Second Chances (Fremione)

4.

Hermione loved The Burrow, and the people that lived there. She was so happy that she had had this loving house to come to. She was especially grateful for it this second time around, when she really didn't have anywhere else to go.

When Mr. Weasley landed the car in the front yard, Hermione got out and began trying to pull her enormous trunk from inside the car, but it wouldn't budge.

Everyone else had gone to greet Harry, who had just been apparated over with Percy, but Fred stayed behind. He stood silently behind Hermione, snickering a little as he watched her try (and fail) to move the trunk.

She looked back at him and rolled her eyes. "If you're going to stay, the least you could do is help."

Fred grinned and walked slowly over to the car. He put one hand on the handle of the trunk, his fingers barely touching hers as he locked eyes with her. "Of course, 'Mione. All you had to do was ask." He said as he effortlessly pulled the trunk from the car.

She rolled her eyes again and followed Fred into the house as he carried her trunk up to Ginny's room. She wanted to be annoyed. She really did. He was just so snarky and arrogant... She stopped. What was the word she was looking for. Charming? Yes. That was it. In spite of it all, she couldn't help herself. Fred Weasley was incredibly charming. And the more she thought about him, and what she knew was supposed to happen to him, the more she resigned herself to what she had somehow known all along, but had never acknowledged until she saw his lifeless body. She liked Fred.

She liked Fred. All this time, she thought it was Ron. Maybe it was because it was so incredibly obvious that Ron liked her, it was easier to let herself fall for Ron. But now she knew it was just misplaced feelings for his older brother.

She followed Fred up the stairs and into Ginny's room where he placed her trunk down by the empty bed. Ginny came rushing up the stairs and hugged Hermione tightly. She hugged her friend back, but the whole time, she was looking over Ginny's shoulder at Fred, who smiled widely at Hermione and winked before exiting the room.

Ginny released Hermione and sat down on the bed, where she looked down at the trunk. "What was Fred doing carrying your trunk?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. He saw me struggling with it. He offered." Ginny laughed.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked. Ginny shrugged. "Oh I don't know. I mean, all of my brothers are extremely kind, selfless people, none more so than Fred. But he doesn't go out of his way to do kind things for just anyone. Sure, he'll be nice to everyone, but only a few people get to see what a really great guy he is."

Hermione wrinkles her eyebrow in confusion as she looked at Ginny. "What are you trying to say, Gin?"

Ginny laughed. "I'm saying that Ron may not be the only one of my brothers that you've got wrapped around your finger." Ginny grinned.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Ginny got up and opened it to find Harry standing at the door, grinning.

"I heard Hermione was here!" He smiled. Hermione rushes to hug him. "Good to see you Harry!"

She let him go and looked at him for a moment. She was amazed to see how young he looked. Everyone looked younger than they had when she had left them, but Harry seemed as though he had changed even more. He looked so young, so innocent. Suddenly, she felt even more sorry for him than she ever had, knowing what he was going to have to endure the next few years. He'd already been through so much, but it was only just beginning. She hugged him again, determining that she would do whatever she could to spare her friend from as much of that heartache as she could. She suddenly realized why she had come back. It had been for Harry. Now that she knew what was going to happen, she could be of even more help to him.

Fred came up the stairs and informed the three of them that Mrs. Weasley was ready with dinner. As she saw Fred's smile for the fourth time since he had died, she decided that he would be her top priority. But this one wasn't for Harry, at least not primarily. It wasn't even for Ginny and Ron and the rest of the Weasleys, though she knew how devastating this loss would be for them. No, this she was doing for herself. Because she couldn't bear to see him die again. Because if he died, she would never be able to explore how far this feeling could take her. And even though she didn't know if he would ever feel the same (though she hoped desperately that he would), she knew this was something she just had to do.

She had to save Fred. If she did that, she would feel like her mission was a success. If she could save Fred, everything else she could do would be icing on the cake. And maybe in the mean time, she could make him love her back.