Harry Potter 1. The Deal

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: This is my first ever chaptered fan fic. I hope you enjoy! :D**

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><p>Everything seemed like a typical afternoon in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with the shop bustling with adolescents scurrying to try out several products. However, one thing seemed to be out of place to George Weasley, who was overlooking the store's activities from the front counter. <em>Where was Fred?<em>

Suddenly, he got an answer in the form of a plea from the other side of the shop.

"Just one date!" exclaimed a loud Weasley twin who had his arms stretched out with hands clasped together in a begging motion. His eyes were gleaming with passion and he was attracting the attention of many customers as he followed Hermione around the shop. Whispers were exchanged and curious glances were being pointed towards their direction when Hermione snapped.

"Frederick Weasley, if I have to tell you one more time that I absolutely will not go out with you, I refuse to talk to you for the rest of the week." Hermione stated solemnly as she placed another box of Canary Creams on one of the shelves inside Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"But 'Mione…" Fred pleaded back at her. If Hermione had taken her eyes off of the shelf to look at him, she would have seen him seconds away from going down on his knees and begging.

"Fred, cut it out," the bright witch merely answered before pushing past him, refusing to look at him, and moving towards Fred's twin brother who was witnessing the whole occurrence from behind the front counter. "Are there any other things that need to be organized, George?" She questioned lightly with a sigh, hoping there was nothing else so she had an excuse to go home and sort her thoughts through.

"Actually, there are a few more things upstairs. I'll get 'em." The other half of the Weasley twins said before leaving his position at the front counter and heading towards the back room which lead to the staircase to go upstairs to his and Fred's flat. Halfway up the stairs he let out a deep breath and proceeded to sit on one of the steps. _"My brother is going to need all the time he can get."_ He thought tenderly and decided to wait it out and lie to Hermione when he got back, explaining that he swore they were in his room when they were indeed in Fred's.

X-X-X-X

"Hermione Jean Granger, I would like to make a proposal." Fred finally declared in a serious tone after contemplating long and hard about what his next game plan was going to be to making the gorgeous brunette agree to go out with him.

Hermione gaped at him with a look of curiosity- She had never seen Fred so serious about something, especially when it pertained to her. He seemed to avoid being serious as if it was a fatal illness that could instantly kill him. "You want to ask me to marry you?" Hermione deadpanned before looking at him with feigned shocked wide eyes. She started to flail her arms around while she began to speak, "I didn't even agree to go on a date with you and-"

"No. I mean…I would like to make a deal," he cut her off before staring into her eyes with more determination than she'd ever seen in her life.

"Fred…" was all she could mutter before turning away and looking at a smudge on her shoe that had seemed to take her interest in that moment.

"I have a week to make you fall for me...Without snogging you or shagging you senseless or advancing on you in a physical way." A blush crept along Fred's face at the mention of the several displays of affection and he swiftly continued, "If after this week, you still have absolutely no interest in me, I promise to leave you alone." He said quickly as he shuffled his feet and leaned on a shelf waiting for her response.

As soon as Hermione was able to take in what the tall, ginger-haired boy had said, a girl that had to be around thirteen walked up to the two with a box of Patented Daydream Charms and asked if Fred could assist her. He glanced at Hermione with a look that nearly begged for her to consider before heading to the front counter to ring up the girl's items.

Hermione slumped to the ground and massaged her temples with her soft fingers, trying to clear her thoughts. _"Has Fred gone mad? He's never acted this way before. I'm sure it's all a joke to him anyway. He's surely thinking that he can make me fall for him and as soon as I do, he'll reveal it's all a prank. I will not allow myself to fall for someone who absolutely cannot take a relationship seriously..." _she thought to herself as she saw a figure walk up to her.

She let out a deep breath, but when she looked up, it was George who was standing over her with a couple of boxes of their signature Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs in his arms. She glanced over to the front counter and saw Fred preoccupied with a couple of customers who had questions and a few more who had other products that needed to be checked out. A wave of relief crashed over her upon realizing that she had more time to think her decision through. She figured that as long as George was here, she could ask him for some advice about what should be done about the whole situation.

"George, if this is just one of your antics with Fred, can you just spill it right now?" she asked of the slender ginger boy who put down the boxes next to her and proceeded to sit down right in front of her.

"Hermione, I can tell you in all honesty that if something _was_ going on, I'm not in on any of it." He said looking over to his other half who was putting on a smile for their customers and nervously glancing over to where he and Hermione sat. George looked up and saw her eyes staring at the ground with her eye brows furrowed as she plunged herself deep into thought.

"_George not knowing what Fred has going on in his head…?" _Hermione thought bewilderedly. _"Fred can't actually be interested in me, can he?"_

When she didn't say anything, George continued, "My brother and I like to pull pranks, yes. But we would _never_ intentionally jeopardize a person's feelings, let alone their heart. I trust that if Fred is asking you on a date, he sincerely wants to go out with you, Hermione." He gave her a comforting smile before jumping to his feet and filling his arms with the boxes yet again. "Don't worry about these. I got 'em. I figure you have much bigger things to deal with as of now." He stated before heading off to where he and Fred kept their stocks of the Whiz-bangs.

When the numbers of customers dwindled down to three or four adults who were merely looking around at all of the products in awe, Fred made his escape from the front counter and back to where he left Hermione near the back of the store.

"So, 'Mione…what do you think?" he asked flashing a look of pure hope in her direction.

"One week?" She asked for clarification as a thousand thoughts raced through her mind.

"One week." He replied, nodding and smiling as he could guess where her thoughts were leading her with this.

"…Alright. You have exactly one week, starting tomorrow." She agreed before slowly picking herself off the ground and before she knew it, she felt toned arms wrapping around her delicate frame, embracing her into a bear hug.

"I thought you said…n-no advancing on me…physically?" she choked out between breaths that were being squeezed out of her by the excited Weasley twin.

"You said yourself that this deal started tomorrow." He winked and grinned at her with the most enchanting smile he could put on.

"Don't make me regret my decision already, Fred." She countered back, looking away from the smile that was certainly trying to attract her. When she looked up to see a look of horror cross his features, she smiled before enlightening him. "That was just a joke." Her eyes lit up playfully at the sight of the automatic change of expression on his face.

Before he could comment on her attempt at a joke, she turned to walk away and stopped mid-way to the entrance of the shop to face him and genuinely smile at him.

"See you tomorrow, Fred."

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><p><em>In the next chapter: Hermione's doubts continue to grow.<em>


	2. Day One: Pre Date

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter and subscribed to the story C: Due to the positive reaction, here's chapter two!**

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><p>"<em>You don't actually like Hermione, do you?"<em>

"_Who do you think I am? A git? Of course not. She's nothing to me."_

"_What about the whole scene you caused in the shop?"_

"_Bloody hell, George. Have you forgotten who I am? I'm a prankster. I'll mess with her for a week, and then it's over. I can't believe you couldn't see through me yesterday."_

"_Might I say, brother mine, your acting was top notch."_

"_Thanks. She'll never know what hit her."_

_Hermione listened quietly from the front door of the shop until she realized tears were streaming down her face in rivers mercilessly. She slammed the shop's door and ran. She didn't know where she was running and for how long she needed to run or even why she was running, but all she knew was that she needed to distance herself from the shop and the heartless owners who she once called friends. She couldn't stop thinking about how betrayed she felt, their exchange sounding like that between Draco and his companions, not from the two boys she trusted. After running for at least seven minutes straight, she collapsed near a wall and proceeded to sob. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, Fred Weasley…" _

"I...hate…you…Fred…" Hermione grumbled before realizing that she was just awakening in the safety of her own bed at her flat. Suddenly, the bright witch felt bombarded with emotion. It was a mixture of depression and pain and anguish, yet she was filled with so much relief that everything was merely a figment of her own imagination. She ran her fingers across her face to discover tears still flowing from her eyes. She buried her face into her pillow and sobbed to let every single tear escape from its captivity in her tear ducts. She found the feeling of crying to be comforting. To her, it felt as if an anchor that was being heavily weighted upon her heart was slowly being lifted through the form of the droplets pouring from her eyes.

After she felt that everything had been successfully let out, she gazed at her wall and read "7:50" in bright red on the face of her digital clock that Mr. Weasley had given her for Christmas two years ago due to his fascination with muggle products. It was still a bit early to head out to Fred and George's, seeing as their shop opened at 9 A.M. sharp. However, she refused to fall asleep, truly afraid that another horrible nightmare would await her in her unconscious contemplations.

Hermione slowly got up from her bed to get ready. She figured she could use a long shower anyway to help alleviate her worries for what was to come today.

"Day one…" Hermione muttered as the cold water flowed down her golden brown locks. She applied her vanilla-scented shampoo and conditioner and lavender-smelling body wash as she attempted to drive her thoughts away from a certain ginger-haired boy who had a week to attempt to sweep her off her feet. When there was nothing left to clean, she sat down and allowed the water to cascade her body.

After looking at her clock and seeing it was 8:32, she stepped out of the shower and cast a drying spell on herself. She walked over to her closet and decided to throw on a simple white t-shirt with an intricately designed cardigan over it and her sleek dark blue jeans. She left her slightly bushy, brown hair alone to flow down her shoulders and she looked herself over in the mirror. She did a twirl before wondering quietly to herself why she cared if she looked good for the prankster who had starred in her nightmare last night. She brushed off the thought before grabbing her bag and apparating out of her flat and to Diagon Alley.

Hermione glanced at her pocket watch and saw it was 8:47 when she arrived in front of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She paced in front of the store for a while before seeing movement racing across the store. She ducked down so that whoever was running frantically across the store could not see her. The window on her other side opened and before the person could open the one that she was ducking under, she heard a distressed shout.

"George! Where's my white button-up shirt?" she heard from a distance. George's reply sounded extremely close to Hermione when he answered back, "It's folded on top of my dresser!" Hermione could hear more shuffling around from inside the store and soon she started to hear two pairs of feet scurrying.

"Calm down, brother of mine. You don't want to scare the poor girl on the first day." She heard George joke around as he settled somewhere on the other side of the store.

His other half was still running around when he replied, "Calm down? I have seven bloody days to make her see something in me! Even so, the first day is the most crucial because-"

"Because if you mess up today, it could ruin her every thought of you for the next six days. I know, I know. You kept us both up until 4 A.M. going on about it, remember?" George finished his brother's sentence for him and Hermione thought she heard a tone of annoyance behind his slight taunts.

"I'm sorry, Georgie. I truly am. You know, you can always cast a silencing charm around your bed and pretend to listen and then slowly fall asleep." Fred suggested as he too chose to situate himself on one side of the shop.

"Then what kind of a brother would I be? A darn right crummy one and you know it." George took the time to walk towards his twin, who was currently struggling with the buttons of his shirt, and pat him on his back encouragingly in an attempt to comfort his brother before he continued. "Anyway, you have nothing to worry about, Gred. When has the Weasley charm ever failed us before?" George light-heartedly questioned.

Hermione heard a loud sigh followed up with low laugh and an, "I suppose you're right, Forge."

There was an odd silence before one twin spoke up. "Well, it's two minutes to nine, brother of mine. Are you ready to woo Hermione into falling for you?" he practically sang.

Hermione could have sworn she heard a "Not really…" before crawling away to stand up and brush dirt from her cardigan and jeans. It wasn't until she reached up to brush dirt off of her cheek that she realized that she had a smile plastered to her countenance. She let out a deep breath and walked to the entrance of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with newfound confidence.

X-X-X-X

"Good morning, Hermione," George greeted the brunette nonchalantly when she walked into the store. Hermione smiled sweetly at him and nodded with a, "Morning, George." She looked around until she caught Fred fidgeting with his hair in the reflective surface of one of their product's covers.

He immediately turned around and attempted to redeem himself with a wink as he charmingly greeted her. "Good morning, doll." He was wearing a collared white button-up shirt that had its sleeves rolled up to his elbows and blue jeans that complemented his eyes quite nicely. Her smile shone brighter when she acknowledged him with a "Good morning, Fred."

She couldn't help but notice, however, that he wasn't in his usual formal suit attire with George, who was dressed up formally like he usually did on days that the shop was open. Fred saw her glancing between the two and he explained, "I was thinking that I could take you out today instead of staying in the shop like we usually do." Hermione looked questioningly into his eyes and asked with a hint of worry, "And where would you be taking me?" Fred chuckled and sent her a gaze with a glint of excitement in his eyes, "It's a surprise, 'Mione. You'll just have to wait and see."

Hermione stared into the depths of his blue eyes and her breath caught in her throat when he smiled and apparated to her side. She jumped slightly at the shock and he laughed in response and held out the palm of his hand as he added, "Trust me." Hermione's mind raced with thoughts, but in the midst of deliberating with herself, she spoke out spontaneously. "I trust you," she declared as she placed her hand in his and the two apparated out of the store together.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: We get to see what the Weasley twin has up his sleeve.<em>


	3. Day One: Date

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: ****Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, subscribed, and favorited my story C:**

**There seem to be quite a few questions from **_**Moonlight Calls**_** that I feel I should address now as some of you might have the same questions.**

"_1) What happened to her & ron? 2) Was that the 1st time he asked her? 3) And the one from my friend how many yrs after Hogwarts is this & why she helping them?"_

_1) Ron and Hermione were a couple, but broke up a little over a year and half ago on mutual terms. However, Ron still has feelings for her, despite her being over him. _

_2) I intended for it to be that it wasn't the first time he asked her. Perhaps that this was the week in which things started to change, but definitely not the first time he asked, which explains why she snaps on him in the first chapter, saying _"Frederick Weasley, if I have to tell you one more time that I absolutely will not go out with you, I refuse to talk to you for the rest of the week._" __ As if he casually asked her out plenty of times, but she always said no. It was the first time he asked and was so persistent though as he usually gives up the first time she rejects him. _

_3) Two years after Hermione's 7th year at Hogwarts, making Fred 23 and Hermione 22. Meaning that Ron and Hermione got together right after the war and broke up after about 6 months into their relationship due to some reasons that may or may not be explained in the later chapters. After she and Ron broke up, George and Fred had cheered her up and she developed a friendship with the twins. She's still determined to work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but until then, she drops by the shop to help out her friends with their booming business as a way to sort of pay them back for helping her when she was in an emotional state after the break up. Of course they always said she didn't owe them anything, but Hermione is persistent and was determined to pay them back somehow._

****They are subject to change to help fit the story later on, but for now, these are what I can answer to you. **I hadn't quite thought of answers for these questions until now, so I apologize for any confusion that may have occurred when reading! **

**I hope you enjoy Chapter Three!**

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><p>"You can open your eyes now, Hermione," Fred whispered in her ear as he moved his hand away from hers and stepped back. She could hear a playful smile in his voice when she opened her eyes. The sight before her took her breath away as she looked up at the boy who was pretending that he didn't know what was going on by looking up to the sky. "Come, come," he said, leading the way to the entrance of the grand carnival before them. There were long rows of booths of games, food, prizes, tickets, and muggle souvenirs. Of course, in the middle of all the fun, an awe-inspiring ferris wheel was mounted.<p>

"Fred, how did you know I loved carnivals?" she asked, eyes lighting up as she was practically jumping with excitement that Fred had never seen in her before.

His smile only grew at the sight of her filled with so much enthusiasm as he replied, "Ickle Ronniekins may have dropped a hint a couple of weeks ago. I found out there was a carnival being held in Muggle London so I thought there was no better timing."

Her gaze kept switching from the ground, to Fred, to the carnival booths, and back to the ground until she finally locked gazes with the ginger man who was currently patting himself on the back in his mind. He could have sworn on the great Merlin's beard that it looked as if her eyes were brimming with tears when she stated, "Thank you," and hugged the now confused Weasley twin. He heard her sniffle and then confess, "I haven't gone to a carnival since both of my parents took me ages ago when I was still a little girl." She felt his arms tighten around her and then release her as he grabbed hold of her arm and lead her through the rows of booths.

X-X-X-X

Ten hours, eleven hot dogs, four stuffed animals (three of which Hermione won), and countless laughs later, the two found themselves sprawled out on a bench from lack of energy.

Hermione was squeezing the large otter stuffed animal that Fred had 'won' for her. "It's not winning if you buy it off of the booth, Fred," the bright witch had tried to explain for the fifth time to the delightful boy who was currently eating his tenth hot dog. After swallowing his mouthful, he simply challenged, "It's not winning if you use magic to help you win the games either, love." He saw her mouth gape open as she whispered, "How did you know?" He winked back at her as he answered, "I didn't. It was a joke, but now that you admitted to doing it, I don't feel so bad about myself after all," with a smug smile as he raised his hot dog to take another bite out of it.

He heard her mutter, "We'll see about that," and the next thing he knew, ketchup and mustard were riding up his nostrils and his hot dog was being shoved forcefully into his face. He heard her entrancing laugh for at least the thousandth time that day, and it still never got old to him. He would have been a bit frustrated if it wasn't for her laugh that was contagiously sneaking up on him.

He opened his eyes from laughing as he raised his hand to his face and mustered up the ketchup and mustard mess and proceeded to smear it across Hermione's face. To say that she was shocked would be an understatement, but before she could retaliate, something spectacular caught her eye. In the distance, she witnessed the ferris wheel light up with magnificent, vivid colors, which caused bystanders to "Ooh" and "Aah" at the stunning sight.

She looked up at him, eyes full of passion as she gathered the stuffed animals in her arms and stood up frantically. Before she could even ask, Fred got up at her side and leaned down to breathe out in a whisper, "Race you there," and he dashed towards his goal.

Hermione sprinted towards the boy, arms holding all four stuffed animals and to her disbelief, she actually beat him there. "I shouldn't have eaten ten hot dogs," he groaned as he clutched his side after meeting her a few moments later. She burst into laughter and held her hand up to his stomach as she asked between giggles, "Are- You- Okay?" He placed his soft hand on top of hers and smiled down at her before replying, "I am now."

Hermione blushed scarlet and dropped her hand as she nervously swayed and started, "Good. We wouldn't want you to throw up on the ferris wheel now. A-ah! Look, we're up next." Hermione began to lead the way to a red car with Fred following suit. Hermione decided to sit on the right side, and Fred chose to sit in front of her.

When the wheel began to spin, they marveled at the sight below them. As soon as they were about to reach the top, however, the ferris wheel stopped. Before Fred could question, Hermione pointed to the sky, and they witnessed fireworks exploding. "It's not nearly comparable to the Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs," the boy pointed out. Hermione nodded, but answered, "They're still beautiful," as a blue and green spark flew through the sky simultaneously. "This is a gorgeous view," Fred whispered, not taking his eyes off of the brunette who was currently captivated with the view of the fireworks.

Wanting to keep this memory forever, he reached into his pocket and took out his camera and tapped Hermione on the shoulder. "Smile, 'Mione," he stated before capturing the moment, both of them grinning underneath the fireworks show.

