Rating: K+
Summary: Fred’s efforts finally pay off.

Song: Lonely People - America

“Dont give up until you drink from the silver cup;
And never take you down or never give you up;
You never know until you try.”

==================================================================

“Mmm,” Hermione sighed. “Did you ever think you’d get here?”

“Of course. My charms are irresistible.” Fred grinned, tracing lazy patterns along her stomach with his fingers. She shivered lightly and settled against him, her hair tickling his chin and a few stands getting caught on his swollen lips.

“So much so that it took you two years to finally get me?” Her smile was teasing and he dove in quickly to cover it with a searing kiss before pulling back from her.

“Nothing to do with me, love. It’s not my fault you take so long to catch on.”

Rating: K+
Summary: Hermione fears that no happiness can last in times of war.

Song: Fear - Sarah McLachlan

“I have so much to lose;
Here in this lonely place;
Tangled up in our embrace.”

==================================================================

Here in this lonely place where the wind howls incessantly and the light never reaches the corners, she trembles, tangled in his embrace. She wonders why the fear doesn’t extend to him as well. Why it is only she who feels lost, staring out the darkened window and wondering when it will all end. He shifts closer and his arms pull her back until the skin of his chest is flush with her back.

“You okay?” he whispers.

“Yeah,” she lies.

He nuzzles the back of her neck and sighs. “I’m right here.”

“I know.”

She wonders for how long.

Rating: K
Summary: Hermione gets frustrated waiting for Fred.

Song: Ring My Bell - Billie Piper

“Wonder could it be?
Could it be for me?
That's the sound I've been waiting for.”

==================================================================

Green flames rush up and Hermione stands expectantly, dropping back onto the sofa as Harry steps out and disappears with an excited Ginny. Minutes pass and feel like hours.

Soot sweeps past her and again she stands, hiding her groan as Luna enters and dusts off before exiting with Ron.

Crackles and snaps and she’s on her feet for a mere second before her rear meets cushion and Percy leaves with Penelope.

Another rush; this time she doesn’t bother standing.

“I’d almost think you weren’t excited to see me,” Fred teases. She takes his hand and smiles, her waiting forgotten.

Rating: T
Summary: Fred had his chance and lost it.
.
Song: Mr. Brightside - The Killers

“It started out with a kiss;
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss.”

==================================================================

He kissed her once and thought that was it. That he could move on without concern or thought of it, but instead it fills his mind. He watches her dance with his brother. Sees her inexperienced attempts at flirting and wishes he was on the receiving end. That he was the one making her blush lightly. That it was his hand brushing chestnut curls from her face. His lips descending on hers. His tongue sliding past.

He looks away, his twin offering a consoling pat. There’s nothing he can do. Nothing he can say. One kiss is all he gets.

Rating: K
Summary: Fred attempts to sing for Hermione.

Song: Hey There Delilah - Plain White T’s

“Give this song another listen;
Close your eyes;
Listen to my voice, it's my disguise;
I'm by your side”

==================================================================

She laughs as he strums the guitar, attempting to play some muggle song he heard on the radio while also remembering the words. His voice warbles and it sounds horrible. He hits every note wrong and she’s fairly sure his rhythm is off too because she has no clue what he’s trying to play. But her laughter simple urges him further until he’s making up his own words and they collapse against each other in a fit of giggles.

“Well,” she laughs breathlessly, “you’ve officially written a song for a girl.”

“Fred Weasley’s Ode to Hermione Granger.”

“I like it.”

Rating: K+
Summary: She left him with a letter.

Song: Best I Ever Had – Vertical Horizon

“Send it in a letter;
Make yourself feel better.
But it's not so bad;
You're only the best I ever had.”

==================================================================

Fred crumpled the letter, shooing away Pig who apparently thought he was deserving of a treat after delivering such devastation. After a few minutes of his nervous twittering he acquiesced; Hermione wouldn’t approve of him taking out his anger on the poor owl.

Not that Hermione would care anymore. Oh, she’d care for the owl, just not him. What else could “Sorry, this isn’t working out,” and “Please don’t make this hard,” mean if not that she no longer cared?

Pig ate the treat and fluttered out the open window, leaving torn parchment and a broken man in his wake.

Rating: K
Summary: Sometimes Hermione can’t believe what the twins come up with.

Song: Crank Dat Harry Potter Mitchell and Dan

“You catch me at your local Hogwarts, on my head a lightning bolt.
Muggles getting mad cuz I got me a fire bolt”

==================================================================

“When you show Harry-” Hermione laughed, bending over at the waist as she tried to control herself. She glanced up at Fred with effort.

“I can’t believe you and George-” Again she cut herself off as she began cackling, her sides aching as she fought to stop. Her lungs were nearly empty but she couldn’t refrain from laughing. Fred watched his girlfriend in amusement as she slowly stopped, eventually gasping for air as she clutched her side.

“You and George have a talent I never knew of,” she finally admitted. “But Harry Potter does not need his own rap song.”

Rating: K+
Summary: If he played his cards right, he’d get everything he wanted.

Song: The Gambler - Kenny Rogers

“You got to know when to hold em; Know when to fold em;
Know when to walk away and know when to run.”

==================================================================

If there was anything Fred was confident in, it was his timing. Whether it was making a precise swing at a Bludger, or the starting placement of a decoy detonator, he knew he’d get it right. So he was fairly confident in his actions when he finally gave up his pursuit of Hermione Granger. It was time to lean back and let her come to him.

Two weeks later she was in his lap, wondering aloud why she ever turned him down in the first place. It was a hollow victory for Fred.

He’d really expected her to take three.

Rating: T
Summary: Hermione never knew there was any option other than Ron.

Song: Nobody’s Home - Avril Lavigne

“I couldn't tell you why she felt that way;
She felt it everyday.
And I couldn't help her;
I just watched her make the same mistakes again.”

==================================================================

Hermione thought she was meant for Ron.

Ron ended up with Luna; Hermione couldn’t see another way. Thought they were fated, and that the problem was in her. She had to be prettier. Make him feel smarter. Make things right.

Ron married Luna. Hermione stopped trying. Fred watched.

Fred knew Hermione wasn’t meant for Ron and told her as much. She wouldn’t listen; couldn’t believe. He showed her that she had other options with a searing kiss and roaming hands that reminded her she was as much a woman as he a man.

Hermione found she was meant for Fred.

Rating: T
Summary: Sometimes getting over an old relationship is harder than it seems.

Song: Breaking The Habit - Linkin Park

“I don't know what's worth fighting for;
Or why I have to scream.
I don't know why I instigate;
And say what I don't mean.”

==================================================================

“You could try not shouting every other word,” Fred suggested from his position on the floor. He’d cringed so strongly from Hermione’s verbal tirade that he’d landed on his arse. It was hardly dignified. “It’s a dirty dish. A casual reminder will do.”

Hermione frowned, looking utterly perplexed. “But… if I’m not passionate enough to yell, how will you know I love you?”

He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. “Geez, dating Ron screwed your concept of relationships up, big time. Lucky you’ve got me to fix that.”

His lips met hers, quickly diverting her passion elsewhere.