curious. Then he noticed that the door to the stairs was slightly ajar and grinned. He cast a silencing charm on his socks and crept down. Sure enough, walking between the shelves and tracing her finger beneath the product names, was Hermione.
The sun had just peeked over the building across the alley from them and it was streaming in the upper windows around the various advertisements in hues of vibrant gold. There were dust motes hovering and sparkling in the air, catching the light, and for a little while Fred just stood there watching her, eyes roving and dark caramel curls swaying a little as she walked. He'd admit he ogled a little too; her legs looked absolutely fantastic sticking out from beneath his t-shirt, after all.
And he watched curiously as she rounded the end of an aisle, stood in the very center of the store, and turned deliberately in place.
It struck him because it was the same thing he had done when they got the keys to the place. George had gone to the back room, eager to explore, but Fred had just stood for a second, taking it in. It was empty then, and significantly shabbier, but it was his. Or half his, in any event.
He was shaken from his reverie when Hermione rotated toward the light and he caught a glimpse of tears glittering on her cheeks. Fred removed the charm on his feet and strode in, making sure to shuffle a little, and leaned on the counter beside the till.
Hermione slowly turned in his direction and smiled, and he had to wonder if she'd known he was there the whole time. He didn't say anything though, didn't want to break that tranquil silence; he just smiled back.
After a long moment she swallowed and said quietly, voice tight and expression a little pained, "I'm sorry I wasn't here."
Ah. So, that's what the tears were about.
Fred stepped from behind the counter and crossed to her, still in just boxer shorts and a t-shirt himself.
"You're here now," he pointed out, tipping her chin up and sweeping the tears on her cheeks away.
"I know, I just… I wish I hadn't missed it." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, smoothing the worried crease between her eyebrows.
"Most of the heavy lifting was done before you even took your OWLs; by the time term was over with, it was just a lot of tedious packaging and production, coordinating shipments and the like. You'd have been dreadfully bored."
She nodded, sniffled, and then shook her head a little, like she was trying to clear away the thought. Always with the stiff upper lip, his witch.
"Do you want coffee?" Fred asked, baiting her with a grin. He'd kept the percolator from Grimmauld, and Remus had established a rather hefty collection of grounds that he shamelessly pilfered from when cleaning out the house with the other Order members.
"Yes," Hermione bit her lip and smiled back, gaze narrowing. "But there's something I'd like just a bit more first."
"Is there now?" he asked slowly, taking note of the wicked glint in her eye. "Mmm, I think I have a package of bacon..."
She shook her head.
"Pancakes, then?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Oh, I know; toast and jam."
"Wrong again," she said, teasing her fingertips along the front of his shorts.
"Ah," he said, nodding sagely. "Sausage it is."
She pulled her hand back and smacked him.
oOoOoOo
"Everyone clothed?" George's voice called, having cracked the door of the flat open just a little.
"Nope, starkers and shagging on the sofa!" Hermione shouted back, legs tucked under her as she turned the page on her book. Fred snorted, seated at the dining table all of ten feet away and bent over some paperwork he'd meant to catch up on the night prior. It was silent for a moment, as if George wasn't sure if he should take her seriously, before the door swung open and Angelina stepped in around him.
"I told you she was joking," Angie said, rolling her eyes and plopping unceremoniously onto the couch beside Hermione. "Hey Hermione."
"Hi Angie," she greeted. They weren't particularly close, but Hermione had come to find that there was a certain solidarity in dating a Weasley twin. "Is my hair going to bother you?"
"Nah, George mentioned you'd be here, so I took a Benadryl. My allergies always pester me in the summertime anyway."
"How terribly muggle of you," Hermione laughed, knowing full well that neither of the boys had any idea what Benadryl was.
George shut the door behind him, kicking his shoes off.
"Hermione," he said in greeting. An impish grin split his face. "Sleep okay?"
Fred lobbed a balled-up piece of parchment in his direction without looking up, which George easily sidestepped.
"Just fine, thanks," she replied haughtily, not giving anything away. "How were The Stooges?"
"Brilliant," he said, all traces of joking fading from his face as he shook his head reverently. "Absolutely bloody brilliant."
"Please, he's been saying 'nyuk, nyuk, nyuk,' all morning," Angelina sighed tiredly, much to Hermione's amusement. "Are you staying the day?"
