This is a bit darker than I tend to write, but hopefully it's still interesting. Weird fact: I had "The Heart Wants What it Wants" on Repeat 1 the entire time I wrote this.

Thy Brother's Wife

Hermione twirled around in her wedding gown like a shimmering jewel, and several wizards peered on in covetous silence as the third member of Golden trio took her arm.

"Blimey, Hermione, you look bloody amazing." Ron danced stiffly at her side.

"Thank you, Ronald." Hermione beamed. "I can't believe this is finally happening."

"I know! Tonight's going to be amazing." A glazed, dreamy look settled in her new husband's eyes, and Hermione stopped short.

"Well, yes, I suppose, but the wedding itself was the important part." She suddenly looked unsure. "Don't you agree?"

"Oh, right. 'Course." Ron shook his head slightly. "Did I mention how stunning you look tonight?" Ron smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, Ron…" Hermione trailed off, the clichéd compliment falling flat against her ears. Had she over estimated Ron's capacity for chivalry?

He'd pestered Hermione for weeks, declaring his undying love with a goblin-made wedding band and in several public interviews. Hermione had interpreted it as a mark of maturity, but only now she realized it was possibly nothing more than a formal attempt to get her on the front page of the paper and into the sack as quickly as possible.

Before she could dwell on the point much longer she felt a pair of strong hands wrench her away from Ron's slackened, sweaty grasp.

"May I cut in?" A Weasley twin's voice sent shivers down her spine.

"Fred!" Hermione laughed blithely as she was twirled away from the spotlight. "You're going to make Ron upset."

"Ah, but I'm more concerned about your own saddened expression. Ickle Ronniekins already spoiling the magic?" Fred guessed with a mischievous smirk.

She bit her lip. "He's just a bit…unpracticed in the art of appropriate conversation. His lack of subtlety caught me off guard; that's all."

Fred's cheeky grin widened. "Ah, you mean the art of inappropriate conversation, don't you, my lovely new sister-in-law?" Her blush was a dead giveaway. "Well, you can hardly blame him, Hermione. In a tempting gown like that, and your hair swept up in those curls – not to mention those bloody, twinkling chocolate eyes of yours – I'm surprised Ron hasn't had to run down the other wizards with sticks."

Hermione's blush deepened at the astonishing specifics of Fred's compliment, and to her surprise Fred's own cheeks flushed slightly.

She was about to open her mouth to speak when Ron came into view. "Oi, there you are, you lot. I thought you and Fred had run off," Ron chuckled nervously with an obvious hint of jealousy. "Come on, Hermione. The photographer wants a few more shots for the Daily Prophet."

He dragged her away from the twin, and Hermione shrugged apologetically at Fred as Ron dragged her away.

Fred leaned back against a pillar, arms folded and a look on consternation on his face when his twin appeared by his side.

"If I'd have imagined that was hiding beneath Granger's oversized robes I'd never have let Ron have her so easily," George sighed exaggeratedly. "If we don't act soon, Forge, all the good ones will be taken."

Fred nodded lightly, but returned to his deepening thoughts. Hermione had felt so good and looked so perfect in his arms. He usually had a radar for things like these, but somehow he had completely missed Hermione Granger. Feeling waterlogged, he shook his head briskly to rid his mind of the thought of his new sister-in-law. She was a Weasley now – and she belonged to Ron.

"Ronald and Hermione should be here any minute! George, set out the rest of the silver!" The Weasley matron was in a frenzy. Ron and Hermione had been away for their honeymoon just a few weeks, but any given passersby would have thought they'd been away for months based on their mother's frantic shouts. "Fred, would you get the extra napkins from the linen cupboard? And Percy dear – do go see what's taking Harry and Ginny so long upstairs."

Fred snorted at his mother's naivety. It was plenty obvious what Ginny and Harry were up to, and he had no desire to walk in on it.

It took him a few minutes to sort through the stacks of cloth to find the napkins. He briefly let his thoughts wander to Hermione the last time he'd seen her – stunning as she was in her wedding attire, but Fred knew he couldn't dwell on that. She was family now, his brother's wife.