X-X-X-X

Hermione's head was spinning when they both apparated in front of her flat and a voice inside of her told her it wasn't from the apparation itself. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and looked up to see Fred- his eyes shining and his smile beaming with happiness. "I had jolly good time today, Fred. Thank you so much," she told him, looking away from his eyes that were currently on her.

He put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at his face. "It was my pleasure," he stated with a genuine smile as he allowed his gaze to bore into hers. "_She looks absolutely beautiful…" _he thought as he let his eyes observe the way her hair was falling down her shoulders, like a wondrous waterfall of brown waves and the way her eyes were lighting up under the soft porch light and how her smile was just simply radiant.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat when she saw his face slowly getting closer and she closed her eyes.

"_The deal. I can't kiss her-"_

Hermione acknowledged the warmth of his breath on her cheek when she felt his fingers brush against a stray hair and tucked it behind her ear. She was aware of the trail of heat that was left behind from his touch when she heard a light whisper that wouldn't have been audible had he not been so close to her.

"You look beautiful tonight, Hermione."

When she opened her eyes, the boy had already apparated, leaving her alone in front of her flat with thoughts quickly filling her mind and her heart racing. She opened her door and walked to her room where she fell on top of her bed, allowing her mind to captivate her. The last image she saw on the back of her eyelids was Fred laughing freely before she let sleep fall upon her.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: Fred and Hermione's second date and the two learn about each other's fears and weaknesses.<em>


	4. Day Two

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading and keeping up with the story :D Since I reached 10 reviews, here's the new chapter C: Enjoy~**

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><p>Hermione awoke to several quiet knocks on her door, but with every unanswered knock, the noise rose until it sounded like the person was beating the door down with their bare fists. Hermione groaned and squinted to see "4:16 A.M." appear on her digital clock. <em>"Who could that be this early in the morning?"<em> she wondered before rolling out of bed and heading for the door. When she opened it, Fred was standing in a pair of black sweats and a casual maroon t-shirt with a mischievous smile spread across his face.

"Good morning, Hermy," was all Fred said.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but all that groggily escaped her mouth was, "Don't call me that."

Fred responded by chortling at her morning voice and Hermione contemplated shutting the door on him and retreating back to bed, but the slender, blue-eyed boy smiled at her and stated, "I had to leave the shop early if I wanted to spend the day with you."

Had she not just been awoken from her slumber, her stomach may have flipped from happiness, but she merely rubbed her eyes and inquired, "Why four in the morning?"

Fred lightly chuckled and continued to further inform her, "You see, George isn't too keen on the idea of me skipping out on work. I believe he failed to realize that when I told him about our deal and so…" He paused to feign distress before he continued, "I had to escape while I still had a chance." He looked up and saw Hermione smiling at his dramatic end to his explanation. He grinned back at her and excitedly finished with, "I'll apologize to George later, but for now, go get ready. The dawn is just breaking and we have the whole day ahead of us!"

Hermione stared at him blankly and reached out and placed her hand on his chest. She felt his breathing cease and his body freeze under her touch and he looked at her with an expression mixed with shock and wonder when she quickly pulled back and said, "I was just making sure you were really here is all…" She looked up to see his head tilt slightly to the side in confusion when she quickly voiced, "Come in, and feel free to relax on the couch. Do you want a drink?"

"A cup of tea would be nice," he responded while walking passed her to lean against her kitchen counter.

Hermione put water in a kettle and with a flick of her wand it placed itself on top of a stove to boil. She turned around to face Fred who was watching her with a crooked smile on his face. "What do you have planned for today, Fred?" she questioned to break the silence.

He wiggled his eyebrows at the brunette and said, "That's for me to know and for you to find out, Hermy."

He watched her eyebrow twitch in irritation at the nickname and she replied with, "Call me that one more time, Fred Weasley, and I will-"

Hermione stopped when the Weasley twin walked nimbly over to where she stood and gazed deep into her eyes. "You look stunning in the morning, 'Mione," Fred intervened slyly. He loved the way she looked in her over-sized shirt that fell right below her knees. He guessed inwardly that it was her father's since he remembered her telling him the day before that both her parents were muggle dentists and the shirt she was currently sporting had a giant image of a wide-teeth smile with "CHEESE" written in bold black letters, though he quietly questioned how the dairy product had any relations at all with the smile.

A blush fell on her features and she murmured a, "Thank you," before pouring the boiled water into a cup and adding a tea bag to it before handing it over to the, now beaming, Weasley boy.

X-X-X-X

When Hermione was out of the shower and fully clothed in her muggle attire- a knit sweater and jeans, she looked at her refreshed, now wide-awake reflection in the mirror. She closed her eyes and muttered, "Day two…" under her breath before leaving the bathroom and walking towards her company in her living room.

She looked around and had to do a double-take around her flat before realizing that her assumptions were correct. Fred was nowhere to be found.

"Fred?" she called out into the empty apartment flat and she wondered if he had really just been a dream after all. She walked back to her bed, sat down, and rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. "_He seemed so real," _she sighed inwardly. A few moments later, however, her thoughts were interrupted by a few light knocks on her window. She jumped, startled at the sudden noise, and walked over to see Fred hovering on a broomstick.

She opened the window swiftly and chastised him in a hushed tone. "Have you gone mad, Fred? What if someone sees you? What if someone sees us?"

Fred merely grinned in response. "That's not likely, Hermione. Who in their right mind would be up at-" He stopped to shoot a glimpse at a wall clock behind her to read the time and continued, "4:54? Anyone who claims to have spotted two people on a flying broomstick will either be dismissed as suffering from hallucinations or sleep deprivation. Now, come along, 'Mione."

Hermione responded by taking several steps back and shuffling her feet. Fred looked her over before taking a shot in the dark, "Are you afraid of flying, Hermione- brightest witch of your age?" His tone sounded on the borderline of amused and surprised.

"N-no! I'm merely afraid of-" she took a second to gulp as she processed her fears and closed her eyes when she finished her sentence with, "f-falling."

She opened her eyes and saw Fred's smirk dancing on his lips when he replied, "Don't worry. I won't let you fall." He winked at her and waggled his eyebrows as he added, "Unless you're falling for me, of course, love."

Hermione rushed over to the window and smacked the tall, ginger boy who was on his broomstick and placed her delicate hands on her hips as she closed her eyes and declared, "We'll see who's falling for who, Fr-" but immediately opened her eyes at the sound of a shout that seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Hermione was scared out of her wits as she glanced frantically below; searching for the Weasley boy who she was sure was plummeting to the ground. Her train of thought was broken at the sound of laughter coming suddenly from above her.

Fred was still cracking up when he looked at Hermione's countenance to see not the slightest bit of amusement present. "Lighten up, Granger," he joked and reached his hand out for her.

Her eyes were still narrowed as she shook her head at the boy who had an apologetic expression on his face when he spoke up again, "I promise, Hermione Jean Granger, that I will not let anything happen to you on this broom ride." He flashed her a sincere smile before waiting for her to deliberate.

A few moments later, Hermione was sitting on her window sill, transferring her body in front of Fred on his broom stick. As soon as she was securely positioned in front of Fred, he reached out in front of her to navigate.

"F-f-fred?" Hermione stuttered upon looking at how high up they were. Her hands gripped the broom stick awkwardly as she had not been flying in years.

"Yes?" he replied with a concerned look on his face.

"I know we agreed for you to not advance on me physically, but I think we can both concur that right now is a lovely time to make one measly exception. Won't you agree?" she let out each word between deep, nervous breaths.

Fred reacted by chuckling and wrapping his left arm around the terrified girl in front of him, leaving his right arm in front of her to steer. He instructed her to grasp the broom firmly and to not look down for now, which she did obediently. His grip around her tightened when he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Just remember- I won't let anything happen to you. I promised, didn't I?" She barely had enough time to nod before the broom jolted forward.

Hermione screamed upon first feeling the broom's sudden movement, but Fred had succeeded in calming her with the sound of his mesmerizing laugh and enticing voice and the feeling of his arm around her, as if protecting her from all dangers.

X-X-X-X

When Hermione felt the wind stop blowing mercilessly against her, she opened her eyes to find herself behind a few rows of trees. Fred had helped her off of the broom and then proceeded to hide it behind a couple of brush before smiling at her with a devilish, mischievous expression.

"Now that wasn't too bad, was it?" He asked, trying to hide his laugh at the disheveled look on Hermione's face.

Hermione nodded in response and Fred clasped her jacket and began walking out of the trees to reveal a lake that had a trail which lead to a small town. Due to it being early morning, the space was unoccupied as Fred led her around until they reached a spot where several blankets which she identified as those identical to the ones she used when she slept over at the Burrow were strewn across the grass. On top of one of the blankets was a single basket and a mug of orange juice.

"Ginny helped a bit with the cooking and setting up," Fred explained, answering all the questions Hermione had not yet voiced.

Hermione grinned at him appreciatively and proceeded to sit down on several blankets and lay one on top of her to keep her warm against the early morning breeze. Fred sat across from her and offered her some of the contents of the basket, which included a few biscuits, a hearty helping of honey-roasted ham, sunny-side-up eggs, and pancakes.

"Look, 'Mione," Fred pointed towards the sky and Hermione saw that the sun was just peaking over the horizon. She admired the way the rising sun made the water shimmer and she glanced up at Fred whose eyes flickered from her to the sun in a heartbeat. She felt her face heat up and knew it wasn't from the morning light.

The sky's color began to soften with hues of pink, purple, and orange spreading around the sun, the hint of the sun's first lights illuminating the sky, causing the clouds to light up magnificently. Hermione's eyes had been stuck on the breathtaking sight when she sighed. "I always preferred sunrises over sunsets. It's just such a glorious sight to watch- so full of beauty."

Hermione glanced over to Fred who had shifted slightly and who now had his eyes softening at the sight of her, a small smile placed on his face. "I can name something else that I see right now that's beautiful." Hermione blushed scarlet as she looked away to watch the sun rise once again. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fred's face redden before, he too, turned away to face the rising sun.

Fred could have sworn he heard a, "Thank you," muttered under the bright witch's breath, but he wasn't too sure if he had just imagined it or not. He deliberated in his head whether or not to say, "You're welcome," but decided against it as he continued to admire the brunette from the corner of his eye. He loved the way the morning rays made her face glow and her hair shine as her wavy locks fell down her shoulders. Suddenly, Hermione glimpsed at Fred and their eyes locked with the other's. He couldn't help adoring how her brown orbs were gleaming against the light and the way the faint pink blush spread across her countenance made her features soften. She smiled earnestly at him and he realized he already had a grin placed on his face when he looked away.

X-X-X-X

After the two had eaten to their heart's content and watched the sun go up, they proceeded to lie down on the blankets next to each other and simply stare out at the vast, endless blue sky. Fluffy, white clouds were spread out generously, creating shapes that were currently leaving Fred and Hermione to point out the different images they saw.

Hermione had given up after Fred had answered, "Arnold the Pygmy puff" for the fourth time, pointing at several different clouds, while she on the other hand, had a long and musing thought process on whether a certain cloud could have taken the form of a fire-breathing dragon or a lost puppy huddled into a blanket.

Hermione slightly shook her head and thought inwardly to herself, _"Fred sure is immature_..."

All of a sudden, she saw the boy's hand shoot towards the sky and point at a cloud that took his interest and he voiced thoughtfully, "That cloud looks like two otters holding hands as they sleep." He turned his head to smile at her and inform her, "You know, my dad went to a muggle zoo once and there he learned that otters like to hold the other's paw while they sleep to not drift away in the water."

A small smile crept along her face and she answered back with, "I read about that in an encyclopedia once before. It's kind of funny…My patronus takes the form of an otter, you know?"

Fred lifted himself up with his elbows to look over to her and grin before replying with, "I remember," to which Hermione responded by raising an eyebrow and tilting her head in a confused manner. Fred light-heartedly chucked and explained, "Back at Hogwarts, during the D.A. meeting when Harry was instructing us how to use our patronuses against the dementors, I saw you as you sent out your patronus." He stopped to smile at the recalled memory, and finished with, "I could never forget how happy you looked- the way you smiled as your patronus circled around you. You're very stunning when you smile, 'Mione." Fred lay back down and continued watching the clouds with the speechless girl beside him.

The silence that followed was not one that was tense, but rather the opposite. Hermione was deeply appreciating the moment she was sharing with Fred. Hermione was aware of the fact that she and Fred didn't have to run their mouths in order for them to have a jolly good time and, although she adored the moments when both parties were talking about everything and anything, she couldn't help but feel a wave of content crash over her as the two were quietly spread out on the blankets.

They were enjoying the comforting silence when Fred broke it by speaking up, "So, flying and falling?"

Hermione turned her head to look at the boy whose head was facing her. "What about flying and falling?" she asked, a bit bewildered as to why the boy had mentioned it so suddenly.

"That's what you're afraid of?" he answered back.

She turned away to look back up at the sky and responded, "Y-yes."

When he didn't say anything else, Hermione decided to speak up. "What are you afraid of?" she voiced.

Fred's eyebrows furrowed as he thought carefully. He began, "Losing George." He shifted uncomfortably and continued, "Up until I was a first year at Hogwarts, I was terrified of the dark." He smiled lightly as if recalling a funny memory, but then his smile quickly vanished when he finished, "Lastly…" he paused to look down at the girl who was currently still gazing up at the sky. "I'm afraid to die." Hermione looked up at Fred upon hearing this and saw his eyes were closed when he added, "There's just so much things I can do with my life. Places to see, people to meet, things to get done, I want to do it all. I'm afraid that all of that can just disappear in a flash."

Fred did not expect to feel a delicate hand on top of his hand. Hermione softly caressed his well-defined hand and allowed her thumb to rub circles onto the back of Fred's hand where veins were visible through his fair skin. She gave his hand a slight squeeze and when he opened his eyes to look at her, she sent him a reassuring smile, which he responded in holding her hand even tighter.

They spent the rest of the day, fingers laced with the other's, talking about their many fears, dreams, and ambitions, holding on to each other as if they were each other's anchor- creating a strong foundation for the other, keeping the other stable, and not allowing them to be whisked away by their heart's heavy burdens.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: Hermione contemplates about her true feelings towards Fred.<em>


	5. Day Three: Morning

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading and keeping up with the story :D I know I just posted a new chapter, but since I reached 10 favorites, here's the next chapter! Since I posted two consecutive chapters, the wait for the next chapter may have to be a little longer. I hope everyone understands! Enjoy chapter five! C:**

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><p><em>Hermione opened her eyes and found herself in the backyard of the Burrow. It was mid-afternoon and Harry, Ron, Ginny, George, and Fred were playing a small game of quidditch enthusiastically as she watched from below. The way the sun was shimmering down upon Hermione made her face gently heat up underneath the light. She closed her eyes to savor the delight she was receiving from the sun's warmth. Her thoughts were suddenly broken by a familiar voice.<em>

"_You love him, don't you, Hermione?" _

_Hermione looked around and came face to face with someone that surprised her. Standing tall with glee was _herself_. Her copy was wearing exactly the same outfit that she was sporting, but the expression she wore was one full of mirth, as opposed to the look of shock that she was sure was spread throughout the features of her own countenance. She almost screamed, but merely let out a tiny squeak and gazed up at the game to see no one had noticed the duplicate of her. _

_She scanned the area to make sure that no one was within hearing vicinity when she responded, "Love who?" although she was almost completely certain just who the other her was talking about._

"_Why, Fred, of course," she answered, admiring the Weasley twin who was currently giving George a high-five. Her carbon copy smiled at her and explained, "What's there not to love? He's funny, romantic, outgoing, kind, charming, and good-looking." _

_After thinking quietly to herself about what her splitting image was telling her she replied in an uncertain tone of voice, "Well, although those are all true, I never really stopped to think about whether I loved him." _

_Her replica shot her an unbelievable expression and exclaimed, "That's absurd! Who do you think you're fooling? I am you, after all!" Hermione needed to flash a glance towards the game above to ensure that no one regarded her double's outburst. Before she could silence the other Hermione, the duplicate continued, "I know the way you look at him. They're my eyes too. And the way your heart went bonkers when he was holding your hand, with his amazingly sculpted hands that fit yours perfectly, I felt it-" She put her small hand to her chest for emphasis, and finished with, "You love him, Hermione. I know because I love him too." _

_The original Hermione was taken aback by everything that her parallel had just spilled out to her and she took a moment to marvel at the boy with marvelous hands who had just fiercely hit a bludger and was laughing at something George had called out to him. He caught the sight of the girl below and waved at her animatedly. Hermione looked around her to see that her double had disappeared and she gazed back up to the boy to wave in reply, but due to his distracted self, a bludger had bashed directly into his body, causing him to fly out of control. He quickly recovered and announced something to everyone who had been playing before flying down to where Hermione stood. _

"_Don't scare me like that again, Fred," she uttered when the Weasley twin had approached her with his brilliant hand gliding gracefully across his face as he wiped dirt off of his cheek. _

_He answered by sending her a wink and asking, "Why were you so afraid? I didn't know that when you told me you were afraid of falling that you meant other people falling, as well." He smiled smugly and Hermione felt her heart skip a beat._

_She heard a consistent voice in her head that kept faintly chanting the same three words repeatedly._

"_You love him."_

Hermione turned over in her bed and squinted out to see that sunlight was peering through her window blinds. She had taken a shower and dressed up a few hours before, but was currently still being bombarded with thoughts left over from last night's dream as she lay down, staring up at her ceiling. After much deep thinking, she decided to read the new novel she received from Ginny the other day.

Just as she was about to start reading, she heard something scratching at her window and she walked over to see an owl with a parchment in its grasp. She briskly opened the window and the owl flew in and landed on her cupboard. She obtained the piece of parchment from the owl and it responded by flying back out of Hermione's flat and going off on its way. She closed the window and laid the parchment down on the table to read it carefully.

X-X-X-X

_Hermione,_

_It's Fred. I'm terribly sorry to postpone today's plans, but let's just say that George went completely mad when I came home yesterday. It turns out it had been a very busy day at the shop and George won't stop calling me a prat for leaving him alone to deal with all of our customers and so I promised I'd stay at the shop for today to make up for yesterday. You're welcome to drop by if you want. George isn't mad at you; he knows you didn't have anything to do with me skipping out on work. However, if you'd rather not go to the shop, that's alright as well and, in that case, I will see you tomorrow. Again, I'm sorry, 'Mione. I can't wait to see you again._

_Sincerely,_

_Fred_

X-X-X-X

Hermione shot a glimpse at the clock on her wall to see that it was nearing 11 A.M. After spending two full days in a row with Fred and realizing that she may not see the tall, ginger boy at all today, Hermione felt a weird feeling gnawing inside of her. It was a mix of a bitterness and sadness, but she attempted to brush the feeling off as she placed the letter along with where she kept all of the other letters people had written her. She took one more disappointed glance at the letter before she tucked it away and walked nimbly back to her room. She stared at her floor boards for a while before collapsing on her bed, face-front.