Hermione shook her head, glancing at the clock on the mantle that read a quarter past eleven. "Afraid not, I'm meant to be back at The Burrow at noon."
"Speaking of which," Fred said, having finished whatever he'd been working on and set it aside, "we should get going."
Hermione nodded, this having been her suggestion. She'd done her best to power through the day prior, but back-to-back side-along apparition was distinctly unpleasant, and she didn't fancy vomiting on Mr. Weasley's shoes. Recovery time was deemed a necessity this go-round.
"I told Lee you'd take over at one," George said, passing Fred on his way to the kitchen. Fred nodded.
"I'll go grab my things," Hermione sighed, unfolding from the sofa and heading for the bedroom. Fred followed her, laying crossways on the bed while she sorted through the articles of clothing that had been strewn about the room.
"Oh, almost stole this one," she remarked, separating his Weird Sisters t-shirt from the clothes she'd worn the previous night.
"Keep it," Fred suggested. "Looks better on you anyway."
She smiled, rather liking the idea of sleeping in his shirt, and stuffed it into her bag.
It only took a moment to make sure everything else was accounted for.
"I wish I was staying longer," she sighed, looking around a little dejectedly. Going back to The Burrow, to preparing for a fall term without him, felt like leaving a very safe, very comfortable bubble.
"We'll just have to do it again," Fred said easily, ever the optimist. But she looked more closely and could tell he was a little sad too.
"Well, no point in putting it off."
"We'll have to go to the apparition point downstairs – wards."
Fred grabbed her small rucksack and slung it over his shoulder, taking her hand and pulling her back into the living room.
"See you later, Hermione!" George called as they passed the kitchen, in the process of constructing a sandwich.
"Thanks again, George," she replied, genuinely grateful for his help. He waved her off and they went to the door of the living room. Angelina was still on the couch and Hermione felt a small pang of jealousy before deciding that was petty. It wasn't Angelina's fault that she was older and already done with school.
"Bye Angelina," Hermione said as she tied her trainers.
"Have a good year," Angie responded kindly. "Take care of yourself this term. I'm sure I'll see you around the holidays."
It was an offhanded comment, clearly made without much thought, but it warmed something in Hermione's somewhat melancholy disposition. There was a sort of implied permanence and she glanced over to find that Fred looked similarly pleased. Angelina wasn't even paying attention by the time Hermione straightened up and opened the door, descending the stairs.
"Do you care if Lee knows you were here?" Fred asked when they reached the bottom. "He's not going to tell anyone, the only people he talks to are George, Angie, Verity and I."
Hermione shook her head. "No, that's fine with me."
They hadn't discussed the idea of telling people since that last night he was at school. It felt like playing catch with something fragile, but she was falling into the stance of, rather than making a big announcement, just letting people figure it out. This was as good a time as any to test that method.
Fred opened the door that led into the store.
"Hey Lee," Fred said, casually walking past him. It looked like Verity was out on the floor, but they hadn't quite hit the afternoon rush yet.
"Hey Fred," Lee replied, counting out change for the middle-aged witch in front of him.
"Hi Lee," Hermione added nonchalantly, stepping in behind him with a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Hi Hermione," Lee said, glancing up and then back to what he was doing. He handed the woman her change and pushed a bag across the counter before writing something on a pad of paper beside the till. He nodded to himself, customer-service smile still on his face.
Hermione looked at Fred questioningly, wondering if he'd already told Lee about them. Fred shook his head and held up one finger in a "wait for it" motion while the other hand came to rest familiarly on her hip.
Hermione leaned against the wall behind the counter and, sure enough, a second later Lee spun around with a gob-smacked expression.
"Hermione?!"
Fred snorted and Hermione outright laughed.
Lee glanced between them rapidly, looking like a confused cartoon character before rounding on Fred, jabbing a finger and half-shouting, "I KNEW IT!"
"You did not!" Fred shot back, straightening up and looking affronted.
"Well… I knew there was something I didn't know!" Lee retorted obstinately.
Hermione put her hands on Fred's shoulder and shoved him toward the back door that led into the alley, sensing a full-blown debate brewing.
"Nice seeing you, Lee!" she called over her shoulder, still chuckling.