153A/N: Alright people. First order of business, I apologize profoundly and profusely for the delay. I was attacked by the plot bunnies and had to start writing some other story (a crossover with LotR, crazy I know) which I may or may not upload sometime in the future. Knowing I could not leave you, my faithful readers, without this chapter, I have forced myself to write it. It is not as good as I would have liked it, but it is the best I can do. I am quite unsure about the ending of this chapter, so please leave a review. I hope you all enjoy it. I will most definitely (hopefully) have the last chapter (yes, there's only one last chapter left) before Christmas. In case I don't (which I should, but still) I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Oh, and this chapter, like all my 'uninspired' ones, is rather short.
Disclaimer: If I were JKR and owned Harry Potter, this would be canon. But I'm not, and I don't so it's not. (Cookies if you don't have to re-read that to work it out)
Chapter 12: Calm Before the Storm
"Oh, she's beautiful!" Hermione bent over the baby, cooing and making funny faces. Had the baby been awake, she would probably have laughed. Or cried scared.
"She iz. She 'as Bill's cheekbones, do you zee?" Hermione did not see, but nodded all the same. No need to antagonize Fleur over that. Ron had already gotten on her bad side twice and they hadn't been there two full days.
Fred, after spending the night, had left for a few hours to carry news to his family, who were all staying at Aunt Muriel's. At first, Harry had been adamant that their location remain a secret, but had relented after Fleur, Bill and Fred had talked to him about how worried everyone was. He had agreed to let them know he was alive and well, as long as no one came to check on them. When they had to leave he didn't want to have to say goodbye, or risk being talked out of (or guilted out of) going. Their mission was dangerous, and now that they were planning on breaking into Gringotts, it had become even more so.
"'Ermione?"
Hermione snapped her head up, just now noticing Fleur had been talking to her. She had been lost in thought recalling the conversation she had had with Harry earlier that morning about Gringotts. Planning to break in was nothing short of suicidal, but they had no choice. Hermione worried that if anything were to go wrong, that would alert Voldemort as to their intentions. She just hoped everything went well.
"Yes, Fleur?"
"Would you like to 'old 'er?" She offered the baby in her arms to Hermione who looked nothing short of scared. Being the only child of only children, she had had absolutely no experience with babies whatsoever. She nodded slightly, holding out her arms as Fleur placed the sleeping baby in her arms. "Zere you go, mind zee 'ead. Zere you are!"
Hermione smiled at Fleur, pleased. Little Victoire, so named in the hopes of a swift victory over the forces of evil, gurgled and opened her sky blue eyes. "Hey, baby. Oh, look at you! Back to sleep, baby, back to sleep." Hermione gently rocked her back and forth on her arms, lulling her back to sleep in minutes.
"Oh, 'Ermione, you're a natural! I always knew you'd be great with babies."
Hermione looked taken aback. "You—you did?"
"Of course! Zere is something about you… very mother-like, I must say."
"Th—thanks, I guess."
"Can you 'old 'er for me a bit more? I must see to dinner."
"Sure. Of course." She watched as Fleur exited the room, her long blonde hair flying behind her. She went back to rocking the baby and didn't notice someone else entering the room.
"She's right, you know." Hermione let out a small squeak and a start when she heard him, but didn't turn around. She caught his scent, which always seemed to relax her, moments before she felt his hand on the small of her back. "You'd be a wonderful mother." He stepped around her so he was now facing her and leaned in to kiss her lips, softly at first, but increasing in intensity. Having the baby in her arms, Hermione couldn't do anything but receive the kiss meekly, since she wasn't about to break it.
"Hey! Not in front of the kid, Fred!" Hermione felt him jump back, still a little dazed from the kiss. She slowly opened her eyes and looked behind her to find a smirking Bill by the door. "Fleur sent me up to get Victoire. Give her to me and go snog somewhere else. Dinner will be ready in thirty."
Going a bit red in the face at being caught, Hermione stuttered her agreement and left the room, ignoring the laughter that came from both brothers. Fred followed and caught her before she could get too far.
He held her against his chest, still laughing heartily. She lightly slapped his chest, looking up at him. "That was so embarrassing!"
"Nah, besides, I caught him and Fleur like that just after Victoire was born. He was just getting back at me for teasing him. He didn't mind."