"_Should I go to the shop?" _she thought tenderly, changing her position every so often to glance up at the clock and watch time slowly pass by. "If I do go to the shop, what will I say to Fred?" she spoke her thoughts aloud.

"_That you love him," _a voice inside of her said.

For a moment, it felt as if her heart ceased to beat, and she thought quietly to herself before a feeling of spontaneity suddenly rushed over her. She recalled the moment after their first date when his fingers left trails of heat along her face after he was cautiously, ever so slowly closing the distance between their faces. Her heartbeat raced immediately as she reminisced how she felt when she opened her eyes to find the Weasley twin gone, already have apparated away, and suddenly she realized that she wanted nothing more than to feel his lips against hers.

She shook her head in an attempt to drive these thoughts away. "_The deal," _she began, but a voice inside of her cut in. "_To hell with the deal. It shouldn't matter as long as you feel the same way about him, right?"_

Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about both sides of her contemplations and, almost instantaneously, she imagined Fred's lips pressed softly against her own, both their lips moving passionately with the other's.

Hermione sat up then, determination blazing through her heart as she threw floo powder into her fireplace, watched the embers flare into a green haze and, and screamed out "Diagon Alley!" and jumped swiftly into the fireplace's green flames.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: Hermione is determined to show Fred her new revelation about her feelings for him.<em>


	6. Day Three: Afternoon

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading and keeping up with the story. I'm so glad that you all are actually enjoying it :D Due to the alert list hitting over 30 people, here's the next chapter.**

**ScienceWolf, thank you for your review ;D I just want to say it it wasn't for my four brilliant beta-readers: Kelsey, Kumi, Katie, and Charmaine, (who are four of my closest fremione shipping friends who I absolutely adore,) I would have probably had many careless mistakes/typos throughout my chapters. I owe it to them for being such lovely critics and awesome friends for agreeing to help out with my story.**

**That being said, enjoy chapter six! C:**

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><p>Hermione rushed into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and the first person she saw in the room was the ginger haired twin she was just thinking about, his back turned as he reached for something high on one of the shelves. Hermione glimpsed to see he was reaching for a pair of Extendable Ears that had somehow been placed on the wrong shelf. He didn't turn his head at the sound of someone entering as there were many others who were slowly filing in and out of the shop. <em>"There's no backing out now…"<em> Hermione thought as she hastily made her way to the Weasley twin.

The nervous brunette took a deep breath before she closed her eyes, turned the boy around, and pushed up on her toes to press her lips firmly against his. His mouth was moving against her and she took that as a sign to wrap her arms around his neck and create a fist in his hair and add more passion into the kiss. She felt his hands move from her waist to her chest steadily when she heard a commotion coming from the back of the store.

She opened her eyes and saw that a box of products had been dropped, causing many of the twins' developments to scatter across the floor. She heard a low, angry voice roar out, "_What the hell is wrong with you?" _and she witnessed a flash of ginger hair immediately retreat towards the back room.

"What's wrong with Ge-?" she began, but stopped when she looked up to see Fred's twin brother, George, sending a horrified expression in the direction of his twin and then shooting her a look of mixed confusion and fear. George didn't have time to say anything to the girl he had just kissed as Hermione had ran after Fred in a heartbeat, realizing the terrible mistake she had made.

"_When Fred had walked in, I had my hands on Hermione's chest as I was about to push her away, but he would never take my word for it," _he thought numbly. He felt a blanket of guilt envelop him- Fred surely thought his best friend, partner in crime, and twin had betrayed him. He threw his head into his hands as he was completely aware of the fact that his twin had only four more days to attempt to change Hermione's mind and he couldn't help feeling as though he had ruined all of Fred's chances from just one – he felt as though he was practically hexing Fred behind his back when he unconsciously thought, "_good_" – kiss.

X-X-X-X

Hermione raced up the stairs behind the back room and found that the door leading to Fred and George's flat was shut and locked. She brought out her wand and muttered, "Alohomora," under her breath, but the spell was ineffective and she guessed that Fred had placed more complex locking spells on the door. She knocked frantically on the door, and heard a furious yell bellow, "_Sod off, you bloody git_!" She backed away from the door slowly and realized that Fred thought that it was George outside of their door trying to explain his actions. She heard growl, then something crashing to the ground from behind the door, followed by quick pacing footsteps, as she slowly approached the door and placed her hand on the door frame to speak out in a soft voice, "It's Hermione."

She heard the footsteps cease and a sigh before the boy replied with, "I think it's best if you just go, 'Mione," in a shaky voice that unsuccessfully attempted to mask the disappointment and anguish that was clearly apparent in his tone. Her heart dropped and she took one more despairing glance towards the door before heading down the stairs with a heavy heart.

X-X-X-X

Hermione's feet became planted in the ground when she came face-to-face with George who had been in deep thought in front of the door leading to the back room. She felt a surge of emotion course through herself and before she could hold her tongue, the outraged witch cried out, "George, why didn't you stop me? You kissed me back and hardly put on a good fight!"

The Weasley twin stared at her in disbelief when he countered, "Me? You think it's my fault? You're the one who turned me around and snogged me for Merlin's sake!"

Hermione's features were hardening under her blatant anger when she answered solemnly, "I. Thought. You. Were. Fred." With every word, the volume of her voice rose and the intensity of her tone became harsher, so that she practically hissed out Fred's name. She let out an exasperated huff and turned to apparate out of the shop in a hurry.

George realized the shop had fallen with silence and saw that bystanders were now uncomfortably looking away to continue on with their shopping. He slowly dropped down to his knees and began to pick up the mess that was strewn across the floor from when Fred dropped the box that held several variations of their products.

X-X-X-X

Upon hearing Hermione walking down the stairs, Fred started to feel resentment towards himself for pushing the witch away and immediately sought out to talk to her. He didn't know what he would tell Hermione when he faced her, but knew that if he didn't speak to her now, his pride would get in the way later, and he couldn't afford to waste time when he only had less than four days to change her mind about him.

The distressed boy stopped in his tracks when he recalled how he felt when he witnessed his own twin brother kissing the girl he'd grown to adore and he sat down on the stairs. Fred had his head buried in his hands as he formed fists, his nails pressing mercilessly into his palms, and seized a handful of hair in his hands and gritted his teeth, jealousy taking control of his entire being. He broke out of his anger when he heard Hermione's uproar from a distance. He stood up quickly to advance towards the source of the outburst and stopped to hide in the back room to overhear what Hermione and George were bickering about.

"Me? You think it's my fault? You're the one who turned me around and snogged me for Merlin's sake!"

Fred felt as if someone had snatched his heart away from his chest and proceeded to trample over it before grinding on it with the soles of their shoes. His stomach felt distorted as it twisted and churned with negative emotions, his hands clutched desperately at his front side in an attempt to stop the discomforting aching he felt residing in the pits of his stomach and deep abyss of his heart.

"I. Thought. You. Were. Fred."

Suddenly, his emotions shifted and he was filled with a heavy wave of relief. His heart ache began to subside as it responded to what he had just heard from the girl who sounded beyond aggravated. His stomach doubled over and the realization hit him slowly, "_Hermione wanted to kiss me- not George_." He allowed the palm of his hand to meet his forehead as he groaned inwardly, "_How could I have been so stupid? Of course it was a mistake…" _

He got up and bolted for the doorway, but when he reached the frame, the girl's back was turned towards him and she had apparated out of the shop before he had the chance to stop her. He sighed and cursed himself for being a fool when he allowed his gaze to drop to the floor where it met George's who was cleaning up the mess littered around. Jealousy returned to him, but he tried to bury it as he went down on all fours to help pick up the merchandise alongside his twin.

"Fred," George began, but was halted by his twin who raised a hand and picked up the last of the goods that had been scattered.

"Leave it, George. It was a mistake. There's nothing either of us can do to change it, so it'd best if we just forgot it ever happened. Agreed?" The sentence came out rushed and as if Fred did not think about what he was saying before the words spilled out. George sent him a concerned expression, but nodded.

The rest of the day passed by slowly, tension apparent in the air between the twin brothers, but either of them were too afraid to voice what they were truly feeling. Fred was aware of how tense things were between him and George and attempted to lightheartedly joke around with his twin later that afternoon.

"I still can't fathom how Hermione could possibly mix us both up when I'm clearly the better looking twin."

Fred shot George a challenging smile, and George took up the offer, but wasn't thinking clearly when he countered back, "But I am the better kisser."

He quickly wished that he could take back the words that had just escaped his mouth when he saw Fred's fists clench, revealing his white knuckles. He stayed silent as he watched the balled up fists slowly loosen and felt relieved when Fred chuckled and looked up with impenetrable passion written all over his countenance as he declared, "When 'Mione and I finally kiss- the very moment her lips graze across mine, dear brother, I promise you that she will be left with no recollection of that pathetic excuse of a 'snog' this afternoon."

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><p><em>In the next chapter: Things are obviously tense between Fred and George, but what about Fred and Hermione? What happens later that night, hours after Hermione had left the shop? <em>


	7. Day Three: Night

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: A great, big "THANK YOU" to everyone who's reading this story and have enjoyed it so far. I'm so glad that you all are having fun reading it just as I'm having fun writing it! And to all the people who know me in real life and are keeping up with the story, I love you so much :D**

**That being said, enjoy chapter seven! C:**

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><p>Fred was well-aware of the fact that he was not going to get a wink of sleep that night with the heavy burden of the day's events weighing down on him, so he decided to take a walk while George was in a complete state of slumber in his room. He walked across the dark room of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes as he thought to himself, "<em>I wonder what Hermione is doing right now<em>…" before briskly leaving the shop. He watched the stars flickering in the sky when he knew he had to see the girl he pushed away earlier that morning.

He apparated just outside of her flat when he heard a muffled sound coming from the other side of the entrance. He pressed his ear lightly against the door and he could have sworn on the great Merlin's favorite pair of pants that he heard sobbing coming from the other side of the door, followed by a male voice which said, "Hermione, for the seventh time, it's not your fault you kissed him." Fred had tensed upon hearing a boy's voice, but was able to figure out it was Harry and immediately calmed down. He heard Harry add, "It's not like they're twins or anything…" sarcastically and he heard Hermione sniffle before letting out a little laugh.

Fred was determining whether to just go back to his and George's flat or stay when, all of a sudden, the door to Hermione's flat opened unexpectedly and Fred was facing his younger brother, Ron, who had a shocked expression which slowly twisted until he did not have any emotion except for anger left upon his face.

Fred looked behind Ron to see Hermione with her knees pulled up against her chest as she sat on the couch next to Harry who was rubbing comforting circles around her back. Ron was glaring daggers into his older brother when he muttered, "I need to talk to you," and didn't care to wait for Fred's reply as he ushered him outside and closed the door.

"Ronnie-" Fred began in a low voice, but Ron swiftly cut him off. "Don't call me that," he barked with his jaws clenched and he continued. "Hermione and I have been over since a little over a year and a half ago on mutual terms, but that doesn't mean I still don't care about her." He looked seconds away from throttling Fred when he roared, "I wasn't even aware of the fact that you had any interest in Hermione until she came apparating into Harry and my flat, tears welling up in her eyes from bloody guilt!"

Fred's eyes narrowed at his aggravated younger brother as he solemnly said, "Listen-," but Ron had intervened to counter back. "No. _You _listen here, Fred. I don't mind if you are sincere about your feelings for Hermione. Whatever makes her happy, right?" Fred noticed Ron's hands ball up into fists as he quickly finished, "But if you make her cry again, see to it that_ I'll_ be the one who makes her happy."

Before Fred had the chance to retaliate, Ron had muttered something about having to go back to the Burrow under his breath before apparating, leaving Fred alone to dwell on his little brother's outbursts. He wasn't sure if he felt more hurt or angry as he contemplated everything that he had let sink in. He slowly approached Hermione's front door and knocked before he heard her soft voice say, "Come in."

He entered the room and the corners of his mouth pulled down into a frown at the sight of her eyes which still had evident traces of the tears she had been shedding upon them. He looked around and noticed that Harry was gone. "He floo'd back to his and Ron's flat," she explained before standing up to walk to the kitchen. "Do you want some tea?" she asked, trying to mask her obvious emotions of hurt and regret from the tall, blue-eyed boy.

Fred strode over to where she stood and pulled her into his arms as he lightly allowed his fingers to comb through her wild, brown hair. He felt her stiffen in his arms and she wrapped her arms gingerly around the boy's waist. Fred's grip only tightened when he heard two words escape from the distressed girl who was now letting her emotions get the better of her. "I'm sorry."

He swiftly planted a kiss upon the top of her head and left his mouth there to whisper, "You have nothing to apologize for, love." He murmured more consoling words as he buried his face in her hair and was breathing in the scent of lavender and vanilla when, suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he voiced it. "I know everything was a mistake, 'Mione, but I can't help but wonder why the mistake should have happened in the first place…" He waited for a moment to think about how to word his question and finally spoke out, "Why did you waltz into the shop expecting to kiss me?"

Hermione felt her stomach drop and, for once, she did not know the answer to a question as she was left completely and utterly speechless. She knew she could not tell Fred about her dream and her thoughts of supposedly being allegedly in love with him since she was still immersed in uncertainty as to whether her feelings were true or not.

She mumbled something into Fred's shirt, to which Fred responded by holding her at arm's distance and sending her an encouraging smile. "What was that you just said?"

"I was feeling spontaneous," Hermione half-lied to the Weasley twin. It was a fib in the sense that she was hiding the bit about her dream and her feelings for him, but it was also the truth since she was definitely feeling spontaneity course through her veins in the moment she had accidently kissed George, thinking he was Fred.

Fred raised one eyebrow questioningly, and delightfully chuckled. "Still feeling spontaneous, Hermy?" he inquired. Hermione's heart nearly leaped out of her chest cavities until she heard the wretched nickname to which she reacted by lifting her arm and smacking the boy on his arm repeatedly.

"You sure know how to ruin a moment, Fred!" she exclaimed as a corner of one side of her mouth pulled up into a crooked smile.

He grinned and leaned down to come face to face with the girl and whisper, "I got you to smile, didn't I? This is the first smile I've seen from you in the past 24 hours. I hardly think I 'ruined the moment'. As a matter of fact, I reckon that I just saved day three, 'Mione."

Hermione's mind dwelled on Fred's words- particularly "_day three_"- when she unexpectedly felt the boy's lips press softly and delicately upon her cheek which was now flushed with scarlet.

Fred's mouth curled into a smile when he felt her cheeks immediately heat up underneath his lips and he slowly backed away to see Hermione with her mouth gaping, clearly shocked at the Weasley twin's sudden action. He looked up to read the time on Hermione's wall clock as he glumly informed her, "It's 10:53, 'Mione…Perhaps I should be on my way." His marvelous hands dropped to his side, and he turned before he felt two small, tender hands clasp onto his arm. He gazed down at her and his eyes softened immensely when he heard her breathe out, "Please stay."

Fred smiled in understanding and nodded as he turned to face her yet again. "I'll sleep on the couch, then," he told her and Hermione's features automatically fell as she realized that she was possibly taking away the boy's good night's rest by keeping him here. She glanced from the couch to her bed room and finally offered, "You can sleep in my room, if you want."

Fred shook his head and replied bitterly, "Only a prat would take up that offer and be able to sleep well at night knowing he was letting the lady sleep on her own couch in her own flat."

Hermione shifted and cleared her throat before she answered, "No, I mean…my bed is rather big for someone as small as me." When Fred realized what she was implying, Hermione watched a bright red spread from his cheeks to his ears.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Fred. I didn't mean for you to take it that way," she uttered as a light blush was creeping up her cheeks and she looked away.

Fred chortled before lightheartedly joking, "I hadn't even thought of it that way, 'Mione, but now that you mention it…" The bright witch's eyes quickly shot daggers into his gaze before he could finish his sentence, and she pronounced every word solemnly as she voiced, "Don't you dare."

Fred raised both hands in the air, as if he was surrendering. "It was only a joke," he informed her, laughing at how tense she was.

He walked over nimbly to the bed and sat down, looking over at the girl who was currently having a war inwardly with herself. "Oi, are you sure you don't want me to sleep on the couch? I don't mind at all, really." Hermione looked nervously up at the boy as she sat down on the other side of her bed and replied with a smile, "It's alright, Fred."

She lifted the covers, adjusted herself until she was in a comfortable position, and peeked over her covers to watch Fred reluctantly lay down on top of her bed sheets. He saw her head tilt slightly from underneath her blanket and he explained, "You're letting me sleep in your bed. The very least I could do is respect your privacy as you're sleeping."

She nodded gratefully and muttered, "Good night, Fred," as she closed her eyes. Her face was half-covered by her blanket, but Fred could sense a smile behind her words. "Good night, 'Mione," he replied in a gentle voice.

He took in the image of her still form lit up elegantly beneath the moonlight peering in through her window as he closed his eyes and thought, "_Maybe I'm actually going to sleep well tonight, after all…" _with a pleasant smile on his face as he allowed himself to slowly plunge himself deep into sleep.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: Tension appears between Fred and yet another one of his brothers. What happens when Fred and Hermione sleep next to each other? <em>


	8. Day Four: Early Morning

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thanks for reading my story and leaving me such lovely reviews. I read each and every one of them and they seriously just make my day. I'm so glad knowing that you all are enjoying my story!**

**Enjoy chapter eight, everyone! C:**

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><p>Fred shifted and smiled delightfully when he remembered just where he was and just who was sleeping soundly next to him. It took him a moment of being awake before he realized that he had his arms wrapped around the slight mound that was Hermione under her covers. Her head was completely out of the blanket and nuzzled warmly into the crook of the boy's neck, so that his face was comfortably against the bed of her brown, tussled hair. He didn't dare turn to look at the wall clock behind him, afraid that he would awaken Hermione from her slumber and ruin this moment, but he assumed it was still night time as the room was in complete darkness, except for the moonlight peering in through her window.<p>

He breathed in the scent of lavender and vanilla before he repeated the last thought he had on his mind before he nodded off a few hours ago, "_Maybe I'm actually going to sleep well tonight, after all…" _

Suddenly, he heard a slight _pop_, but dismissed it as something he imagined hearing due to just waking up in the middle of the night. That is, until it was followed by a beyond raging roar which shouted, "What the bloody hell is going on here?" as the lights in Hermione's room instantaneously illuminated.

To Fred's disappointment, Hermione began to stir and he immediately let go of her and sat completely upright to see Ron, shaking with anger, his face reddening to his ears from rage.

Hermione bolted up and blinked several times, expecting everything to be just a dream, only to realize that everything was really happening before her eyes. She frantically voiced, "Ronald! What are you doing here?" Her tone of voice was getting high with every spoken word, obviously showing her distress.

