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“Come on, Granger, live a little.”
That was all it ever took. She didn’t know why it worked. Just every time Fred Weasley said it to her, something inside of her rose up. It had started as a tease. Something he’d say when she scolded him for his pranks. Then it somehow became encouragement. When she began to get woozy walking up to their seats at the Quidditch World Cup, he’d put a hand on her elbow and quietly said it into her ear.
After the war, it became a challenge. Fred had lived, but it had been a close thing. He’d been crushed under a fallen wall, and they’d all begun to mourn him when they heard his gurgled intake of breath. George and Percy rushed him to the healers, and he was evacuated immediately. Once he was better, he’d lived dangerously. George said it was to prove to himself that he was alive.
He’d come up with some crazy experiment or adventure and share it with the family over dinner on Sunday. She’d scoff and pick at the logistics. He’d just smirk at her and say, “Come on, Granger, live a little.”
She’d gone along the first time just to watch him fail. He had, spectacularly. It hadn’t stopped him from laughing and planning how he could do it better.
She went along with other harebrained schemes to watch in fascinated horror as he either enjoyed failing or succeeded in amazing ways. It was the strangest passtime. Something that she scheduled with him, like it was normal to have a weekly hobby of watching Fred blow something up or jump off a cliff.
George joined them occasionally. Angelina had put a stop to his participating in anything dangerous, so he stayed away from anything too crazy, even with safety officer Hermione Granger in tow. He admitted that Fred’s thirst for danger sometimes scared him. He didn’t like that he was purposefully putting himself in a position to possibly die. He still had nightmares about holding his twin's body as he cried, thinking he was gone. They had a row about it once, and only once. George didn’t say anything against Fred’s adventures ever again, but Fred knew not to beg his brother to come along anymore.
Sometimes they would meet up, and Fred would change the plan. He’d take them somewhere and just be. He’d put his hands in his pockets and quietly move through the landscape. Walking on the shore of a pebble beach, or watching crowds go by in Muggle London. He always hugged her and thanked her after those trips. She thought that these quiet expeditions were his needing to see life just as much as he courted death.
This time, he took them to see Christmas lights. She’d mentioned the Kew Gardens display, and Bill had said they should all go see it. So a week later, after an early dinner at the Burrow, everyone bundled up to see the lights. Everyone was paired off with their significant others or children, besides her and Fred, who were the only singles left in the family. He wouldn’t be left out, though, so he theatrically bowed and took her hand to escort her through the paths.
Fred slowed his steps and broke away from the group. He’d tried to get her to go to a closed-off area, but she staunchly refused. He gave up easily for Fred Weasley, which was suspicious.
They didn’t meet back up with the rest of the family, just wandered their own path. He told her they should visit the goblin ice caves in Norway before the season ends. She denied him, citing her work schedule.
“Come on, Granger, live a little.”
Hermione signed. “You can’t just say that every time you want me to do something. It won’t work. I can’t just wander off whenever I like. I have responsibilities.”
“You can take off whenever you want. You work for yourself. You set your schedule.”
“But I’ve promised to meet with clients after the New Year. We haven’t even touched on the fact that a trip to goblin territory in Norway would require planning. It’s a nice idea, but maybe we can plan to do it next year.”
“It’s not as bad as you think. We could hop a portkey tomorrow from the Ministry and just play it by ear when we get there.”
“NO ear jokes.”
“Wouldn’t hear of it, love.” He smirked down at her.
Hermione rolled her eyes and tugged her arm to get him to let go. He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. He pulled them off the path into a copse of trees with little lights hanging down. It wasn’t as light and spectacular as some of the other displays, but it felt magical.
He stopped them near the trunk of a tree and faced her, her hand still in his.
“You know you want to go.”
“Of course I do, it sounds fascinating. I just don’t think the logistics have been thought through. You know how I feel about your spontaneous adventures.”
“Alright, then plan it. I trust you. I think we could do it next week before you get into all your meetings.”
“I can’t just drop everything, Fred.”
“I’m not asking you to. I know you have off until the second. I’d plan it myself, but you know you’d take over anyway.”
“I can’t, Fred. I’m with you for all these things you want to do, but I need to prepare, you know that.”