"So you set that up?" She couldn't help but feel a little bit angry about that.
"What? No! I wouldn't do that," he said, leaning in and covering her lips with his again. "I don't need an excuse to kiss you, love."
Whatever she was going to say, was lost as the heat of the kiss rose again. It was as if those months she was on the run, instead of tearing them apart, had brought them closer together. He walked her backwards to the nearest room which turned out to be hers and after fumbling a second with the doorknob, they walked in, still engaged in their heated kiss. Hermione felt something hit the back of her knees and started a bit when she realized it was her bed. With a shrug she let herself fall back, bringing Fred down over her.
His mind was hazy. She was so beautiful, so nice and so perfect. No other woman would ever compare, he was sure. He felt her soft skin as he slipped a hand under her shirt, caressing her stomach, moving up to her waist. He stopped kissing her for a second to gaze down at her. Her eyes were half closed, her cheeks rosy and her breath was ragged. "You're beautiful," he told her, leaning down to trace her jaw with the tip of his nose, plating kisses on her skin every now and then. "So beautiful."
She ran her hands through his hair and he raised his head to kiss her once more.
"Fred! 'Ermione! Dinner is ready!" They froze on the bed, somewhat disappointed.
She sighed. "Come on, let's not keep them waiting." His eyes seemed to say 'Really? Do we have to?' so she gave him a quick peck on the lips and pushed him off her. "Come on."
"Fine," he grumbled. He stood, and taking her hand, led them out of the room and into the kitchen. They ignored the pointed looks they were getting from everyone else on the table ad set themselves to enjoy the meal.
Halfway through the meal, Harry reminded her that they ought to talk with Griphook. They agreed to go see him after dinner.
A week passed like that. Fred would come for the day most days, and spend time with Hermione. The rest of the time, she would spend either helping Bill and Fleur with Victoire or Harry and Ron with Griphook.
To Hermione, working with Griphook felt suspiciously similar to working against him. The goblin hindered their plans as much as helping them, shooting down any and all ideas as useless, yet refusing to elaborate beyond a basic overview on the security measures placed on the Lestrange vault.
It wasn't until Harry had shouted at him about wanting Voldemort—thank Merlin Shell Cottage was under the Fidelius Charm—to win that he had been more forthcoming with the information.
They had decided to break into Gringotts on the 1st of May, which was just two weeks away.
Ollivander, Luna and Dean had left for Aunt Muriel's that morning and dinner had been somewhat subdued that day. Fred had returned to Shell Cottage a few hours after accompanying the three to Muriel's. Hermione was helping Fleur with the dishes in the kitchen when Bill got his attention. He followed his brother further into the house into a small study that Bill warded against eavesdropping. Confused, Fred raised an eyebrow until he saw what Bill had just taken out of a pocket in his robes.
His eyes were wide as he watched the black velvet box his brother held in his hand, but he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. "I—is that it? It's ready?"
"Indeed, little brother. And just I time, I hear." His brother's words made his smile disappear. He took the box from him but didn't open it. He raised his eyes and saw Bill, his eyes wide and his face just a little bit angry. "You haven't told her?"
He ran a hand through his tousled hair, sighing. "I haven't had the chance. I—I don't really know how to."
"Fred, you're leaving tomorrow for two weeks! She has a right to know."
"I know. I was going to tell her tonight."
Bill huffed. "I hope you were. Nasty surprise to be left waiting for you tomorrow only to find out you're out on a mission somewhere else. Where are you going anyways?"
"Sorry, it's classified," Fred said with a wry smile.
"Classified. Right. Well, are you going to open it?" He asked, pointing at the box sitting in his hand.
With a smile, he pushed the little box open, revealing a beautiful ring of platinum with a diamond surrounded by two tear-shaped rubies. It was beautiful and he thought it fit Hermione perfectly.
"The goblin who made it gave you too much trouble?"
"Not much, but the contract he signed specifically stated that the owner of this ring would be the buyer, not the maker. You know he was a bit sour about it at first, but the gold managed to calm him down," he paused for a second. "It better had, with what you're paying for it."
He nodded. "She deserves the best."
"That she does, brother. That she does."
He put the velvet box in his pocket, reserved for later that night. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
He approached where she was talking with Harry and Ron. He caught the words 'Gringotts' and 'vault' and prayed to Merlin they weren't planning anything dangerous. Of course, knowing them, that was exactly what they were doing. "Hermione, I need to talk to you."