Ron looked down as his fists clenched and held onto his jeans, but were still evidently convulsing with fury. He started, "I couldn't sleep. I couldn't without knowing you were alright. I was just coming to check up on you, Hermione." Every word sounded strained, as if he was struggling to choke out the sentences.

Fred spoke up, "Well, Ronniekins, you don't have to worry because, as you can see, Hermione's in good hands now." He spoke out of pure hope that Ron would leave the situation be and that he and Hermione could continue sleeping as they'd been before his little brother apparated in.

Ron immediately glared daggers into the Weasley twin as he exclaimed, "_You sodding bastard! You're my brother- how could you sleep with my girl-"_ He winced as he realized his mistake and muttered with more pain than outrage, "_ex-_girlfriend?"

Hermione desperately looked between both Weasley brothers as, she too, wore a hurt expression from his slip, and explained, "Ron, it's not like that at all! I asked Fred to stay and I didn't want him to sleep on the couch…"

The way Ron's head turned quickly to the side made it seem like someone wearing an invisible cloak bashed him in the head with their fist. A pained expression was written all over his countenance and Fred immediately felt sympathy for his younger brother. He rolled off of the bed and stood up, but Ron's gaze instantly shot to him.

"_If looks could kill, I would be long gone," _Fred thought gingerly.

Ron growled and spat, "Save it. I don't need your pity." He paused to look at Hermione and his eyes softened up with anguish from rejection. The clearly emotionally hurt boy turned away before adding, "Just remember what I told you, Fred." The Weasley twin noted the way Ron had practically hissed out his name before he heard a final distressed voice mutter, "Bye, Hermione." A few seconds later, another _pop_ could be heard and the boy was gone.

"Hermione…" Fred sent Hermione a concerned expression and sat down on the corner of the bed as she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face behind her legs, her hair flowing wildly all over the place, so that the boy could not read her expression. After a few moments, he noticed her slight trembling and heard a few gulps for air coming from the girl before he realized she was crying. He swiftly moved to her side and threw his arm around her as he rubbed her shoulder lightly. When her sobbing had subsided, Fred got up and said, "I'll speak to him," and apparated before Hermione had the chance to reply.

X-X-X-X

Fred was angrily knocking on the door to Harry and Ron's flat when the door opened slightly to reveal a very seemingly tired Harry looking back at him with a slightly worried, yet confused expression. Fred's eyes narrowed when he spoke, "I need to talk to Ron."

Harry rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Oh, for Merlin's sake, mate…I don't quite exactly know what's going on between you and Ron, but you don't need a wake a bloke up in the middle of the night. Why can't you just talk to him later today when it's afternoon?"

Fred immediately looked down and sighed before replying, "Sorry. I just- I need to talk to Ron right now and I know he wouldn't go to the Burrow frustrated as he was when he left Hermione's flat just a few moments ago."

Harry's face read shocked all over as he guessed, "You're spending the night at Hermione's?"

The tall Weasley boy shook his head, but replied, "Yes, but no- it's not what you're thinking, Harry."

The green-eyed boy lightly chuckled and leaned against the door frame when he said, "Well, sorry to disappoint you, Fred, but Ron isn't here." He looked down and it appeared to Fred like he was in deep thought when he suddenly said in complete seriousness, "But I'd like to ask what's going on between you and Hermione."

Fred thought carefully before answering, not wanting to upset Hermione's best friend with a ridiculous or careless answer, "I want to show Hermione that there's more to me than she thinks."

The look that was sent to Fred was filled with an incredulous amount of skepticism. "So this is all just a game to you?" he inquired, anger slightly seething into his voice.

"I didn't say that," Fred replied quickly, confused as to why Harry might have thought that way.

"So you really fancy Hermione?" Harry asked for clarification, an immediate change in emotion obviously apparent, as his tone changed to that of surprise and content.

Fred let his eyes bore eternities into Harry's with sincerity as he nodded and confessed, "Yes. Very much so."

Harry was obviously very put off by the usual joker's serious response. He had always known Fred as one half of the dynamic duo that he and George made as the pranksters of Hogwarts and his best friend's older brother. He couldn't recall the last time he saw Fred be so sincerely serious about something, and to be over a girl, for that matter. _"Well, it is Hermione…"_ Harry reasoned with himself.

Fred watched as Harry merely nodded and glanced to look behind him before quickly turning back to the Weasley twin who was still outside his and Ron's flat. "It's nearly 3 A.M., Fred. You should be on your way. I'll tell Ron you dropped by when I see him," he said in an urgent tone.

Fred wondered why Harry sounded as if he was in a hurry, but smiled appreciatively and muttered, "Thanks, Harry. Sorry for waking you up, mate." He turned to walk away, but turned around suddenly and added, "Tell Ron I said, 'I'm sorry for hurting his feelings, but if he makes Hermione cry again, like he did this night, I'll personally see to it that a Puking Pastille makes its way into every one of his meals.'" He said this as casually as it would have been had he been discussing what the day's plans were, which made Harry slightly uncomfortable, but he responded by saying, "Alright," as he watched Fred apparate away.

"He's gone, so put those down and come here and explain everything," Harry muttered into the flat, and an eavesdropping Ron put down the Extendable Ears to approach his best friend. He had a melancholy expression plastered to his face when he responded, "I went to check on Hermione and she was in bed with Fred."

Harry's eyes opened slightly with shock, but Ron explained. "They didn't shag or anything, but the point is that they were in bed together." Harry could see Ron's jaws lock when he added, "Strangely, the fact that they didn't shag and were just lying there next to each other made it hurt all the more painfully…You know Hermione and I never shared a bed, even when we were together?" His eyebrows furrowed and a look of misery crossed his features when he added, "Fred and George were always the ones who could make any girl swoon for them. I finally thought I had someone for my own, and now, not even she can be my own…Even after a year and a half, Harry, I still care about her." He started shaking with jealousy and aching when he finished, "I just want her to be happy…That's why I got so upset when my git of an older brother made her cry earlier today…I just wanted to tell him to sod off and leave her with me. It wasn't until I saw her in his arms that it really hit me." He stopped to look deep into his best friend's eyes. "We broke up because she wasn't in love with me the way I was in love with her. We both agreed it was best to keep us as friends…" He paused and corrected himself by practically spitting out the words, "_Best _friends." He closed his eyes as if in deep concentration and allowed his nails to pierce into the palms of his hands as he finished, "So seeing her in the arms of my brother, like they've been in love for years…" He voice trailed off, and he was rendered unable to speak anymore after his body began wracking violently with emotion and Harry dashed to his best friend to give him a much needed embrace as Ron proceeded to bawl for the love he never quite had, yet lost.

X-X-X-X

When Fred appeared back at Hermione's flat, he found the brunette girl strewn out across her bed, taking up a vast majority of the space on her bed, her hands still clutching the novel that Ginny had given her. The room was dim and the only light was coming from her lamp on her bed side table. Fred smirked as he walked towards the girl and bookmarked her page before placing it next to her lamp. He sat on the edge of the bed and observed the way she looked serene as she slept, her body slowly rising and falling with each breath.

He pulled the blanket over her and tucked her in before kissing her forehead and murmuring, "Good night, 'Mione." He brushed her hand with his and, slowly, Hermione's fingers found their way through his unconsciously. He could have sworn he saw a smile quickly cross her face as he pulled his wand out of his pocket with his unoccupied hand to point it towards Hermione's armchair that was placed at the corner of her room and pull it in next to the dormant girl's bed. He turned off the lamp and sat down, refusing to let go of the Hermione's hand.

Fred closed his eyes, and with his fingers still laced between hers, he began stroking her thumb with his in a comforting motion before whispering into the still, quiet room, "Sweet dreams, love."

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><p><em>In the next chapter: What happens when Hermione goes to talk to Ron?<em>


	9. Day Four: Pre Date

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thanks for keeping up with my story, everyone! I'm very close to hitting 50 people with One Week added to their alert list, so as soon as I get that person, the next chapter will be up!**

**And don't worry, lupinsbackhair- I haven't forgotten about this whole "One Week" deal! C:**

**Enjoy chapter nine, everyone! :D**

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><p>Hermione awakened the next morning to find Fred spread out ridiculously, and quite literally, half-off and half-on the armchair that used to be in the corner of her room. She giggled to herself as she took in the boy's sleeping arrangements: one leg was strewn over the arm rest and the other was propped up on top of the armchair, leaving half his body dangling off the side with his head slightly tilted in order to lean against the edge of her bed.<p>

In the midst of observing the unconscious boy, something caught her attention. His hand was holding on to hers, despite how uncomfortable it must have been for him to keep a firm grasp in the position that he was currently in. She breathed out a content sigh and let out a tiny smile before allowing her other hand to graze, slightly hovering as to not abruptly awaken him, across the sleeping boy's face. He looked so peaceful and innocent unlike the reckless and mischievous Weasley twin who pulled pranks all day alongside George. She took a deep breath, savoring this Fred, before shaking his shoulder a little too hard in an attempt to wake him up.

Fred immediately bolted up, causing Hermione to shriek, and the next thing he knew, he was left in a tangled mess on the ground. He groaned before realizing that he wasn't the only one who had fallen when he squinted to see Hermione on top of him. He was still holding her hand when he hurriedly recovered and frantically tried to search for the words to say. "I- You- Me- Bloody hell. I'm really sorry, 'Mione," he stammered as his face quickly matched the color of his flaming red hair.

Hermione responded by looking at him with faint amusement as the boy stumbled over his words before bursting out into fits of laughter at his apology. A wide grin was on her face when she said, "It's quite alright. I shouldn't have shaken you too hard." She reluctantly let go of the boy's hand and quickly got up to fix her pajama clothes that had gotten a bit disheveled due to the fall.

Fred frowned slightly when Hermione had let go of his hand, noticing just how empty his fingers felt without hers to be laced through. He proceeded to stand up before scratching the back of his head and gazed casually at the clock on the wall.

"Oh bollocks, it's 8:56- George is going to kill me if I don't make it to the shop in four minutes," he moaned and rushed to the girl's side. "Go to the shop at closing, 'Mione. I'll see you then," he quickly voiced, and before she could answer, he had dashed to the fireplace, threw floo powder in, and shouted, "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!" before jumping right in.

X-X-X-X

"Where have you been?" George inquired, allowing one of his eyebrows to rise upon seeing his twin stumble in through the fireplace. He tightened his tie around his neck and saw that Fred was still in the sleeping attire that he was wearing the night before and his head tilted as both his eyebrows now rised accusingly at his twin brother.

"Hermione's," the tall, lanky boy murmured quietly as he raced into the back room before George could respond. He was not the least bit surprised when he turned and saw George on his tail. He knew he wasn't going to get past his other half that easily.

George was smiling mischievously and had opened his mouth to speak when Fred cut him off. "No, we did not do what you're thinking, Forge," he muttered as he took off his shirt which he tossed carelessly to the side.

"Then what did you do, Gred?" George challenged light-heartedly.

Fred pulled on a pair of trousers before replying, "We merely-"

"Snogged?" his twin cut in with a devilish smile on his face.

"No! We just-" Fred started as he threw on a white dress shirt.

"Messed around?" George waggled his eyebrows at his twin who was quickly buttoning his shirt.

"No, we just took part in-" He shook his head as a blush fluttered across his face as he began his sentence and threw on his suit jacket.

"Shagging?" George interrupted yet again to his twin's annoyance.

"Bloody hell, mate! We just slept together!" Fred shouted in a rushed manner before his twin could cut him off again.

"So you two _did_ shag!" George accused, walking over to his brother to congratulate him.

Fred's eyes narrowed at his twin who was patting him on the back when he pushed him away and exclaimed, "Sod off!" He laughed at the expression that was on his George's face when he added, "No. We didn't. I just slept next to her, is all."

George sent Fred an incredulous look before shaking his head and smiling at his brother, who was now fully dressed, and stated, "I don't believe you."

When Fred tightened his own tie around his neck, the Weasley boy merely glanced at the clock, avoiding his brother's comment, and announced, "It's 9:05. I reckon we should get down to business," and apparated down to the shop before his twin could say another word.

X-X-X-X

Hermione had already finished the novel Ginny had given her, written her a letter with her feedback on the book, showered, and prepared to meet Fred at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes when she gazed at the clock so see that it was only 8:11 P.M. "_The shop closes at 9…," _she thought before walking over to her mirror.

She examined the way her bushy, brown hair was falling down her shoulders wildly, and she shook her head disapprovingly before she tied her hair up in an attempt to hide how messy it had looked. She looked over her outfit for the third time that evening- dark blue jeans, black leather boots, a grey long-sleeve shirt, and a simple black jacket over- and smiled at the thought of the Weasley twin who she was to see that night.

Suddenly an image of someone else crossed her mind and her heart immediately swelled with emotion. It was an aching emotion, much like guilt and despair, but leaned towards the feeling of pity. "Ron…" she spoke out in a whisper, although no one was there to hear her.

She briskly tucked a stray hair behind her ear and picked up her bag that lay on top of her bed before throwing floo powder into the fireplace, shouting the address that Harry and Ron had told her when they moved into their new apartment, and leaped into the green embers.

When Hermione exited the fireplace, she didn't expect to see Ron strewn out across his couch, utterly arseholed, with a bottle of firewhiskey in his hand, as several empty bottles surrounded him.

"Oh, Ron…" she cried out as she raced to where the boy lay. She attempted to retrieve the bottle from his grasp, but he drunkenly swatted her away with his other arm. She didn't let it get to her and she was able to successfully release his hold from the bottle as she placed the half-empty firewhiskey on her other side. She had a worried expression on her countenance when she asked in a little voice, "Where's Harry?"

Ron looked at her and slurred, "Ginnnny's." He sat up and eyed the girl who had just taken the bottle away from him. "W-wha-what are y-ya doing he-here Herrrrr-Hermi-," he struggled to form his question against his slurs and settled finally settled with, "Herrrmy?"

Hermione didn't bother correcting her drunken best friend and merely shook her head and replied, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

The boy's temper flared when he raised his voice, "Welllll you know wh-whaaaat? I-I'm just _peachy_." He hissed out the last word and got up before stumbling and falling on his side. Hermione hurriedly came to his aid and she threw one of his arms around her and tried to pick him up off of the floor. Her attempt failed since Ron had weighed significantly more than her and she resorted to using magic.

"Wingardium leviosa," she muttered, wand pointed at Ron, and she placed him on the bed of the room that had "RON WEASLEY" labeled on the door. The ginger boy didn't put up a fight as Hermione tucked him into bed, but as soon as she turned around to leave, he sat right up and groaned. "Herm-Hermioneeee…" The brunette witch turned around and saw a pleading look coming from the boy when he cried out, "D-don't leave meee againnnn." She winced at the boy's words and let out a sigh before coming back to his side and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Ronald, you need to get some rest…A-and I have somewhere to be this evening…" she murmured in a distressed voice. She hated to see her best friend and past boyfriend in this condition, but knew it would hurt him even more if she left him there without an explanation.

His face began to redden as he took in what the girl was telling him and spoke out, "Let meeee guessss. You're gonnnna go on a _date_ with Fred, arentcha?" He spat out the word "date" and his eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

Hermione couldn't find it in her heart to lie to the Weasley boy, so she simply nodded slowly.

The boy's eyes immediately flared with passion as he grabbed the girl's hand that wasn't on his shoulder. Hermione tried to pull back, but his grip tightened around her fingers, causing the girl to wince slightly in pain. At the sight of her hurting, he slowly loosened his hold, but desperately asked her, "W-why don'tcha love mee, Herrrmi- Hermione?"

Hermione's eyes softened and reasoned, "I do love you, Ron."

The intoxicated boy's eyes lit up with hope as he questioned, "Realllly?"

She nodded, but added, with a smile, to the boy's dismay, "As a brother. As my best friend."

Ron immediately let go of her hand, and growled before hastily standing and swaying. "I'm g-getting anotherrr bottle."

The concerned girl rushed to him, and grabbed hold of his arm before replying, "No, you won't." Ron took one eager look at the girl before proceeding to corner her in his room. He was towering over her when he cried out in a slur, "W-what does heee have that I d-don't?"

Hermione, panicking, shook her head, afraid of making the boy mad any further. He just continued, however, unaware that he was scaring her, "Weee have the same g-genes, ginger hairrr- oh," The boy stopped, and it appeared as if a sudden epiphany had occurred to him before he smiled at the girl, taking several unbalanced steps towards her, the smell of alchohol very present as he whispered, "Y-you're use-using Fred to make meee jealoussss, aren'tcha, 'Mione?"

Hermione responded by pushing the boy away, but he didn't budge far and quickly returned to his spot. He whispered, "I w-won't tellll," and leaned in for a kiss, but his face met the girl's palm as she slapped him with all she had in her. The boy backed away then, giving Hermione time to run to the door. She looked stone cold into the boy's eyes as she hissed, "You're _drunk_."

The boy chuckled and countered back, "Forrrr the brightest witch of ourrr a-age, you're pretttty stupid."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and anger when she replied in a low voice, "_What?_"

The boy leaned against his bed post before slowly- in an attempt to not slur- saying, "Fred will _never_ love you the way I do."

Hermione's body stiffened, but her eyes softened at the boy who had now fallen back onto his bed before she said in a stern voice, "I should be going now, Ronald. Good night."

She muttered, "Scourgify" in order to clean up the bottles lying around, some of which appeared to be smashed as if thrown to the ground upon being finished, so that Harry wouldn't have to bother with the mess when he arrived back from Ginny's. She took one fleeting glance towards the door that she had shut and placed a locking spell on, in order to distance Ron from the alcohol, and grabbed her purse before proceeding to floo to Diagon Alley to meet with Fred.

Ron's final words were all she could hear repeating in her head with every step that she took towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: Why did Fred want Hermione to meet him at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes at closing? <em>_What does the Weasley twin have planned?_


	10. Day Four: Date

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: I reached 50 people adding One Week to their alert list :D Thank you all so much for the support and reviews! I'm very pleased to hear that you all have enjoyed it so far. **

**I hope you enjoy chapter ten! C:**

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><p>"Georgie, please," Fred pleaded at his brother who was leaning back against the front counter with an amused look on his face.<p>

"No," he simply replied, shaking his head back and forth slowly.

"_Please_," his other half emphasized the word even more as he attempted to shoot a puppy dog face towards his twin.

"Why?" George questioned, completely unaffected from the look that the two used to send their Mum and Dad when they wanted something as children.

"I already told you!" Fred exclaimed with his arms outstretched as his countenance changed from pleading to disbelief mixed with irritation.

"Tell me again," George ordered lightly, a lopsided smile placed on his face.

"Hermione is coming and I was planning to cook her dinner in our flat!" Fred explained for the fourth time that evening, his tone of voice getting high, making his explanation nearly sound like a whine.

