The following morning, Hermione woke abruptly, disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings. A horrid noise filled her ears, an incessantly loud shrieking. The sound stopped suddenly and her brain finally registered that it had been an alarm. Realising now where she was, her stomach flipped wildly, but she wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or excitement.
With an apologetic smile in place, she rolled over and met Fred's gaze. "I'm so sorry. I didn't intend to fall asleep like that. I'll be going now so that you can get ready for work."
Without waiting for him to respond, she tossed the covers off and tried to sit up, but her attempt was futile; Fred's arms held her tightly in place. "Why are you trying to leave so quickly? There's absolutely no need to run off or apologise. Hermione, look at me."
Hesitantly, she turned to face him, waiting to listen to whatever he had to say. Seeing the genuine smile on his face helped her nerves some, but she still felt absolutely mortified. How had she allowed herself to fall asleep like that?
"How many times do you think I've found you sleeping on a sofa at The Burrow, or in the Gryffindor Common Room because you fell asleep reading?"
She shrugged and said quietly, "I'm not sure."
He chuckled. "Honestly, I'm not either, but it has to be in the hundreds by now. So, that means that I knew that there was a very good chance that you would fall asleep when I asked you to climb in here with me to read. If I minded, I wouldn't have done that. I would've insisted that we read on the sofa, or not asked you to read in the first place."
Winking at her cheekily, he continued, "I don't have long before I have to go down to help George open the shop, but I do have time to eat. Will you stay for breakfast?"
If she stayed, there was a chance that George would pop in and see her there, especially if Fred ran a bit late. Was she willing to take that chance? Fred would likely tell him anyway, she reasoned. Honestly, having him know wasn't even her issue; it was the teasing that was sure to happen if George saw her there that gave her pause. Shutting her brain off and going with her heart, she heard herself saying, "I would love to stay for breakfast, thanks."
His face split into a wide grin. Finally releasing her, he sat up. "I should get dressed. You can have the loo first while I grab what I need from in here."
"Thanks; when I'm done, I'll go start the tea and poke around a bit to see what we can make. Any preference?"
"Erm, no," Fred said, looking a little sheepish. "I've invited you to stay for breakfast and I don't even know if I have actual food in the house."
Hermione giggled. "I'm sure I can find something edible in there."
Fred had been right, he didn't have much, but as she examined the contents of his pantry and fridge, a plan formed. He had basic dry ingredients, butter, milk, two very mushy bananas, and a single egg. She made a fantastic banana bread that was easy enough, but it took a bit longer to bake and she knew that Fred would be in a rush to get downstairs.
Inspiration struck when she spotted a bottle of maple syrup. Mixing up her banana bread batter, she heated some butter in a pan and went to work making banana pancakes. They would have been better if he'd had walnuts or pecans, or even chocolate chips, but these would make a delicious breakfast nonetheless.