"You guys can finish this off without me?"
Harry waved her away. "Sure, go ahead."
"What is it, Fred?"
"Come here." He led her through the house and to her room. It wasn't the ideal place to have this conversation, but a few spells on the door guaranteed they'd have a bit of privacy. He turned away from her and looked out the window at the bright full moon. He spared a thought to Remus, whose son had been born a few days before Victoire. He remembered Remus coming to Shell Cottage a few days ago to ask Harry to be Godfather to little Teddy.
Hermione's voice brought him back to the bedroom. "Fred, what is it? You're scaring me."
"Come here, love." He wrapped his arms around her, inhaling deeply, surrounding himself with her scent. Vanilla and Edelweiss and something that was pure her.
"Fred?"
He hesitated a few more seconds before he finally got it out. "I have to leave soon. The Order needs me and George to do something. I'll be gone for two weeks." He felt her tense at his words, her embrace no longer as comforting as it had been.
"When?"
Deep breath. "Tomorrow."
She threw herself out of his arms. "What?"
"We have to leave… tomorrow."
Her eyes filled with tears. "And you're telling me this now?"
"I—I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't know how…"
"Since when have you known this?"
"A—a few days. Hermione, please understand." He looked at her, his soul bare through his eyes and she could see how much it hurt him. He hadn't wanted to tell her because telling would make it real. They would be torn apart again and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
She slowly walked up to him and sank to her knees. Only then did he realize that he had fallen to his knees somewhere along the discussion. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears as she whispered her next words. "I'm leaving too. On the 1st."
"That's two weeks from now."
"Yes."
"I won't be able to see you when I get back before you leave, will I?"
"I don't think so."
"Hermione…" Not thinking about consequences and just wanting to feel her close, he lowered his face to hers, taking her lips in a rough kiss. It was different than any other they had shared. While others had been sweet, romantic and some even passionate, this one was pure raw want. She answered in kind, understanding that whatever happened after that wasn't only about love, but about possession. About asserting their dominance over one another and about making sure, for both of them, where they stood with each other.
Barely breaking their kiss they stood and made their way to the bed. By the time her knees made contact with it, Fred had shed his robe and she had his shirt unbuttoned. Her own shirt was halfway across the room and she had to bite back a whimper when his hands grazed her half exposed breasts.
"So beautiful," he breathed between kisses.
They were entranced. It was almost unconscious, the way they moved together, discarding their clothes until there was nothing between them but the feeling of skin on skin.
Hermione felt as if in a dream. The way his eyes had darkened, how his hands roamed her body, his whispered endearments on her ear, how he fit so perfectly well within her.
Fred felt he was in heaven. Her body trembling beneath his, her moans of pleasure as he moved inside her. How gorgeous she looked when she let go. There was no place he'd rather be, than right there with his witch.
He awoke a few hours later, moonlight streaming through the open window, to find her gone. He wasn't worried, though, for he could see her outside in the garden, walking barefoot in the grass. Making his decision, he put on his boxers and took the black velvet box from his robes.
He took a minute to look at her, the moonlight reflecting off her honey-colored locks. She was breath-taking. He walked up to her, snaking an arm around her from behind. He knew it was the right moment to ask. He brought his hand, the one holding the little black velvet box up to her eyes. He felt her tense slightly against him when he opened to reveal the goblin-made ring that rested inside.
His mouth was by her ear and his voice was almost too soft to be heard over the nightly breeze. "Marry me, Hermione. Be mine." He felt her shiver when his lips brushed her ear. The few seconds it took her to turn around in his embrace were agony. Where he had been completely sure of what he was doing, her hesitation, for that was what it felt to him, tore him apart.
He relaxed when she turned around and saw she was smiling. "Always and Forever," she promised. He slipped the ring into the fourth finger of her left hand, pleased to see it was a perfect fit.
"I love you," he said, slowly lowering his lips to hers.
He was a breath away from kissing her when she answered. "I love you, too."
A/N: There you go, I hope you people liked it. I tried to maintain it at a T rate, I hope I succeeded. To those who had been wondering how I would work the mini-flashback from the original story into this one, well, there you go, I hope you people like it :D
Reviews are very much appreciated!
Love,
C.