"Why don't you ever cook me dinner?" George feigned hurt as he placed the back of his hand to the forehead to add the effect.

"Oh, sod off, George! C'mon!" Fred begged, his eyes boring into his twin's, refusing to look away.

"Why can't I just stay in my room?" George asked, shaking his head at his brother's persistence.

"Because we both know you'll find some way to burn something or interrupt at the best moment," Fred said, eyebrows furrowing at how difficult it was to get his partner in crime to leave.

"I'm offended that you would think of me that way, brother mine," George crossed his arms and kept his feet planted in his spot.

"Oh, come off it, George. Just one night," Fred said in a final tone.

George looked deep into the eyes of his other half knowing that if he had put up any more of a fight that he may be the victim of his twin's more-or-less cruel pranks with no mercy for the next month or so, and he finally voiced, "Alright, but if I _forget _something-" He added extra emphasis to the word with a grin and continued, "And I come back and find you two shagging in my roo- Oh. Hello, Hermione."

Fred quickly turned around to see Hermione walk in, face flushed from ear-to-ear with bright red, and he groaned inwardly as he noticed that the shop's windows were still wide open.

"George," Hermione acknowledged, her face slowly recovering from its massive blush, and she saw Fred smack his brother in the arm before nearly pushing him inside the fireplace, followed by George shouting, "The Burrow!" and disappearing into the green flames.

Fred was muttering curses under his breath as he walked back to the girl who was waiting for him by the front counter. "Sorry 'bout that, 'Mione…" he spoke out, a faint pink tint still evident across his cheeks.

Hermione let out a laugh and replied, "It's alright," before looking around and asking, "What are the plans for tonight?"

The boy smiled at her and confessed, "I was thinking I could cook you dinner…George took a bit longer than I thought to agree to spend the night at the Burrow, though, so maybe we could cook dinner together?"

Hermione beamed at the boy and nodded, to which the Weasley twin reacted by motioning towards the back room with his head and saying enthusiastically, "Splendid! I hope you didn't eat yet, Hermione, because I'm starving," with a grin and led the way up to his and George's flat.

Upon entering, Fred spoke out into the empty room. "Welcome to mine and George's lovely abode," he practically sang as he allowed his eyebrows to waggle at the girl which coaxed a soft giggle from the brunette witch.

He stepped aside and proceeded to taking the girl's black jacket and hanging it on the coat hook. Hermione smiled at him and walked over to the kitchen counter, where she looked around, attempting to familiarize herself with her environment before inquiring lightheartedly, "What's on the menu?"

Fred opened the fridge and answered, "I'm not entirely sure," to which Hermione responded by raising an eyebrow and asking, "_What?_" The expression on her face read that she was expecting Fred to be joking.

Fred merely winked at her and explained, "Well, you see…I was planning on just putting together what came at the top of my head. Now that you're here to help, however, I suppose we can negotiate on what to make." He smiled innocently, and Hermione shook her head in disbelief before coming up next to him and looking inside the fridge.

"Well, we could always make…" She glimpsed at everything inside and thought about the options before suggesting, "Spaghetti?" Fred looked up at her appreciatively before grinning and answering, "Sounds great," with an excited nod.

X-X-X-X

After two hours of hectic spaghetti-making: nearly blowing up a pot of boiled water, Fred burning the back of his suit by carelessly leaning on the kitchen stove, and flour spread all over the counters due to a clumsy spill on Hermione's part, the two were finally able to relax as they ate their dinner.

Hermione chuckled as Fred looked over his suit that had been charred and he shook his head before muttering, "Nothing a little magic can't fix…" He pointed at the burned coat with his wand before pronouncing, "Reparo," and watched the suit restore itself to its original condition. He tossed the coat on top of the couch and turned back towards the girl who was currently enjoying a mouthful of the dinner the two made.

When the two were nearly done- both their plates only covered with a few stray noodles and a hearty amount of spaghetti sauce- he motioned to the side of his lips and lightheartedly teased, "You got a little something, love." Hermione wiped her mouth with a napkin lightly, but the tall, ginger boy shook his head and said, "Still there." She proceeded to wipe more furiously at the sides of her mouth, but he shook his head again and smiled. He walked slowly over to her with his napkin and let out a devilish grin before saying, "I got it," and cupped her face with a napkin that was mischievously covered in flour.

Hermione exclaimed, "FRED!" and squinted through her eye that wasn't covered in the white powdery mess and saw that the boy was covering his mouth in an attempt to not burst out into fits of laughter. She tilted her head and allowed her jaw to drop which only caused Fred to howl with chortles. He was balancing himself by placing one hand on the table while the other muffled the sounds of his guffaws.

Hermione muttered, "You're going to regret that," and quickly scooped up the leftovers from her dinner with her hands and ensured that every inch of the Weasley twin's face was covered in tomato sauce goop. He used his right hand to wipe off the gunk from his eyes before announcing, "This means war!" and grabbed the faucet hose behind him and sprayed the girl mercilessly.

Hermione shrieked and ran for cover by diving and ducking behind his kitchen counter. She peeked over it and, upon seeing the blue-eyed boy approaching, she grabbed the closest thing to her- a bag of flour- and rushed for the boy animatedly with a smile plastered to her face.

As she was about to pour the contents of the bag all over the boy, Fred attempted to phase her by spraying her with water, causing the bag to rip and spill its contents all over his kitchen floor. In the rush of things, Hermione and Fred both slipped on the wet, slippery tiled floor and collided into each other, both of them covered from head to toe in powder and soaked from the water.

"Oh, sweet Merlin…George is going to kill me," the Weasley twin sighed upon looking around the mess they had made in the kitchen. The floor was completely covered in water with flour spreading throughout it. Due to the collision, a few ingredients that were left on the counter had been knocked over and were now sloppily smeared over the counter and the Fred and Hermione who were sitting on the floor.

Hermione merely burst into fits of giggles and Fred responded by feigning hurt and dramatically asking, "Do you want me to get killed by my own twin brother?" Hermione shook her head and replied, "Of course not. It's just-" She moved closer to the boy who was sitting across from her on the floor and reached her hand out to his head and finished with, "You got something in your hair." Fred's face was spread with crimson red as she pulled out a noodle and giggled before handing it to the boy who smiled back at her and stood up to throw it away.

When he came back, he reached out a hand and the bright witch took it, and he proceeded to help her up from the floor. He looked her over once and frowned before muttering, "Sorry about your clothes, 'Mione."

She shook her head and sighed, "It's alright, but I'd really enjoy a change of clothes right now…"

The lanky, ginger twin responded by leaning against the counter and asking, "Well, I wouldn't want you to leave already since I have a surprise for you…" He allowed his voice to stray in order to look into the girl's eyes which had lit up from curiosity. He sent her a crooked smile and suggested, "I can give you some of my clothes to wear. If you don't mind, of course."

Hermione examined her current messy state and smiled before answering, "That would be lovely, Fred."

He nodded and walked towards his room before Hermione called out, "Oh, Fred! Do you mind if I shower to wash off some of this-" She pointed towards her hair as she let her hair out of its previous pony tail state and scrunched her noise at the sight of the mess in her hair before finishing, "Out of my hair?"

She saw a light blush spread across Fred's cheeks and she felt her own face lightly warm up as she watched him look away and point his wand towards a cabinet which opened and revealed several towels- one of which flew to her. He walked over to a door before opening it and informed her, "My room's right here-" He motioned to the room on the right. He looked over to the room on the left and added, "Over there is George's room."

Hermione nodded and walked over to the bathroom with the towel Fred had given her. Before she closed the door, she heard him call out from his room, "I'll lay out the clothes in my room and then I'll shower after you while you change."

Hermione took off her dirty clothes and picked them up and placed them in the sink as she muttered, "Scourgify," in an attempt to slightly clean them. She neatly folded them and moved into the shower and proceeded to look around for soap, shampoo, and conditioner to use. There were two lines of different soaps, shampoo, and conditioners, so in order to help her decide what to use, she opened the bottles and sniffed it, choosing the one that smelled most like Fred.

"_I'm sure George wouldn't particularly enjoy me using his soap…"_ she tried to reason with herself, attempting unsuccessfully to bury the idea that she merely grew to adore Fred's scent. As soon as she scrubbed every inch of her hair and body, she rinsed herself and turned off the water, stepped out to dry herself, and wrapped her towel around her delicate frame.

She walked nimbly to the room Fred had told her was his and stopped in her tracks upon opening the door and revealing the Weasley twin, shirtless and in striped black and red boxers, with his towel in hand, about to wrap it around his torso. He screamed out, "Ah, Granger!" and the girl responded by tightly clutching to her towel with one hand as she used the other to cover her eyes.

Hermione managed to squeak out, "This is your room, right?" and Fred replied, "I was cleaning the kitchen and then I was just getting out of my clothes in order to purge the gunk out of it in George's room and then I was just going to-" His tone was frantic and he was rushing his sentence out without thinking about what he was saying. He finally settled for, "Sorry, 'Mione," and ran out of the room, one of his arms carrying a change of clothes with his other hand holding onto his towel, as he shut the door behind him, leaving the girl flushed to the face with her heart racing. The image of Fred's toned body was still etched to her mind as she approached his bed where he had laid out articles of clothing for her.

Hermione blushed at the clean pair of boxers that were folded neatly on top of the boy's bed as she allowed it to process in her mind. "_Oh,"_ she thought when it hit her. She could feel the heat reaching over her ears as she put them on and she immediately wished that she had just gone home to clean herself up. She quickly put on the pair of black sweats next and finally an overly large gold and maroon t-shirt that resembled a quidditch jersey as it had a big "5" on the back. _"That was his number playing on the Gryffindor team…"_ she recalled to herself as she turned to exit the room. She passed by Fred's full-length mirror and stopped to smile how tiny she looked in the boy's clothing, which was probably twice her size, as she stepped out of his room.

Fred had just walked out of the bathroom, fully clothed- in a pair of pajama bottoms, a white t-shirt with a sweater, with a giant "F" sewn into the front, over it- and clean, when Hermione stepped out of his room and it was as if his breathing had ceased at the mere sight of her. _"She looks bloody gorgeous in my clothes,_" he thought to himself, but was still embarrassed from the earlier occurrence to voice his thoughts. He merely looked the other way and looked at the clock which read "12:05" and immediately perked up as he opened a cabinet and grabbed something from inside.

"Hermione," he addressed her, reaching out his hand. She noticed his other hand held two blankets.

"Where are we going?" The bright girl inquired, apparently very reluctant to take his hand in hers.

"To the top of the shop," he answered, now beaming at her.

Hermione merely sent him a skeptical look and thought to herself, _"What could possibly be so special on the roof?"_ but placed her hand in his and the two apparated out of the apartment and, just as Fred said, to the rooftop of the shop.

Hermione looked around, confused, not seeing anything out of the ordinary, but Fred was looking at her with wide eyes and a grin as if expecting her to be amazed. When she didn't say anything, Fred slightly frowned and took her hand and pointed it towards the sky before saying, "The top of the shop is the best place to look at stars." He then ushered her over to one of the cleaner, flatter surfaces where he placed the two blankets next to each other and lied down on top of one of them.

She claimed her spot on the other blanket and lied down on her back, staring at the vast sky which had twinkling stars spread bountifully throughout it, contrasting against its darkness. It wasn't every night that she took the time to stare up at the starry sky and Hermione was surprised by just how many stars were present from where they were, lying down next to each other, beneath them.

"Beautiful, eh?" he asked, admiring the stars above. Hermione nodded in response and murmured, "Very," as she now glanced to where the bright moon was illuminated in the sky. It wasn't hidden behind several clouds like it had usually done whenever she seemed to look up at night; no, it was shining brilliantly with nothing in its way to shield its luminous glow, which seemed to accent the shimmering of the stars quite nicely.

"If we saw a shooting star now, what would you wish for, Hermione?" the Weasley twin suddenly inquired after a few minutes of silence.

She thought deeply before answering, "In all honesty, I feel as if I'm perfectly content with what I have right now."

"Oh, rubbish," the boy muttered which caused Hermione to turn her head to at him, with her eyes narrowed.

"Well, what would you wish for?" she asked in a challenging tone.

"Easy. I'd wish for a few quidditch tickets, front-row," he replied.

The bushy-haired girl merely shook her head before countering, "Surely you could wish for something better."

Fred immediately spoke before thinking, shaking his head back and forth as he replied, "Well, all I want besides quidditch tickets is you and nothing is better than yo-" In a heartbeat, he glanced at the girl, who was at his side, and, in the moonlight, he could see that her face was easily being spread with a scarlet blush.

"Thank you," he heard in the midst of the silence placed above the two of them. He looked over to Hermione and saw her shivering and instantly cursed himself in his head for being so stupid as to lead her outside without anything to help protect her from the cold.

"Here, 'Mione," he told her, after taking off his sweater and handing it to her. She gratefully nodded towards him and put it on, allowing the comfortable cotton sweater to warm her up. She didn't fail to notice how the sweater had the lingering scent of the Weasley twin that not even his soap or shampoo could provide for her.

Suddenly, she spoke up, "I think I changed my mind…"

The boy looked over to her and raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Changed your mind?"

Hermione answered, "If I were to see a shooting star right now, I'd wish to go on a hot-air balloon."

"Hot-air balloon?" the Weasley twin asked in response, completely bewildered as to why on earth Hermione would want to sit on a balloon filled with hot air. _"Wouldn't that be painful?"_ Fred thought silently to himself.

The girl raised her arms and motioned a circle with her arms, stretching them to emphasize its size and explained, "It's a grand balloon, but not just any regular rubber balloon- it's one that's capable of containing hot air, which is normally provided by an open flame from a burner just underneath where there is a slight opening for air to go into the balloon. It also carries a basket which can sustain passengers- maybe around 15 at the most, depending on the total weight of everyone combined." Her eyes were gleaming underneath the moonlight when she continued, "I saw them in the pictures of a few books I used to read as a child." She smiled at a distant memory and added, "They're decorated with brilliant, magnificent colors and they have such a stunning view of the ground below."

Fred nodded and breathed out quietly, as if more to himself than to Hermione, "I wish to make your wish come true."

Hermione nearly had to strain to hear what the Weasley twin had said, but she had heard. She chose to pretend as if she didn't hear anything as she allowed the two to dwell underneath the dazzling sparkle of the stars and radiant light of the moon, savoring the moment side-by-side in silence, and almost instantaneously, over their heads, in the distance, a shooting star soared above them.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: When a gathering with Ron, George, Ginny, Harry, Alicia, Neville, and Luna is planned, and Ron has a bit too much to drink, will Fred be able to keep his temper?<em>


	11. Day Five

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: This has been the longest I've ever taken to put up a new chapter, so I apologize for the delay! And I don't know if you all actually pay attention to the "In the next chapter" bits that I add at the end of every chapter, but for those who do, Alicia is meant to be changed to Angelina. So yes, I'm just adding that to avoid any confusion~**

**Also, school is beginning in three days, so it might take a bit to update the story, but I hope you all will stick around and I truly hope that the wait won't be excruciatingly long.**

**Thanks again to all those who are reading One Week. I love you all and I really appreciate all of the reviews and favorites C:**

**I hope you enjoy chapter eleven! **

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><p>Hermione lightly stirred upon smelling the scent of freshly made breakfast wafting into the room. She kept her eyes closed as she allowed the scent to wash over her and she was able to determine what was cooking in the other room from the mere scent and sound coming from the kitchen: warm buttered toast, delectable eggs, sizzling bacon, and the sweet soothing smell of chamomile tea.<p>

She was broken out of her reverie upon the sound of footsteps walking towards her and she squinted through her eyes to see Fred lean against the door frame.

"Rise and shine," he announced into the room. The sun was flowing in through the window and she looked around and realized that she was curled into a ball on the twin's bed. "You fell asleep while we were outside so I carried you into my room and slept in George's," he explained.

The well-rested brunette girl nodded in acknowledgement and stretched before saying, "Thanks, Fred," in a little voice which was still heavily croaky from sleep.

The blue-eyed boy motioned towards the kitchen with his head and offered, "George and I decided to keep the shop closed for today, so I made us breakfast if you're hungry," before turning to attend to the sound of crispy bacon on the pan.

When Hermione had walked outside of Fred's room and situated herself at the table where she ate dinner with Fred last night, she saw a massive pile of breakfast goods on top of the kitchen counters. She tilted her head, confused, and asked, "Are you having guests?" to which the Weasley twin smiled, and replied, "Not unless George stops by, no."

He looked up to see a bewildered expression on the brilliant girl's countenance and followed her gaze to the enormous amount of food. He simply chuckled and went back to cooking before explaining, "I get it from my Mum, I do. After George and I moved out and she stopped sending us a surplus of food, we started cooking to avoid starvation." He glimpsed at Hermione from the corner of his eye before dropping the strips of bacon onto another plate and added, "Mum would send us so much food- more than the both of us could ever finish in a _week_-" He laughed lightheartedly at a distant memory and finished, "I suppose we just became accustomed to having so much food that, whenever we cook, it sometimes gets out of hand."

Hermione smiled and asked, "Perhaps we should invite a few people over since I'm sure that you don't want all of your efforts to go to waste?"

Fred shrugged and replied, "I suppose you're right." He muttered, "Accio plates," as he pointed his wand in the direction of his cupboards and a few plates flew out and landed on top of the table then turned to the girl before asking, "Who do you have in mind?"

Hermione got a slice of buttered toast, several strips of bacon, and an egg that was cooked her favorite way- sunny side up- and began poking at her food with her fork before listing names. "George, of course, Ginny, Harry…" Her voice trailed off and she swallowed a lump in her throat before adding, "Ron," in a tone that she hoped was heavily masked with nonchalance, so that Fred would not suspect that anything was wrong. _"I still haven't told him about my encounter with Ron yesterday…" _she recalled to herself. She had been meaning to tell him yesterday, but felt as though it would ruin the atmosphere that the two created and had ended up keeping silent about the whole occurrence.

Fred followed suit in piling the breakfast delicacies on top of his plate as he sat down and spoke, "Perhaps we should invite Angelina, Neville, and Luna, as well. I'm sure we have a lot of food to go around."

Hermione nodded and grabbed a few pieces of parchment before writing down several identical last minute invites and sending them on their way by Fred and George's owl. She had informed the recipients of the letters to not bother writing back and to just floo in when they had the chance that day.

By the time she had returned back to her seat, Fred was already on his second serving. The girl shook her head and muttered, "If you finish everything, we might not have enough food for everyone else."

Fred chortled in response and replied with a wink, "If I finish everything, we can always make more food, love."

"Not if you're too bloated to even walk," Hermione teased.

