Second Chances (Fremione)

23.

"Fred, are you sure you're ok to apparate that far on your own?" Molly asked for the millionth time.

"Yes, mum! I'll be fine!" Fred assured her for the millionth time.

Fred and Hermione had spent the summer at the Burrow with the Weasleys and were shocked to find that very little fuss had been made over their relationship. Molly had greeted Hermione with an even bigger hug than normal when she had gotten off the train, going on and on about how she was so lucky that her son had found such a good, smart girl and about how much she hoped it would last.

Ginny had been ecstatic at the thought of Hermione being her sister in law (even though Hermione had assured her that, if she were to marry Fred, it would be a long, LONG way down the road). Still, Ginny told her that when she first heard about their relationship, she was happy, but now that it had lasted the whole school year, that meant something. Apparently it meant they were going to get married.

Now, Fred and Hermione were all ready to go, all their things packed in Hermione's bag with the undetectable extension charm.

"Be careful! Both of you!" Molly said as she kissed both of them. "You take care of her, Fred! Promise me!"

"I promise, mum." He said, winking at Hermione. "I won't let her out of my sight."

Hermione and Fred walked out the front door of the Burrow and onto the front lawn, waving as they exited. Once in the yard, Fred took Hermione's hand and she braced herself for what she had always found to be a very uncomfortable experience.

She realized that she and Fred had not really talked about where they were going, for fear that someone would hear and realize that, not only were they not going to visit Hermione's parents, but also that she was from the future. So she really didn't know what to expect when she opened her eyes.

They landed in a dark, empty alley and Fred led her out into the busy streets.

"Where are we?" She asked. Fred smiled. "Isn't obvious?"

Hermione shook her head but then as she looked around it came to her. "Are we in Paris?" She asked.

Fred nodded. "I thought you might like it here."

Hermione threw her arms around him. "Oh Fred, it's amazing! This was a wonderful idea."

He laughed. "I'm glad you like it. Now come on, I'm starving. Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" Hermione said. He led her off into a small bakery where he bought sandwiches and pastries.

"And some butterbeer too!" Fred said. The cashier stared at him, clearly confused.

Hermione laughed. She was actually surprised that Fred had remembered to bring muggle money, but some things wouldn't change.

"Cokes." Hermione piped up. "2 Cokes."

The cashier understood that one and threw the bottles into the bag with the food.

"What's Coke?" Fred asked on the way out. Hermione laughed. "Trust me."

Hermione headed toward one of the little tables outside of the bakery but Fred shook his head. "Not there."

"Where are we going to eat?" She asked.

Fred drug her away to a grassy area a ways away. "Here." Fred said triumphantly as he sat down in the grass.

"Why here?" Hermione asked. Fred simply pointed up at the large structure that Hermione was shocked she had managed to miss.

Fred really had thought of everything. A picnic at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

"So what is this stuff?" Fred asked,struggling with the cap on the glass Coke bottle.

Hermione laughed and took the bottle from him, digging into the bottom of her bag and pulling out a gold galleon, which she used to pop the top off the bottle and hand it back to Fred.

He took a drink and smiled. "What is this?" He asked. "This is better than butterbeer!"

Hermione laughed. "Yeah it's not bad! My parents used to live on this stuff."

Fred nodded and took another drink before opening up the food and handing Hermione a sandwich.

"So, gameplan." Fred said simply. "You told me about this whole time travel thing so I could help, right? So tell me what's going to happen. Who's the next to die?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Sirius."

Fred seemed surprised. "Sirius, huh? How does that happen?"

Hermione told Fred all about the connection that Harry develops with Voldemort and how Voldemort uses it against Harry to lure him to the department of mysteries, thinking that Sirius is in danger.

"Well that won't be too hard, right? You know when it's coming, you know when Bellatrix is going to attack him, that should help. I mean it sounds like we can't avoid this battle altogether. Harry needs to hear the prophesy and he certainly won't let Sirius get attacked unless you can give him some proof that it's all fake, and I don't really think we can afford to tell Harry about all of this, right?"

Hermione nodded as she took a bite. "Right. I'm sure we can find a way. And we have all year to plan it out."

Hermione stopped, thinking. "There is one more thing you should know. The way that Harry finds out about this connection with Voldemort is when Voldemort attacks you father."

She could see the look of fear in Fred's eyes and she stopped him before he asked. "He's going to be fine! A little banged up, but alive and perfectly fine. Harry tells Dumbledore what he sees and Dumbledore saves him. I just thought you'd like to know."

Fred nodded. "Ok, thanks." He seemed convinced, but still understandably worried.

After they finished eating, Fred and Hermione wandered through the city, taking in the culture, the shops, and the sights, Hermione even managed to get Fred into a couple of museums.

As the day wound to a close, Fred took Hermione to a hotel for the night. "I want you to know," he said "I'm not going to try anything. I just didn't figure there was much point in separate rooms. Plus, I just didn't want to be apart from you. I hope that's ok." He said shyly.

Hermione laughed. "It's ok."

Fred smiled, satisfied and led her into the room. They climbed into the bed and Fred held her close.

"I had a really great time with you, Fred." Hermione said.

"I did too." He answered as he pulled her into a gentle kiss.

As the two drifted slowly off to sleep, Hermione could still hear Fred whisper "I love you, Hermione."

She was taken a bit aback, but she couldn't have been happier to hear him say the words she had been wanting to hear for so long. And she had absolutely no problem responding quickly "I love you too."

As she drifted off to sleep, she was almost positive she heard Fred breathe a sigh of relief as she answered.