“I do know that. You’ve been with me for all my shite the last year and a half, which is why I want to do this with you too. Because I can’t do it without you. I don’t want to.”
“Then just-” Hermione huffed a sigh and took a calming breath. “When is it enough, Fred?”
“What do you mean?” His eyes shuddered a bit, but he didn’t look away.
“We know what’s going on. George and I understand what all this is about. You had a near-death experience, and you need to feel alive. We get it. I just don’t know how long is okay for you to keep doing this.”
Fred dropped her hand and walked a couple of steps away. He sighed. His shoulders slumped, and his head dropped. He took another deep breath and turned back to her.
“It was at first.” He nodded slowly, hands stuffed in his pockets, smile nowhere to be seen as he looked around at the lights. “I needed to prove to myself that I was still here, that I was alive and still me. Then it was guilt that I lived while other people, good people, would never get to do anything ever again.” He walked back to her, so close she could feel his coat brush against her. “Then it became time with you. Time when I could just be. I didn’t have to be okay for Mum and George. I didn’t have to be Fred Weasley, prank genius and very successful shop owner. We just had fun.” His hand reached up, and gentle fingers stroked her cheek. “And we had quiet.”
Fred’s other hand gently clasped one of hers and brought it to rest on his chest. She was having trouble pulling in full breaths of air, then trying not to puff heavily into his face as little clouds escaped her mouth.
“You were beautiful and shining. I wanted to do everything with you. I hated myself for being happy, but then it started to feel okay. Like I should be happy because I was here. Ya know what I mean?”
“Like you shouldn’t waste the time you were given.”
“Exactly.” He grinned at her and slid his hand to cup her jaw. “I know you want time and planning, but I don’t want to waste a minute.”
“Are you saying you like me?”
“I fucking love you, Hermione Granger. I’m just trying to be suave about it.”
Hermione sucked in a gasp, eyes wide.
“Love me?”
“Yeah. I’ve liked you for ages, but I’ve loved you for about a year now.”
“Ages?”
“Yeah. We can figure out exactly when some other time. For now, I’d really like to kiss you.”
“Kiss me?”
“I already have a twin, Hermione. I don’t need an echo. Yes. Kiss you. That alright?”
“Um-” She wanted to say yes, but her brain had stopped working. Yes! Yes, she’d really like Fred to kiss her right now.
“Come on, Granger, live a little.”
She lifted up onto her tiptoes and crashed her lips into his. “That’s not going to work every time,” she mumbled against his mouth.
“Works alright for now.” One of his hands wrapped around the back of her head, and the other arm wound around her waist. He kissed her with hard presses of his mouth until she flicked her tongue against the seam of his lips.
He backed her up until she was pressed against a tree, body pressed to hers. Hermione was glad it was darker here. She didn’t want anyone to see her slide a leg up to his hip to pull him closer.
“Take me home,” she rasped. His hat fell off as she fisted his red hair.
“As the lady commands.” Fred pulled out his wand. Hermione snatched his hand and looked around.
“No, we have to leave the Muggle way.”
“I suppose I should let George know we’re leaving.”
“Oh gods, Molly.” Hermione was mortified to think what Molly would say once she knew they were leaving together. She’d flay them alive if she knew they were snogging in public like this.
“Which is why we’re telling George.”
They smiled at one another and made for the lit path. It didn’t take long to find their rowdy group. Fred whispered in George’s ear, who bounced his eyebrows at her. She blushed madly, but it didn’t stop her from holding Fred’s hand as he led them to the spot where they could apparate safely without being seen.
They ended up going to the ice caves in Norway. It was a honeymoon of sorts. They had to get away from the family who wanted to know all about them getting together, and Fred just wanted some alone time with his girlfriend. When they announced that they would be leaving the next day and wouldn’t be back until the new year, the family all had something to say except George, who just winked at them and distracted his mother with wedding plans.
Fred sat with her on the couch in his flat the night before they left. He got her to sit down and stop worrying about their bags for the hundredth time. He kissed her slowly, easing her back until she was entirely underneath him.
“Ready to live a little, Granger?”
“You’ve already convinced me, you don’t have to say it.”
“I was thinking something a little different tonight.”
“Oh.” She licked her lips and smoothed her hands over his shoulders to his back. “Well, I do like a bit of adventure.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”