Fred smiled sincerely at her attempt at trying to tease him. Up until this point, he had always been the one who had lightheartedly taken the Mickey out of Hermione and he was grateful that some of his carefree personality had rubbed off on the brilliant, yet usually uptight and serious bookworm he had known at Hogwarts as his little brother's best friend.

Hermione looked up from her breakfast and asked, "What- if it's something on my face, I'm not falling for that again, Fred." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the lanky boy who had a beaming grin placed on his face and was gazing at her intently.

He shook his head and looked down and, as a faint blush appeared across his cheeks, replied, "I just thought it was nice hearing you rib me, is all," and stuffed a bacon strip into his mouth.

"It seems to me that the usual utterly lively personality, in which you chose to carry yourself on, is starting to rub off on me, isn't it?" Hermione murmured, more to herself than to Fred, before taking a bite out of her toast. She thought silently to herself about how, for the most part untroubled, she had been these past few days and she couldn't remember the last time she had been so easygoing in her life.

After Hermione had finished the contents of her plate, she heard Fred say, "I reckon you wouldn't want to gather with everyone in my clothes, so maybe you should get ready at your flat as I get ready here?"

She placed her plate in the sink and answered with a smile, "That sounds like a plan," and walked over to the fireplace. She looked back and spoke out to the blue-eyed boy who had piled his plate on top of hers, "See you soon, Fred," before throwing floo powder into the fireplace, shouting her address, and vanishing into the green embers.

X-X-X-X

Hermione had briskly undressed out of the Weasley twin's clothes and showered, letting the fact that she was washing away the very magnificent scent of the ginger-haired boy bitterly ease into her mind as she allowed the water to cascade over her. She closed her eyes as she washed her hair and body as she thought about another certain Weasley boy who she was certain wouldn't be the happiest upon reading an invitation to attend lunch at his older brothers' flat, but signed by the girl he was unrequitedly in love with. She turned off the water, hurriedly dried herself and dressed up casually in her dark red Hollyhead Harpies sweater that Ginny had given her last year as a gift, and navy blue jeans.

When Hermione had floo'd back to Fred and George's flat, Luna and Neville were sitting next to each other on the couch as Neville was lively and telling a story to his companion as she gazed back at the boy with her usual dream-like stare. Hermione heard a few hushed bickers coming from the door leading to the stairs and, a few moments later, Harry and Ginny were pushing Ron into the flat.

Fred was setting up the table, and making it longer with the help of magic, and, upon seeing Hermione, had smiled and said, "Hello there, doll. It's been _forever _since we last saw each other," with a wink. Hermione shook her head with a smirk and heard a grunt from Ron before Ginny slapped his arm.

She said hello to Neville and Luna as she walked past Fred to hug Ginny and greet Harry and Ron.

"Hermione," Harry smiled as he addressed her and turned to Ron to nudge him lightly.

"Hi," was all that the ginger-haired, freckled boy said, looking down, as he refused to make eye contact with her.

Hermione forced a little smile and thought, "_He must remember what happened yesterday…"_

After a few moments of an awkward silence brooding above their heads, Ginny piped up cheerfully in an attempt to spark a conversation. "So! About that quidditch game last night- Can you believe Chudley Cannons lost to the-"

Suddenly, and ever so fortunately, the attention focused on George who had floo'd into the apartment in an apparent bubbly mood and had not wasted a second in rushing over to where his siblings had grouped together near the kitchen after casually greeting the couple on the couch. He was talking in a quick fashion and the others- even Luna, who normally had a sweet, neutral expression, had an eyebrow raised at the way he was acting - were curious as to why George seemed so excited.

"Blimey- I take it you were responsible for cooking breakfast, I see," the tall Weasley twin muttered to his counterpart who was placing a heating spell on the pile of food at the table.

Fred merely nodded and before he could comment on his brother's strage behavior, the flames from the fireplace turned green, and out came Angelina, who seemed a bit flushed to the face. She looked around apologetically and said, "Sorry; I hope I didn't miss anything."

George was the first to smile in acknowledgement at the girl who just appeared and reassured her with, "You didn't miss anything, doll."

Fred could have sworn he saw a wink be exchanged between the two, but he brushed off the thought. _"George does sometimes get a little twitch in his eye…_" he thought silently to himself with a smile.

A few seconds later, Harry quickly clapped his hands together and announced, "Well, everyone's here! Let's eat!"

Hermione glanced at Fred who had motioned towards the seat next to him as he sat down. She took the seat next to him and saw Ginny smiling at the two of them as she and Harry sat down on the opposite side of the table. Ron took the seat next to Harry which placed him directly in front of Fred. Luna and Neville sat down to Hermione's right side and George and Angelina sat down in the remaining seats with George at one side of the table- in between Fred and Ron- and Angelina on the other side of the table, sitting next to Ginny.

Ron took one fleeting glance at Fred and Hermione and immediately asked Fred, without any eye contact, "Got any firewhiskey?"

Fred didn't ask any questions as he flicked his wand in the direction of the fridge, which opened, and out flew several bottles of firewhiskey that were now lining up on the counter. A bottle floated towards Ron who muttered a quiet, "Thanks," and opened the bottle nimbly and began pouring himself a glass.

As the food from the table slowly started depleting, so did the number of firewhiskey bottles that were on the kitchen counter. Quite frankly, everyone had a little bit to drink- even Hermione who had one sip from Fred's cup when she mistook it for her own. However, there was no doubt that Ron was having more to drink than everyone at the table combined.

Angelina and Ginny were currently in a heated conversation about quidditch on who they were hoping would take home the cup as Harry, Neville, George, and Fred added their comments to the girls' conversation. Luna and Hermione, however, were having a peaceful exchange as Hermione asked about the blonde girl and Neville's ongoing relationship.

Nobody had said anything to Ron- who seemed to be in a grumpy mood- as the alcohol seemed to keep the, clearly aggravated, freckled boy's mind off of certain things as he merely ate and swiftly finished his drink, glass by glass, in silence.

It wasn't until Harry had asked nonchalantly in the direction of Fred and Hermione, "How are you two?" that Ron's temper began to flare. Fred had just gotten his napkin, and had to swear on Merlin's beard that he wasn't up to any mischief, to wipe a bit of yolk from the side of the brunette witch's mouth when the question had come up.

Hermione had opened her mouth slightly to respond, but Ron had drunkenly interrupted by voicing, in a hiss-like manner, his own question, "Yeah; how was your _date_, you two?"

Fred's eyes narrowed at the tone at which Ron spoke, as if his little brother had been mocking them, but Hermione had answered, "We're doing well and it was lovely, Ronald." The ginger boy in front of her had flinched slightly and proceeded to finishing the contents of his glass before reaching for another bottle.

Fred muttered under his breath, "Ickle Ronniekins, if you drink any more, George and I will have to haul your sloshed arse back to the Burrow-"

"-We're sure Harry wouldn't particularly enjoy spending even just one night with your pissed self-" George continued.

"-Even he must know the wanker you become when you're plastered," Fred finished with a teasing smile on his face.

Ron sent them both deadly stares as he poured himself more to drink and hissed out, "Sod off," in a harsh voice that caused the table to suddenly become quiet.

Hermione glanced nervously at Fred, and before she could say anything, the Weasley boy was already voicing, "I reckon by the sound of your tone, little brother, that something's on your mind." His jaws locked and his eyes were hardening when he asked, "Is there anything you need to say to me or 'Mione?" His right hand now balled into a fist, which was now clenching onto the table cloth.

Ron watched Hermione place a single delicate hand on top of his older brother's fist- in an attempt to calm him down- and he instantaneously lost all of the composure that he had attempted to hold the entire evening as he pushed the table and stood up as he yelled at the top of his vocal chords in a loud roar, "_When will you realize that my bastard git of an older brother will _never_ love you the way I do!" _

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><p><em>In the next chapter: What happens after Ron's drunken outburst?<em>


	12. Day Five Part 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thanks to all who are reading One Week and I'm glad you all are enjoying it. Sorry for the delay; school just started and so I have a limited amount of time to write. However, I know where I'm heading with this, so no worries! I'm not going to abandon One Week no matter what C: **

**Also, I haven't gotten any comments about this yet, but I just want to say it in case any were thinking about it. ****I'm trying to not make Ron seem like the bad guy completely in One Week, or at least not uncharacteristically. I'm trying to show that his actions are justified for his unrequited feelings for Hermione / alcohol consumption. You would get bitter too if you had to watch the girl you were in love (who was never quite in love with you the same way, which was the reason why you both broke up) trying to be swept off her feet by your older brother. **_**A drunk mind speaks a sober heart. **_**I swear I don't hate Ron and I'm sorry if it seemed that way. I ship Fremione, but that doesn't mean I don't feel sorry for the bloke D: Hopefully this chapter portrays that more than anything.**

**That being said, I hope you enjoy chapter twelve! **

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><p>"<em>When will you realize that my bastard git of an older brother will <em>never_ love you the way I do!"_

Fred took one long look at Ron as he took in what his little brother was saying; in a matter of only mere seconds, chaos broke out at the table.

The first and last thing that Hermione was able to perceive after Fred pounced towards Ron was his clenched fist meeting the side of Ron's face. The table cloth had been yanked with the Weasley twin's weight, causing the contents on the table to spill everywhere, as he plunged towards the ground- taking Ron down with him- furiously taking matters into his own hands by the means of unleashing his wrath upon the mouth at which Ron's outburst came out of.

Everything else became a blur as limbs started flying in all directions between the brothers who were now angrily exchanging punches and scratches on the floor. Roars from both Ron and Fred could be heard as George dashed towards Fred to hold his arms back and Harry had held back his Ron's.

Ron had been able to fiercely escape from his best friend's clutches and tackled both Fred and George onto the ground before Neville and Harry grabbed the ginger-haired boy's arms and hauled him off of the twins who looked as if they were ready to throttle their younger brother. Angelina rushed over to Fred and George and was now attempting to calm them both down and restrain them from attacking Ron as Ginny worked with Neville and Harry to do the same for Ron.

Luna glanced worriedly towards Hermione before they both, to Fred's dismay, joined the circle around Ron, who was now sitting on the floor, with his hand clasped over the side of his face where a purple bruise had formed where Fred had repeatedly punched him. Neville was muttering healing spells over Ron when Luna and Hermione joined them, and, when the bruised boy had glanced up to make eye contact with the brunette witch, he visibly winced. Hermione knew it wasn't because of the physical pain as she frowned in response at him. Not knowing what to say- if there was anything to really tell the boy in that moment- she reached out and placed her hand on his arm silently, hoping it would be able to convey all the words she wished she could just release upon him.

_Are you okay? _

_You reckless idiot._

_Please be alright._

_Ron…_

"I'm leaving," was all the freckled Weasley boy said as he wrenched his arm away from under the girl's hand and wiped some smeared blood off of his cheek after Neville had stopped muttering spells under his breath. Harry let his gaze fall apologetically towards Hermione and Ginny, then to Fred and George, before him and Ron apparated out of the flat together.

Neville and Luna immediately took this as their cue to leave as they thanked Hermione- since Fred was currently having a hushed conversation with George and Angelina- for having them over and proceeded to floo out of the flat.

Ginny looked up and saw Hermione's face as hardened as she'd ever seen in her life- her jaw was locked; her eyes were open but were as blank as if she was not truly seeing; and her mouth was drawn in a tight line. She frowned and merely placed her hand comfortingly on top of her friend's. In response to her touch, Hermione glanced frantically up at Ginny as her eyes began to well with tears and her head began to throb with the many thoughts that were now racing in her mind. Ginny watched as Hermione's eyes read fear, confusion, and despair.

She heard a crack and saw that one twin had apparated, leaving the other and Angelina to exchange a few words before she, too, left the flat. Her attention returned back to Hermione as she glimpsed at the side of her eye to see that one of the twins was approaching them. She turned and realized it was Fred, who, besides a slightly cut bottom lip, had left the fight against Ron practically without a scratch.

"Hermione," he murmured; his voice was still harsher than she had gotten accustomed to, due to some left over frustration gained from the fight.

Ginny lifted her hand from Hermione's and hugged her quickly before informing her that she needed to check on Ron and Harry and walked over to the fireplace, having one more fleeting glance towards the two before flooing to Harry and Ron's flat, leaving Fred and Hermione alone.

Hermione didn't say anything as her previously anguish-filled expression flickered back to the stone cold countenance that she had just previously worn.

"I'm sorry," he muttered when she remained silent.

She looked into his eyes and he added, "I'm not sorry for punching him- the prat deserved it. I'm sorry for putting you through this."

"He didn't know what he was saying and even so, he meant no harm; he's your brother and you had no right to hit him." Hermione said this in a monotone voice as her mind was still trying to separate the many different emotions that she was experiencing.

The blue-eyed Weasley twin's jaw had dropped slightly in response to what she said and he repeated disbelievingly, "_'No right'_." Fred was shaking his head at the girl's words when he continued, _"'Meant no harm'?"_ Fred exclaimed exasperatedly and threw his arms up, obviously irritated. "The bloody twat had it coming, 'Mione!"

Hermione's eyes widened at Fred's words and she gritted her teeth as she sucked in a breath and slapped him, causing his head to jerk at her hand's contact with the side of his face.

The brilliant girl shook her head and, with her voice masked with frustration, exclaimed, "He was pissed, Fred!" Her eyebrows furrowed as she repeated, "_Pissed,_" with extra emphasis on the word.

Anger spread all throughout his face as he swiped a firewhiskey bottle off the kitchen counter, causing it to shatter on the floor, hundreds of glass shards scattered across the hardwood flooring as the stench of alcohol began to fill the room as it spilled all over. It didn't seem to faze the Weasley twin as he spat, "I wouldn't take back the punches even if I could."

Disbelief was all that was shown on Hermione's face as she narrowed her eyes at him, tears starting to pool over, and apparated without another word to the Weasley twin.

X-X-X-X

Silence was all that had followed Hermione for the following hours. She half-expected for Fred to realize how daft he had been, for saying what he had said, and to floo into her flat in order to express his remorse for his actions. However, the other half of her expectations had been the ones that remained true- that Fred would remain as stubborn as she noticed had practically came with the Weasley name, and refuse to apologize, as if the action would permanently hex him.

She paced for at least the hundredth time around the room as she thought about everything and finally crumpled into a heap on her bed, curling her knees inwards and closing her eyes. Hermione didn't know how many seconds or minutes or hours had passed as she kept her eyes closed and just allowed herself to dwell upon her mind's consistent bombardment of thoughts. Her eyes snapped open when she heard the fireplace roar and she sat up quickly to see Ron enter her flat with a look of guilt all over his countenance.

Ron walked over towards her, and greeted her with, "Hermione," as his eyes stayed glued to the floor.

Hermione looked at her company and merely inquired, "What are you doing here, Ronald?"

"I just want to say that I'm sorry for what happened today because of my outburst…" He finally made eye contact with Hermione, but it didn't last long as he looked away when he added, "I went to Fred and George's first- I thought you'd be there. It turns out no one was in the flat at the time, so I wondered if you and Fred came to your flat."

The brilliant brunette shook her head slowly as her lips pulled down into a frown and she informed him, "Frederick and I had a disagreement about today's occurrence and we're currently not on speaking terms."

She witnessed Ron's face distort and before he could think clearly, he was voicing, "Oh, sodding hell, _no,_ Hermione…" His voice trailed off as he seemed to struggle for the words to say with his eyebrows furrowed; when it would appear as if he were going to say something by opening his mouth slightly, his brow would furrow deeper, but nothing would come out and he'd close his mouth again into a tight line. Finally, he let out, "I know how much he must mean to you. I see it in the way you smile when you look at him." She could see his white knuckles as his fists clenched and his eyes began to flare with passion as he continued, "If anything, Hermione, don't let my pissed outburst ruin everything you had going for you."

The brilliant brunette girl stared back, not completely sure what to say as Ron allowed his gaze to bore deep into hers and she heard him add, "I know it's all in bad taste, but let's just say Fred knocked some sense into me today." A slight smile tugged on the corner of his mouth and he finished, "I realized that my brother, although being an absolute prat who doesn't think before doing something, can and will love you- perhaps more than I'll ever know."

Hermione immediately got up and dashed towards the freckled boy and ran into his arms, embracing him with all she had in her. His arms wound tightly around her as she buried her face in his chest and she breathed out, "You mean so much to me, Ron." He rubbed circles into her back as he whispered into the bed of her hair, "All I want is for you to be happy."

After a few moments, she released her hold and looked up at her wall clock to see that it was 5:13 PM and looked up into Ron's face and questioned, "Should I pay a visit to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to see Fred, then?"

For the first time in what seemed like a very long time, Hermione watched Ron's sincere smile fall upon his face as he nodded and patted Hermione on her back. He walked over the fire place and turned around to call back, "Good luck, Hermione," and proceeded to floo back to his and Harry's flat.

X-X-X-X

"_It's not about who has to apologize first- it's about reconciling despite disagreeing on both our parts,"_ Hermione thought to herself as she walked towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes._ "Ron said no one was in their flat, so perhaps Fred is taking time to himself in the sho-"_

Her thoughts were pulled to a halt as she saw the ginger-haired twin walking towards the shop, with a sway in his walk. _"Has he been drinking?"_ Hermione thought from the shadows of the alleyway in which she was standing in. She contemplated running after him, but she saw someone had already caught up with the intoxicated boy who was now fumbling with his keys. _Angelina._

She watched as Angelina had pulled on the Weasley twin's sleeve and smiled at him, coaxing a smile to fall upon his own lips. This was followed by Hermione witnessing Angelina stand slightly on her toes and kiss Fred on the cheek. A loud giggle from the girl could be heard as she entered the shop, pulling him along with her.

Hermione's heart shattered as she swallowed a lump in her throat and allowed her hands to clench onto her other arm that was falling limply at her side as she turned to walk away in the opposite direction of the shop. She bit her lip and shook her head, _"_Of course. _One fight and he just forgets about me. He only had to go through a week without physically advancing on a female and, _of course _after our first disagreement, he goes for the first chance he can get for a good shag." _A throbbing pain filled her chest as her eyes brimmed with tears_. _She felt the same discomforting choking sensation in the back of her throat that she always felt when she was about to cry as her thoughts added,_ "Well, he didn't mean anything to me anyway. It was just-"_ His face flickered behind her eyelids as she closed them tightly and began choking back her tears. "_It was just a stupid, _stupid _week."_

She began walking away with the burden of her heavy heart beating rapidly against her chest. She felt like it was going to burst as she attempted to calm her breathing against the uncomfortable aching she was feeling inside of her. She had only walked a few steps away when she heard shouting from behind her. She couldn't quite make out what had been yelled, and she was going to brush it off, but when she turned around to see what was going on, she saw the slender blue-eyed boy, with his button-up shirt undone, yelling back at the girl behind him. Feeling heartbroken, but curious, Hermione walked towards the source of the argument, still hiding in the shadows of the alleyway.