As if on cue the hearth burst into flame and the newlyweds stumbled out. Ron grinned sheepishly, clearly proud of what he and his wife had been up to during their post-nuptial holiday. Hermione greeted everyone with her sweet smile and pleasantries, but the grin didn't quite reach her eyes. Fred hardly had time to wonder at her forced demeanor before his mother burst into the room, enveloping the couple in an exuberant embrace.

"Oh, it is so wonderful to see you both. Hermione dear, I do hope Ron is taking good care of you. Dinner is nearly ready. Oh Ron, can you be a dear and fetch the extra candles from Percy's room?"

Ron had already begun edging toward the kitchen upon the mention of dinner, and he looked at Hermione pleadingly.

"Oh for goodness' sake; I'll get them," Hermione threw her arms in the air dramatically, "Heaven forbid you be delayed from stuffing your face for any length of time!"

Fred snickered at Ron's obvious display of gluttony but ultimately filed behind the others toward the glorious smell drifting in from the kitchen.

"Hermione's taking a long time, mum," Ron said as he shoveled down his third helping of potatoes. "Her food's getting cold. Where did you say you'd put the candles?"

"In Percy's closet, dear."

"Percy's closet?" Fred and George jumped in synch. Fred rushed up the stairs ahead of his twin without a second thought and burst into Percy's room. "Alohomora Specificus," he shouted, and Percy's closet swung open to reveal a livid-looking Hermione, bound by several of his older brother's bewitched robes. "That…was meant for Percy."

"Yes, I gathered as much," Hermione seethed. "Now kindly get me out of here."

Chuckling, Fred pocketed his wand and began to untie Hermione's left hand.

"And of course you made it so the knots would have to be undone the muggle way." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Aren't you getting a bit old for pranks?"

"I admit I might need to rethink my strategy," he laughed after finally getting Hermione's left hand free.

At that moment they heard George's voice echo down the hallway. "Don't, Ron, if anyone else goes in the room it'll…"

"What's going on here?" Ron bellowed.

Fred never got the chance to reply as the closet door slammed, locking him inside with Hermione.

After several seconds Hermione heard the Weasley twin exhale in defeat. "I'll admit this hasn't exactly gone as planned."

Hermione shook her head in the blackened closet. "Let me guess. You're the only binder of the Alohomora Specificus charm."

"Gred and I weren't too keen on the whole entwined hands bit."

"And considering your lack of movement I'll hazard a guess that you're now bound by Percy's robes as well?"

"Dress robes by the feel of it."

"Oh, Merlin…" Hermione sighed. Having already been trapped in the closet for several minutes, she knew yelling for help was fruitless thanks to some sort of self-activating silencing charm. "At least I have one hand free." She began to work at the knot around her right wrist.

"Go ahead, if you think you can," Fred scoffed, "No one's doubting that you're incredibly brilliant, but unless you're some sort of expert at untying knots with one hand we could be here all night."

Hermione grinned in the dark. "Lucky for you then – I'm an expert at untying knots." Her hands found Fred's shoulders.

"How did you—"

"Shh. I have to find your wrists."

Up until that point Hermione had been able to keep her cool, but as her hands slid up Fred's left arm she heard his breathing change. The air suddenly felt thick, and everywhere their skin touched she felt much too warm.

As she swept in front of Fred's body to get to the last knot she felt something press into her waist.

"Frederick Gideon Weasley! Is that what I think it is?"

"You can hardly blame a wizard, Hermione. I'm locked in a closet with a beautiful witch, imagining the many ways she could have possibly learnt to untie knots so quickly with one hand."

"Well, stop it now!" she cried. Her thoughts were all over the place. Fred's words made everything feel feverish around her. "You can't leave the closet with such an obvious…distraction. And you shouldn't speak to me that way."

"Oh right, we wouldn't want to make your dear husband jealous."

