"And stay the hell away from Hermione!" Fred yelled at Vincent Crabbe. A sickening crack followed, resulting in Crabbe stumbling all the way to the Hospital Wing.
Hermione gingerly approached the fuming Weasley, "Fred? Why did you do it? You-you dont need to protect me"
Fred tenderly smiled at her, "I wanted to" he stated simply and he let out a soft gasp when Hermione's delicate hand slipped into his and didn't let go until the reached the Common Room.
"Fred?" Hermione hesitantly asked, "Yeah 'Mione?"
"Why did you punch him? Why couldn't I have punched him?" She said, crossing her arms, a playful frown on her face.
Fred raised his eyebrows, this girl never ceased to surprise him, "Because" he started, taking both of Hermione's hands in his, "Your two hands are far more valuable than mine" he finished and pressed a tender kiss to her palms before bidding her goodnight.
Hermione stood there for a bit, a giddy smile on her face.
Did he do that because he likes me? No, probably not. He's just being Fred that's all, Hermione thought to herself and shook off the ridiculous smile on her face before creeping up the steps to her dormitory.
A few days had passed since that incident, and consequently, Fred and Hermione had gotten closer. Fred would walk her to all her classes, meals and everything in between, despite Hermione's protests. Fred still continued to insist, knowing that Hermione Jean Granger could very much defend herself, he just liked being with her.
On a very rare occasion, where Fred was at Quidditch practice which meant that Hermione could move freely around the castle (she didn't actually mind Fred being with her, quite the opposite really, she just wanted to have a bit of freedom once in a while), Hermione found herself attending Buckbeak's execution with Harry and Ron.
Hermione had to admit, when Fred was with her, no one bothered her, and she always thought it was because of the general activity at school, where no one went out of their way just to insult her. But as she thought of it, it could've been because Fred Weasley was always by her side, intimidating all possible assailants.
So on the day where Fred wasn't with her, Draco Malfoy decided to take a shot.
"Oi Mudblood! I see the Weasel isn't here to protect your helpless self right now!" he jeered.
Hermione had quite enough of Draco and the rest of the Slytherins, so she had to let it out now. Right now.
"SHUT UP!" Hermione yelled and stomped towards Draco, "Shut up right now you foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" she raised her fist and hit Malfoy square in the nose.
She smiled smugly as she heard a satisfying groan and soon, she was bombarded with congratulations from her two best friends.
They returned to Gryffindor Tower, with Harry and Ron practically gushing about her "heroic feat".
"Hermione!" a familiar voice called, and the Hermione turned to him with a sheepish smile on her face, "I went against your wishes, didn't I?" she said, looking down at her feet, timidly.
Fred gently raised her head so that her eyes met his, "No" Hermione sighed with relief, "In fact, you were absolutely brilliant!" he exclaimed and Hermione could see the shock and awe in his eyes. There was a different look also in his eyes though, and Hermione couldn't quite decipher it.
"Why did you get to have all the fun?" Fred pouted, and Hermione had to laugh at the adorable look on his face, "Because" she stated with a teasing grin "Because your two hands are far more valuable than mine" she said, making Fred chuckle.
A few seconds of silence passed before Fred broke it and said sincerely, "I love you".
Hermione gasped slightly, he loved her? That's when she identified the third look on his face. Love. He looked at her with love.
And before she could process what he said, their lips met and connected softly. As they kissed, Fred knew at that moment, that the witch he held in his arms, was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his days with.
Catcalls and cheers were heard, and they broke apart, to see the entire Common Room with an "I knew it!" aura surrounding them.
Fred wrapped Hermione in his arms and took her out to the Astronomy Tower to gaze at the stars.
"I love you too" Hermione whispered and kissed his cheek.
(A/n: Stop here if you wish to let the story have a happy ending, but as you probably know, all good stories don't have happy endings. If you wish to proceed, let me tell you this, I warned you)
...Then the war came...
Hermione couldn't believe it, and she didn't want to accept it, but he was gone. Fred was gone. The one who protected her all these years, didn't have anyone to protect him when he needed it the most. And Hermione blamed herself.
After his funeral, the rest of the Weasleys went home immediately, because they couldn't bare to see their brother and son resting six feet under the ground.
But Hermione stayed.
She knelt in front of the slab of stone bearing her beloved's name, and cried.
"Why did you have to go?" she whimpered and sobbed some more "That-that should've been me!" she cried desperately, "I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry that I wasn't there to protect you when that's what you've been doing for me for years." she nearly yelled, "I'm sorry, but I have to do this" she whispered and took out her wand and pressed it to her temple, "Avada Kedavra" and in a flash, The Brightest Witch Of Her Age was gone too.
The Weasleys returned to retrieve Hermione but saw her lying in a fetal position in front of Fred's grave, as still as a rock.
"NO!" yelled Harry as he ran towards the woman who was his sister, not in blood, but in heart. "Hermione! No! Please wake up!" he cried, shaking Hermione and frantically searching for a pulse.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, "Harry, let her go" Ginny whispered with a sad smile, and Harry knew it was time to release Hermione.
Everyone cried, but they were comforted by knowing that Hermione would be safe with Fred again.
And she was reunited with him.
"Fred" Hermione breathed as she ran into his waiting arms, "I missed you. I love you" she said and kissed him.
"You didn't have to do that" Fred frowned at her, "I know, I wanted to" Hermione answered simply.
And with that, they set off to continue their never ending love story.
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A/n: Yes, I am apparently alive and capable of updating. Actually, I've got a lot of PROMPTS waiting, but my fingers didn't find the energy to type immediately. I will update my other stories quite soon (which also means, when I feel less lazy). I've been quite caught up in a few TV series' and that's a reason I update at a sloth's pace. You might expect an update tomorrow, for my birthday, but if not, then this is my celebratory update. Ok, enough about me, I'll, uh, TRY to write more.
Byeeeeeeeeee.