"Come back inside, Fred," she heard Angelina sing as the girl reached out her arms in an inviting gesture.

"Ang- no," he was shaking his head as he began to work on the buttons on his shirt. He added, with a louder stern voice which Hermione was able to hear from where she hid, "No. I'm going to check on Hermione."

Hermione watched as Angelina waltzed towards the boy who was walking away and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his back lovingly. The sight was too much to bear as Hermione struggled to keep from intervening. Her nails were piercing her palm as she fought against the urge to run over to where Angelina was embracing Fred and just pull him into her arms.

She saw Fred turn to face Angelina and hold her as she grinned up at him in response. The girl released her hold from him, the smile still on her face, as she approached the entrance of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, but was shocked when the door was locked. Hermione watched Angelina immediately look at the twin and saw him with his wand out, pointed at the door handle. After a few words, which she couldn't hear, were exchanged, in a flash, he was gone.

X-X-X-X

_-30 minutes earlier-_

"Another firewhiskey," Fred had called out to the bartender at Hog's Head Pub. He let his face fall into his hands as Hermione's countenance burned in the back of his mind. It wasn't the same image he had dreamt about or often got scolded for daydreaming about, when he was working at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with George, but it was the broken-hearted, disappointed expression barren face that she had before she had left his flat. He groaned a, "Thanks," once his firewhiskey came and he allowed the alcohol to burn excruciatingly in his throat as he chugged it down. He coughed after finishing his bottle and pushed it away as he now rested his head on top of the cold mahogany counters of the bar.

"Fred?" he heard someone call his name. It didn't sound nearly as silky as Hermione's enchanting voice did, but he still had sincere hope that, when he turned around, it would be the brown-eyed girl who he had upset earlier that day. It was Angelina.

He turned back to the bottle he had previously pushed away and started sliding it back and forth between his hands as he muttered, "Hey."

Angelina frowned and inquired, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm studying, Angie," the Weasley twin replied sarcastically. He pulled a couple of galleons from his pocket and handed them to the bartender as he stood up and brushed past the girl.

"You look down, Fred. What do you say I show you a fun time?" she asked, eyes gleaming and a smirk falling upon her face.

Fred shook his head as he sullenly said, "I'm going back to the shop," and apparated before she could say anything else.

He groaned directly right after the apparition and clutched his stomach, feeling as though he was about to puke, before composing himself in order to walk towards the shop with his head still spinning. He was watching each of his steps as he neared Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He noticed he wasn't walking straight, and he thought to himself, _"Had I really had that much to drink…?"_ He reached the door and grabbed the keys from his pocket- since he didn't dare apparate again while in his condition- and was searching for the right key when someone approached him. Hope that it was Hermione yet again flared in his heart and then diminished as soon as he turned and saw Angelina standing beside him.

He unlocked the door and Angelina had pulled on the sleeves of the white button-up shirt he was wearing. "I'm just looking for George," she informed him with a beaming smile. He smiled politely back at her, but was surprised when she stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks, Fred," she said as she nodded before opening the door, pulling the tall ginger-haired boy in tow.

"George! Angelina's here to see you!" Fred shouted, but there was no response.

Fred looked back at Angelina and apologized nonchalantly, "Sorry, doll, but it seems that George is out. What is it that you wanted with him?"

Angelina strode to his side and rested her hands on top of his shirt and felt his body tense underneath her touch. "I was looking to have some fun. However I suppose you're not too bad yourself, Freddie," she whispered into his ears and began unbuttoning his shirt. "What do you say we have some fun for old time's sake?" She began kissing his neck and Fred closed his eyes, trying desperately to sort his thoughts through. _"Do I want this?"_ She got all the buttons undone when his mind began racing_, "No. No- Hermione. _Hermione._"_ He pushed the girl lightly away and shook his head, as if to shake his mind free of all the thoughts hitting him in that moment.

"What's wrong, Fred?" He heard his past girlfriend question.

"Hermione," was all he said in response, conflict apparent in his expression.

"Brightest witch of her age- Hermione?" Angelina scoffed.

Fred didn't say anything as he walked towards the entrance of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and opened the door, walking out a few steps outside of it before muttering, "I think you should leave."

Angelina exited the shop, but immediately turned around and said, voice masked in disbelief, "I can't believe you're choosing that know-it-all witch- who, need I remind you, chose _Ron_ over you today while I was the one who helped you and George- over me." Her voice was rising in volume with every word.

Anger found its home in Fred's vocal chords as he roared, "I would choose Hermione over you any day!" His alcohol-wreaked breath filled his nostrils as he yelled.

Angelina stayed calm as she whispered, "You're drunk. You don't know what you're saying." She opened her arms in an inviting gesture and called out loudly in a sing-song voice, "Come back inside, Fred."

"Ang- no." Fred shook his head as he slowly worked to button up his shirt. He added, with a louder stern voice, "No. I'm going to check on Hermione."

Angelina approached the lanky Weasley twin who was now walking away and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his back, "Hermione is lucky to have you, Fred."

Fred stiffened under the girl's embrace, but turned to wrap his arms around her gingerly.

"I feel like I'm the lucky one to have her," he confessed, looking down at the girl in his embrace.

Angelina shone a bright, slightly mischievous grin and whispered, "Maybe I can change your mind about her," into his chest. She released her hold from him, the smile still on her face, as she approached the entrance of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She tried the doorknob, but it was locked. Her eyes flashed to Fred and saw him with his wand out, pointed at the door handle.

"I'm sorry, love, but Hermione's the only girl for me. I wish you would be able to say the same for yourself towards George. Don't worry though. I'll tell him you dropped by-" His voice laced with sheer disappointment as he hissed out, "-To have fun with us _both_." His resentful-filled eyes didn't remove their gaze from hers as he apparated, leaving Angelina to stomp angrily away.

In the distance, hidden in the dark shadows of the alleyway, Hermione was left with a throbbing heart and a mind full of questions as she sought to return to her apartment and talk to the Weasley twin who she was absolutely sure was on his way to see her right now.

* * *

><p><em>In the next chapter: Hermione is left confused due to her one-sided account of what she witnessed between Fred and Angelina. What happens when she and Fred discuss everything?<em>


	13. Day Five Part 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thank you to all who are reading One Week, whether it be the people who have been reading it since the publication of the first chapter or those who have just started reading it! Also, thanks for all the reviews! I read them all and they really do inspire and encourage me to write more C:  
><strong>

**I'm sorry that this chapter is a bit short compared to how long the chapters have been lately. The next chapter should be a lot longer, so I suppose that's something to look forward to if you finish this one quickly, haha ;D **

**I hope you enjoy chapter thirteen! :D**

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><p>Hermione apparated into her flat and had glanced out the doorscope at the entrance of her home, checking to see if the Weasley twin who was occupying her mind had already arrived. After seeing no trace of him, she walked back into her bed room and began to pace as she awaited the arrival of Fred, stopping every few steps to listen intently for any sounds of arrival.<p>

Suddenly, she heard several knocks on the door. She was sure that she didn't hear any signs of approach and she began to wonder how long he had been out there. Perhaps he had apparated in front of her flat before she was able to arrive and was out of the peephole's view and was merely waiting out there, probably thinking of the words to say. Or maybe he had apparated in as she paced, but the quick pulsing of Hermione's steadily beating heart had drowned out everything else around her, so she couldn't even hear the slight _crack_ of his apparition.

She lightly shook her head at the possibilities and contemplated over what she was to say to the blue-eyed wizard as she walked over to her door, taking a deep breath before opening it.

There he was- his ginger hair tousled, his cheeks tinted with a light pink blush although his expression looked calm, and eyes filled with sincerity- standing tall, voice unwavering as he stated in a stern voice, "Hermione, I'm sorr-" His apology was cut off and an "-oomph!" escaped the slender boy's mouth as Hermione flung her arms around him in a passionate embrace as if clinging to him like he was the only thing still keeping her on the ground. She found content in discovering that he smelled of the same scent that she grew to adore- spearmint and the faint lingering of explosive powder- instead of the alcohol that she was expecting. "_He must have cleaned himself up a bit before coming here,"_ she supposed silently.

"Why're you hugging me, 'Mione? I thought you despised every fiber of my being right now," he spoke out quietly, his tone unbelieving. She feebly glanced up at him and his grip tightened around her when she tried to release her hold from him in order to examine the emotion that would be found, clear as day, in his deep blue eyes.

A knot tied in her stomach as she processed just why she had hugged him spontaneously. _"Because it nearly killed me to see Angelina with her arms around you, thinking that I would never be able to hug you like this ever again, had she had her way with you," _she brooded over the thought silently.

She contemplated a reply for a while and decided to voice the truth. "I saw Angelina and you when I came to talk to you today after our disagreement. I saw her kiss you on the cheek and I saw you go into the shop with her," she started and she felt his grip around her falter slightly as the rest of his body tensed. She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, her heart beating frantically against her chest, as she continued, her voice dropped to a low murmur "I kept thinking, '_Fred and I have one fight and he goes and gets himself shagged-'_" She feigned a chuckle, which was heavily masked with despair, yet she hoped he hadn't caught it in between the laughter. Fred began stroking her golden brown wavy locks soothingly- "_He caught it,_" she thought to herself.

Hermione looked up curiously to see his expression, but he didn't dare look into her eyes as he spoke, briefly interrupting her, "I'm a git. A complete, utter bloody bastard at times, even." The corner of his mouth tugged up into a pitiful smile and quickly disappeared when he continued, face completely serious, "I'm stubborn and I do things without thinking, 'Mione, but I would _never-_" He was shaking his head as if he were sincerely disturbed at the mere thought of betrayal.

A single soft finger was placed delicately on the boy's lips as she broke away from the boy's arms and the corner of Hermione's mouth pulled up slightly in her attempt to smile at him as she whispered, "I know." Her eyes softened in the gaze of his blue orbs as she added, "I heard you yelling at her and I witnessed you apparate away from her after locking the door when all she wanted to do was go back inside with you." Her eyes trailed the floor as she gulped back her emotions and added, "You could have chosen to forget about me, Fred, but you didn't." Her eyebrows furrowed the way they usually did when she came across a question that needed to be thought through and she continued, "Quite frankly, I don't understand why…There, you had a beautiful woman minutes away from shagging you, and you left. To see me- an undoubtedly complicated, outspoken female who _slapped_ and left you to drink to your heart's content." She spoke out the word 'slapped' as if she was filled with nothing but repugnance towards herself.

Fred situated his palms on her shoulders and as he stared into her eyes to reassure her with, "You had every reason to slap me, love. I was being a prat." He smiled at her and added, "If I were you, I would have hexed myself the second I raised my voice at you and I apologize for that." He looked down at the floor and when his eyes returned their gaze back to her there was a blazing fire behind them as he solemnly stated, "You can line up ten of the prettiest- in your opinion- women on this planet and I'd still think you're the most beautiful of them all, Hermione. _Every time._" A tiny smile crept along his face and he muttered, "Even if steam were protruding from your ears from rage."

She watched as Fred grinned wholeheartedly at her and leaned down to whisper, "I don't know if anyone has told you this, 'Mione, but you look absolutely gorgeous when you're flustered," followed by a couple of wiggles from his eyebrows.

The mood immediately shifted to a lighthearted setting as the brilliant witch shook her head at the boy's ridiculous opinion. She smiled and reached out her arm in an attempt to push the ginger-haired boy away playfully, but Fred's fingers wrapped around her sleeve and pulled her in, holding her close to his body. A giggle escaped from the girl and she fought to escape his hold on her, using her left hand to swat him away. He chuckled and his right hand found her left as his left hand located itself carefully on Hermione's curve line.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, but a smile was on her face when she asked her beaming companion, "What are you doing, Fred?"

He responded by swaying, leading the brunette girl in a graceful circle, and twirling her before laughing out, "Dancing."

She gazed down, a faint blush spreading on her cheeks when she smiled and said, "But there's no music, Fred."

The two continued dancing in silence when, suddenly, the boy began to hum a tune that was a bit upbeat and he quickened their pacing and twirled her around which coaxed a rather loud giggle from Hermione. The tune began to slow and he resumed their original slow and easy movement as he laced his fingers in hers and wrapped his hand lightly around her waist.

They were swaying to the slow humming for a minute when Fred began to murmur a song in the same tune that he had just been humming, "_Hermioneee, you make my-_" He paused for a second to think and continued, "_kneeees_-" Another slight pause. _"_-_go weeeak. Leaving me breathless I can hardly_-" He twirled her around and sang out dramatically, _"- speeeeak. So thank you-" _He smiled down at her when he finished,_ "-for this weeeek."_

Hermione burst out into laughter and Fred immediately frowned and muttered, "Am I really that bad of a singer?" The girl shook her head furiously and when she looked up, she smiled and laughed out, "Your voice is beautiful, Fred." His eyes narrowed suspiciously as the girl continued to snicker with her head pressed against his shoulder, and when she glanced up and saw his expression, she smiled and added in her defense, "It caught me off guard, is all. I think you're a lovely singer."

Fred's face automatically lit up and he smiled mischievously when he winked and asked, "Really?"

"Don't push it. I don't want you to start getting a big head now," she muttered, rolling her eyes, and smiled before correcting him, "Although, it is only day five, I believe. It hasn't been a week yet."

He winked at her and, in the process of shaking her head and looking away from his gaze, she glimpsed up towards the clock and read "7:15" and his eyes followed hers as he read the time as well and he frowned in response.

"I should be leaving soon. I told George I'd help him set up the shop for tomorrow at around 7:30. I haven't told him I've got something planned for you and me though, so come by the shop after opening. Alright, 'Mione?" he asked with a lopsided smile placed on his face.

Hermione nodded as she let go of his hand and Fred visibly frowned at the release, but regained his composure as he reached out for the girl's hand once more and bent over to place his soft, luscious lips upon the back of the girl's hand. With his lips still in contact with her hand, he looked up to see a shocked expression on the brilliant girl's countenance and he smiled against her delicate hand.

"Thank you for the dance, love," he said, dropping her hand to wink at the girl who now had a scarlet blush painted across her cheeks.

He walked over the fireplace slowly and he looked back at Hermione who was now caressing the hand he had kissed in her other hand. "See you tomorrow, 'Mione," he smiled at her before grabbing floo powder from the tin above her fireplace, throwing it in, and shouting, "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!"

Hermione watched as Fred disappeared into the bright green flames and looked down at the back of the palm of her hand- the warmth of his lips still lingering upon the spot where he had kissed her.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: What happens when Hermione goes to the shop a couple minutes before Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes opens?<em>


	14. Day Six

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading One Week! I hope you all are sticking around! As I've said before, school has started, so it's been taking a while to write the chapter, get it sent to at least more than half of my betas, and then edit it with their feedback and such, but so far, I'm pretty sure I can guarantee at least one update a week. Perhaps if things get busy- one update every two weeks. Hopefully I can keep things coming at a steady pace so that you all don't have to wait a long time to read the next chapter though! I apologize for the wait!**

**I hope you enjoy chapter fourteen! :D**

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><p><em>Fred opened his eyes and found himself five hundred feet above the ground with the wind blowing gracefully through his flaming red hair. He closed his eyes again, allowing the breeze to surround him as he took in a deep breath. Suddenly, he felt two delicate arms wrap around his waist from behind. He opened his eyes and turned his head to see the same brown, bushy hair he had gotten so used to seeing flowing along with the wind. He smiled and she peeked from behind his body to look at the view below them. They were flying well above green hills which seemed to roll endlessly. In the distance, a lake, which seemed to have been enchanted, was placed; tiny dots indicating that people were playing along the shore of the lake. Above them, the grand balloon which carried the two was decorated with magnificent vivid colors of scarlet, orange, gold, cerulean, and white. <em>

_Hermione released her hold from him and waltzed beside him, grasping the edge of the large basket which carried them before sighing in relief. "It's definitely better than what I read in my books growing up," she spoke out, breaking the silence. _

_Fred glanced back at her and smiled. Her hair was flying wildly, but the expression on her face was completely serene. Her eyes were closed and her face was pointed towards the sky, letting the sun's glorious rays give her countenance a golden glow, making her more radiant than the Weasley twin already took her accounted for. He reached out his hand and brushed a stray hair behind the girl's ear and she opened her eyes and smiled wholeheartedly at him._

_His heart was racing- chest pounding, butterflies fluttering all around his stomach, and his nerves wracking- as their faces inched closer and closer and-_

"Get up, you lazy arse!" George yelled into Fred's ear as the previously dormant boy grumbled something and rolled over to look into his twin's eyes.

"Why in Merlin's name are you shouting, mate?" Fred questioned, irritation and aggravation laced in his voice. He was groaning inwardly, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to hold onto his dream as it was slowly, but surely, slipping away.

The ginger-haired twin grabbed a pillow and wacked his half-asleep counterpart on the head with it and when his brother opened his eyes, which narrowed at him, he puffed out his chest and proudly voiced, "I'm taking Angelina out today."

Fred felt his heart drop and he opened his mouth to speak, but George was already on his feet and out the door.

"_I didn't get to tell George about what happened yesterday when I was helping him down at the shop last night. He seemed as if he was in a bad mood, so I didn't get to tell him about how I want to take Hermione out, also…" _he thought silently as he stretched and stood up. He moaned when he looked up at his wall clock and saw it was 8:50; he had slept in and Hermione would be there soon. He walked to the doorway and spoke out, "Georgie? I need to talk to you."

George grabbed a bagel from its packaging and took a swift bite out of it as he shook his head and started talking, with his mouth full, "I don't want to hear it until you get yourself dressed for work. I can't look after the shop today because of my date wit-"

"Angelina, George. I need to talk to you about Angelina," Fred cut in briskly with a stern, harsh voice and George's eyebrows rose with curiosity.

"Well, what is it, mate?" George inquired, taking another bite from his bagel.

A subtle crack could be heard, in the midst of all of the sound that a few kitchen utensils were making, from a distance, but after nothing occurred, Fred quickly spoke out.

"Angelina. She-" He looked as if he was struggling with the words he was going to say as his expression read distress and he finally continued, "She came on to me yesterday."

George dropped the bagel he was eating and he narrowed his eyes at Fred as he hissed out, "_What_?"

"After my argument with Hermione, I went to get plastered at Hog's Head in hopes of sorting my thoughts through, and on the way back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, she said she was looking for you, but when you weren't home, she tried getting me to shag her," Fred explained. He thought that maybe if he were to explain what had happened, it would make the situation better. Fred watched rage flicker across his other half's countenance as he completely squished the bagel he had just picked up in his palm and Fred instantly thought, "_Bad idea,"_ but then George shut his eyes and massaged his temples with the tips of his fingers.

When George opened his eyes again, he looked strangely calm and he merely muttered, "She's just a bloody bird, anyway. What do you say we go out and cause some mayhem elsewhere after closing, brother?"

Fred felt his stomach flip over as he remembered the tickets for two to go on a so-called 'hot air balloon' that were sitting in his coat pocket that was in his bed room as he frowned and informed his brother, "I-I'm planning to take Hermione out today."

His other half sent the squished bagel flying into the trash and rage resided in every inch of his face as he blew up on his twin. "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione-" he openly mocked, voice raising its volume with every word, and he swiftly continued. "She's all you sodding ever talk about! You've skipped out on work nearly every bloody day and practically begged me to keep it closed yesterday so that you could make the girl bloody breakfast." Fred opened his mouth to respond, but George was already adding, "What- Are you just going to leave me here to tend the shop by myself after this week? What if she still sodding rejects you after this week, mate? She never agreed to go out with you before; what makes you think this time is different?"

Fred was speechless as he took in what his brother was saying. It hurt to know how his twin, best friend, and partner crime had truly thought about the whole situation, yet he knew George was right. What if Hermione were to reject him after this week? What if she were to say yes- would he still need to take her out on dates every day to make her stay since he had built up her expectations of him? He contemplated over such ideas as he replied, "This time _is _different."

X-X-X-X

Hermione floo'd into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes at 8:55. She was sure Fred wouldn't mind her being five minutes early, and she secretly hoped that he would be happy to see her earlier anyway. She walked out of the fireplace and looked around to see the shop empty.

"_Should I just leave and come back after the shop opens for business…?"_ she contemplated, but shook her head, deciding that the action would just be silly and that she should just apparate to their flat above the shop.

She appeared in front of the door leading to their flat and raised her fist to knock on the door, but she heard a familiar voice- she struggled a bit, but was able to determine it was Fred- say, "Angelina, she-" The Weasley twin's voice seemed to falter and she listened to hear him continue, "-she came on to me yesterday."

Her heart beat quickened and her jaw clenched as she waited outside of the door, feeling guilty about eavesdropping on the private conversation. However, her curious side was getting the better of her as she listened closely.

"_What?_" The hiss came from a nearly identical voice who she knew belonged to George. It was easier to hear him and Hermione inferred that he was near the kitchen counter which was within close range of the front door.

"After my argument with Hermione, I went to get plastered at Hog's Head in hopes of sorting my thoughts through, and on the way back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, she said she was looking for you, but when you weren't home, she tried getting me to shag her."

Hermione strained to fight against the discomforting aching that came to fill her stomach as she recalled the memory of yesterday's events.

"She's just a bloody bird, anyway. What do you say we go out and cause some mayhem elsewhere after closing, brother?"

"I-I'm planning to take Hermione out today." Fred's voice sounded reluctant.

The brilliant brunette stood outside the door, eyes on the handle, as she heard a mocking shout, "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione-" With each word, the yell got louder and she could clearly hear the anger residing in his voice. "She's all you sodding ever talk about! You've skipped out on work nearly every bloody day and practically begged me to keep it closed yesterday so that you could make the girl bloody breakfast. What- Are you just going to leave me here to tend the shop by myself after this week? What if she still sodding rejects you after this week, mate? She never agreed to go out with you before; what makes you think this time is different?"

"_Ouch,_" Hermione thought and she turned to leave, not quite sure whether she wanted to stay tuned in the conversation between the two brothers as she now realized just how much her relationship with Fred had affected the two.

"This time _is_ different." His tone sounded harsh, and suddenly an eerie silence seemed to fall above the two inside.

George took a bit longer to respond, but when he did, it was only a low murmur, yet Hermione was able to hear the sadness clearly in the tone of his voice.

"You're choosing her over me…Aren't you, Fred?"

"Of course not, George," Fred responded sullenly.

"It seems that ever since Hermione came into the picture that you've been distancing yourself from me- your twin, your best friend, your partner in crime. I didn't even find out about the bloody deal until Hermione asked me to help her decide whether to take the sodding deal or not. I didn't know that telling her to give you a chance would make me lose my twin."

Again, it was silent for a few moments and Hermione looked down and realized she was shaking from an extreme burst of emotion filling her. She closed her eyes and turned around, seconds away from apparating when she heard Fred's response. His voice was laced with anger and, to Hermione's dismay, sincerity.

"Hermione's just a sodding girl. She means nothing like that to me! If she says no then- oh well! Bloody hell, George! You're my brother for life. She's a bird that I'm trying to whoo for a week and then after that,_ it's over_."

Her wavy brunette hair whipped around quickly as she turned towards the door and she felt her stomach flip with unease as she thought, _"Did I hear correctly? No, he couldn't have said that…I must have misheard."_ She listened further and she heard Fred spit out, "I don't love the girl. Like you said about Angelina, she's just a bloody bird."

Hermione balled up her fists and immediately apparated away; her body now wracking with emotion and her eyes stinging from the tears that were brimming along her bottom eye lid.

X-X-X-X

"You know you don't mean that, Freddie…" George replied, his voice low, but his eyes were yelling out words he could not say.

Fred allowed his eyes to pass by George's vision and hinder there. Both parties silently screamed words that could not be heard as they both bore their gazes deep into the others. The emotional anguish of both brothers was apparent as their identical blue orbs carried a burning inferno behind their pupils.

It was Fred who responded, "Georgie, you are my best friend, my other half, my brother- no, my _twin_." He emphasized the word and continued, "No girl will ever change that." He let out a little smile and added, "But Hermione's something different…I really am starting to fall for the girl…" His eyes immediately softened up and they pleaded in their own way towards his twin who was staring back at him with understanding as he let out, "What I said earlier was a load of bollocks, but I just needed you to know that you'll remain a constant in my life, even when others may just be temporary."

George smirked at his twin and muttered, "Hermione must mean a lot to you, huh, brother?" Fred tilted his head and held a confused expression and before he could ask, George was already voicing, "It's just that your arse is getting all sentimental on me." He walked over to his twin and lightly shoved him and smiled out, "Last time I checked, I'm pretty sure I had a twin _brother_, not sister."

His counterpart looked up challengingly at him and pushed him softly in return and, with a smile, replied, "Sod off! Although, I do reckon I could still make more girls swoon than you can."

George shook his head and responded with, "I'd like to see you try," before allowing his eye sight to shift towards a clock on the wall that read, "9:35". He immediately exclaimed, "Bloody hell!" before grabbing a suit jacket on top of the couch and saying, "As much as I'd like to see your face when I pick up more ladies than you, I do believe you have a date with a certain bird, Fred." He walked over and put his hand on his brother's shoulder before saying, "Good luck." Fred clasped his brother's hand in his own before George apparated downstairs to open their shop for business.

X-X-X-X

_10:36 AM_

Fred was grateful that Hermione hadn't showed up just yet, so that he had enough time to prepare himself for their day out. He washed himself thoroughly and sported a white button up shirt with a casual light gray sweater over and a pair of dark navy blue jeans. He ran his glorious hand through his hair and ruffled it a bit, after deciding that the messy look suited him better. Dashing into his room to grab his coat, which held the two tickets to a hot-air balloon ride, he glanced at himself in the mirror for a second before deciding to check in on George before Hermione arrived.

He apparated down to the shop and George called out, "Oi! I thought you were on a date?"

Fred half-smiled and told him, "Hermione must be running a bit late, so I suppose I could help you out in the meantime."

_2:44 PM_

George glanced nervously at Fred who was at the front counter ringing up an old man's purchase. He seemed fidgety, his sight always racing between the fireplace placed in their shop and the front door whenever they heard the signal that portrayed a new arrival to the shop. George didn't know how much longer he could bear watching his other half's entire being falter whenever he looked towards the entrance and did not see Hermione. With every customer that came into the shop that wasn't the brilliant brunette witch who was currently occupying Fred's every thought, a minute seemed to cease to move on, causing time to seem especially slow. The seconds were hardly even moving, but everything seemed like a blur to the Weasley twin who had just unconsciously muttered a, "Good day, love," to the old man who merely sent him a confused look and shrugged before muttering, "You too, sonnie," with a raised eyebrow and leaving the shop.

Suddenly, the flames burned green and George could practically hear his twin's heartbeat from where he stood, a few feet away from him as he placed a miniature pygmy puff back into its rightful spot.

Fred was staring in the direction of the fireplace until long jet black hair could be seen and a grimace crossed his features immediately.

"I got this under control," George muttered, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and Fred's eyes spoke the words he chose not to say out loud.

_You're not alone. I won't just stand by and allow a girl to mess with my brother like that._

"George," Angelina frowned when the two boys approached her. She didn't acknowledge Fred as she continued, "Did you forget you were supposed to meet me at The Three Broomsticks at 12?"

Fred and George both glanced at each either and did a slight nod before George turned back to her and the corner of his lips pulled down as he replied, feigning exasperation, "I'm terribly sorry I didn't meet you, darling…"

His eyes sparked with the hints of mischief in the air and he continued, "It's just that Fred and I-"

"-Couldn't remember which one of us you wanted to meet at the bar," Fred inserted after George.

George nodded, going along with his brother's statement and added, "Or whether you wanted me for an hour."

"And me for the next." Fred crossed his arms and leaned on shelf.

"It got too troublesome, so we decided to just stay home," George shrugged and copied Fred's movements and leaned next to his twin brother.

Angelina looked disbelieving at both boys before letting out a sigh of frustration and apparating away, leaving the two boys glancing devilishly at each other before George noticed Fred's countenance change into a sudden troublesome expression and he shrugged again and stated, "It needed to be done, brother mine."

Fred shook his head and added, "Not about that. It's just that I thought Hermione would be here by now."

George smiled and lightly pushed him before saying, "You know Granger…She probably just got caught up in one of her novels and lost track of time."

His twin allowed a smile to flicker upon his face and he looked into George's eyes before he sighed and said, "I suppose you're right," before nudging into his other half's shoulder.

George gazed at his twin encouragingly and, in an attempt to get his brother's mind off of things, looked to a shelf and muttered, "Looks like our stock of love potions is dwindling down. Do you mind going upstairs and getting the box of restocks from your room?"

Fred raised an eyebrow at his brother's sudden request, but nodded and replied with, "Sure," before apparating upstairs to their flat.

The tall ginger-haired twin walked briskly into his room and to the pile of boxes where the love potions should have been. He was fumbling through the many cardboard boxes when he heard slight tapping on the window and his head shot up at the sound. A smile plastered on his face as he recognized the owl Hermione used to send letters to people with a parchment in its beak and he forgot all about his previous task as he opened the window to allow the bird to fly in. He retrieved the piece of parchment from the owl and it quickly flew back out after Fred had the letter in his hand.

Fred unrolled the letter and took one quick skim at the words neatly written in black ink across the paper, hoping for an explanation and a notice saying that she'd be there in a jiffy, but instead, before he could even read the last sentences , he felt his heart drop into his stomach and begin to turn itself out. He closed his eyes and chuckled quietly, thinking, _"When I open my eyes, I'll continue reading and sprawled out will be a big 'I'm just kidding, Fred. I'll be on my way shortly.'"_

However, when his eyes scanned the paper again, reading between the lines in case he had missed something the first time around, he found nothing that hinted towards even the slightest attempt at a joke. In that moment, it felt as though the ground beneath him had broken through and he was free falling as he reread the words, slowly and carefully, with a mixture of false hope that the words would change, but they never did. Every word stayed the same, staring at him blankly- no explanation behind them as they continued to make his entire being churn with negative emotions.

Although a million thoughts were racing across his mind, only one word popped out- screaming amongst the rest of the whispers that filled his head.

_Hermione…_

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><p><em>In the next chapter: What was written in the letter Hermione wrote Fred?<em>


	15. Day Six Part 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does._

**A/N: I'm sure so many of you must hate me for making you wait so long and, trust me, I'm terribly sorry and I appreciate all those who still have hope in me and this story! I do intend to finish it and I hope everyone can rest assure in that fact. And with that said…**

**I hope you enjoy chapter fifteen!**

* * *

><p><em>Dear Fred,<em>

_I feel as if it's only fair to inform you about the early ending to this deal of ours. You have showed me an ebullient, carefree perspective of the world in these five days that we shared, but I'm afraid I can no longer continue with this. I cannot say that I regret these past days because they have been one of the most consecutive captivating days that I've experienced in a long while, but I no longer wish to dwell upon the memories you have given me. I realize that it may seem cowardly saying this all through a letter, but I cannot find it in my heart to have to tell you this in person. I hope you are happy with the life you pursue and I wish you the best of luck._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione_

Fred stared with despair at the paper; no longer reading, for he had nearly memorized every sincere word, although the action in itself was excruciatingly agonizing. Slowly, his focus with reality began to diminish and as he stared without seeing, he found his grip on the letter begin to falter, causing the parchment to slip between his fingers and flutter to the ground. Fred snapped back to reality when he bent over to pick up the letter, but as he held the delicate parchment between his fingers, he found himself tearing the paper to shreds. Each tear to the paper synchronized with the ripping his heart was going through as it beat heavily against his chest.

Feeling his temperature immediately rising as his face flushed with emotion, the Weasley twin tore his coat off and threw it across the room and, as he did so, two slips of paper flew out of his pockets and landed a few feet away from him. The ginger-haired boy glanced up from anguish-filled eyes and walked with feet full of lead towards the contents that had fallen out of his jacket. With a few swift motions, he picked them up and glanced at them before shutting his eyes and tearing up the tickets for two to ride on a hot air balloon.

His blue eyes were brimming with tears of frustration as he watched the shreds slowly fall to the ground and he shook his head, as if to shake away the tears that were building up under his eyelids. _"Leave it to Fred Weasley to ruin everything," _he thought to himself bitterly. He choked back his emotions as he shook his head again, fiercer than before, and he contemplated rushing to her flat, but decided against it after much consideration. _"What'd I do to make her end the deal so abruptly_…?" He questioned himself against the pulsating of his head. He sighed and let out the thought, "_Well, whatever it is, I reckon Hermione doesn't want to see me and that's for certain…"_

The lanky twin leaned against his wardrobe with his forehead pressed against the dark mahogany wood and exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was keeping captive in his lungs as he pushed off and quickly muttered, "Accio love potions," so that a cardboard box flew straight into his arms. He didn't take a second glance towards the shreds of paper he left lying on the floor as he apparated down to the shop.

"Bollocks, Fred; what took you so long? You just missed the afternoon rush," George asked when he noticed his twin appear with the box. He immediately perceived the distressed look on his other half's countenance and frowned as he questioned, "What's wrong, Freddie?"

Fred placed the box down next to his brother and sighed before furrowing his eyebrows, as if he was still in deep contemplation, and replied, "Hermione ended it." He shook his head and muttered, "Through a sodding letter." He sighed, looked into his twin's eyes, and finished, "I know it was just a deal- full of uncertainties, but I was so sure I'd get her to come around."

George, not knowing what to say, but certain he had a suggestion that would cheer up his counterpart, smiled comfortingly at him and stated, "What do you say we close the shop early today at around seven, so you and I can go cause some mayhem elsewhere? Maybe afterwards, we could grab a few drinks at The Three Broomsticks with Ron, even."

The attempt was weak, but the fact that George had even attempted to cheer him up was enough for Fred to smile and nod. "I reckon that sounds like a great plan, Georgie."

_7:15 PM_

"You owled Ron telling him to meet us at the bar at 8 P.M., right?" George asked for clarification to his brother who was leaning against the brick walls near the shop as he handed Fred his broomstick.

"Yep," was all Fred muttered as he took his broomstick and breathed out a sigh, causing a heavy fog to form in the newfound chilly, evening air.

George smiled sympathetically at his twin and mounted the broomstick simultaneously with Fred. He carried a bag full of pranking material and inventions that hadn't been released yet since they were planning to test them out before meeting Ron at the bar. He bolted before Fred and noticed that his brother was easily riding his broom slowly with a look of despair spread all throughout his features. This caused him to return to his twin and smile encouragingly in his direction.

"Loser pays for the rounds at The Three Broomsticks tonight with Ron- and you know how much Ron can drink," George called out, a challenging look filling eyes as he readied himself on his broom.

Fred shook his head, but responded with, "You're on, brother mine," as he braced himself against the frigid wind and focused on the route ahead of him. George and he often went on broom rides on nights when the other was feeling down to just get their mind off of whatever was burdening them.

"Three-" Fred counted before George and his grip tightened around his broom.

"Two-" George called out, leaning up slightly in front of his broom to maximize his speed during the race.

"One!" Fred exclaimed as he shot forward in front of George.

The wind began to sting against Fred's countenance as pursed his lips and his eyes made slits against the night's winds. As far as he could tell, he was a ways ahead of George who was on his tail. He could hear his brother calling out to him, but did not stop to hear exactly what it was he was saying, just in case it proved to be a trick. In a fleeting moment, Hermione's face flashed before his eyes and he began to hear her soft murmur in his mind. He shut his eyes and clutched his face with one of his hands.

"FRED!" he heard the scream coming from his other half before everything went black.

X-X-X-X

"Calm down, Hermione," Ron whispered from the brunette's side as she remained curled up into a ball underneath her covers. He placed a hand on her shoulder and watched her flinch from underneath his touch with a frown.

Finally, she let out a sniffle and replied, "I end the deal and he and George invite you to go out for a couple of drinks! How am I supposed to feel, Ronald? I suppose we were both wrong about his feelings for me, weren't we?"

Ron shook his head, although Hermione couldn't see his motion, and sighed before looking over to Harry and nodding his head in the girl's general direction as a signal for help. Ron knew that Harry was always the better one of the two when it came to handling Hermione's feelings. The black haired boy sat adjacent to his best friend, placed his hand on her shoulder, and sighed. "Hermio-" was all he was able to let out before a shaken Ginny appeared from the fireplace in a rush.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Harry asked from his place next to Hermione. Upon realizing the unnatural fear and tears on the Weasley girl's face, he made his way over to her and caressed both cheeks with his fingers in an attempt to soothe her.

"Fred- he and George-" she hiccupped before falling into Harry's arms and continuing, "-there was a broom accident and now Fred's admitted into St. Mungo's, but they wouldn't let me see him because they told me to call you, Ron, and Hermione over first."

Hermione lifted her head from the pillow she had furrowed into as Ron inquired, "Broom accident? Do you know what happened? They had just owled me to let me know to meet them at bar at 8…"

"I don't have the faintest idea. That's why we should all go right now!" Ginny slipped her fingers between Harry's and pulled him towards the fireplace. He looked questioningly into Hermione's eyes and nodded his head in Ginny's direction. "Are you coming?"

Hermione didn't need to think before jumping up from her sitting position and feeling a supporting hand resting on her shoulder from Ron. "Everything's going to be okay, Hermione," he reassured her before they all proceeded to use the Floo Network to transport themselves to St. Mungo's Hospital.

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><p><em>In the next chapter: Will Fred be okay? What will become of him and Hermione?<em>


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