She pulled the last knot free and backed away hesitantly. "Husband." It felt foreign and awkward on her lips. "Yes, Ron is my husband."

"Right," Fred cut in a bit too quickly. "Well, congratulations on your marital success. I'm thrilled you've found happiness with my younger brother."

After several seconds Hermione whispered. "I never said I've found happiness."

"What did you just say?"

"I'm not happy," she admitted, more loudly. "It feels like Ron only married me for the publicity and the sex. I'm afraid I may have made a mistake rushing into things with him."

Fred was perfectly silent.

"I'm sorry, Fred. I shouldn't have burdened you with this."

Several more seconds passed until Hermione finally heard Fred rustling in his robes.

"Alohomora Specificus."

The door swung open, and Ron bombarded his wife.

"Thank goodness that's sorted," Ron sighed. "Now we can finish eating!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, Ron. Food is all you ever think about."

"Not true!"

Fred watched the two depart thoughtfully, still feeling the trail of Hermione's fingertips along his arm.

Several more weeks passed, and Fred traipsed home from the Leaky Cauldron just as the last rays of sunlight settled behind the darkening clouds. He was halfway to the shop when a witch in a dark hood darted from Knockturn Alley, slamming into his chest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean to…F-Fred?"

Fred tipped back the familiar witch's hood quizzically. "Hermione? What in Merlin's name are you doing in Knockturn Alley?"

"That's none of your business." Her cheeks, however, turned beet red at that moment, and Fred's curiosity was piqued.

"I'm just concerned with the welfare of the newest member of the Weasley clan. Knockturn Alley is still a shady part of town, you know."

"Yes, well…" She didn't finish her sentence when sleet began to pelt down on the two of them.

Fred grabbed her hand and led them to a wide overhanging along the side of one of the nearby shops.

"There now, love. We'll just wait under here until the weather lets up a bit."

Hermione bit her lip after a moment. "Fred, you're still holding my hand."

He played it off with a cheeky grin. "You're still not letting go."

Taking a careful breath, she pulled her hand away. "Fred, please, this is hardly appropriate."

For a split second he didn't care about propriety, and his eyes flickered to Hermione's lips, but his eyes flashed further down to her wedding band, and the feeling collapsed into a wave of guilt. "Of course you're right as usual, Hermione. Forgot myself for a second," he winked for good measure. "How about you tell me why you've been skulking around Knockturn Alley, and we call it even."

"I haven't been skulking," she scoffed dismissively, taking sudden interest in a nearby rubbish bin. "I just wanted to browse."

At that Fred let out a surprised chortle of laughter. Then seeing a corner of parchment extending from the pocket of Hermione's robe he made a snap decision, making a quick grab for it.

"Fred, NO!" Hermione looked mortified, snatching the paper in a deft lightning motion, but Fred had seen enough. His mind drew a shocked blank for several seconds.

"You were browsing at love potions?"

"No, I wasn't, it's just that…well, they weren't exactly love potions." The words tumbled from her lips. "They're meant to…help me feel attracted to Ron…at certain times," she finished lamely.

Fred's eyes widened in complete and utter astonishment. "You're not attracted to Ron?"

"Well I just…" Hermione drew back, looking embarrassed and ashamed. "Oh, what am I doing here? Ron will be furious when he finds out I've been skulking around Knockturn Alley."

"And who says Ron has to find out?" Fred offered reassuringly.

"Can you honestly tell me you won't go off and tell George the moment you're free of me?"

Fred brought Hermione's chin up toward him. "I keep my promises, Hermione Granger."

Their faces were dangerously close when Hermione breathed in a whisper. "Weasley."

"Yes?" Fred murmured.

"Weasley. My name is Hermione Weasley." She pulled back abruptly.

"Merlin," Fred breathed. What was he doing? Hermione was off limits. "I don't know what got into me."

"Yes, well," she sounded noticeably more ruffled than before. "I appreciate your discretion. Good day, Fred." She turned sharply away, dashing away as quickly as possible.

Fred stared after her until she had disappeared. He was in trouble.

Over the next few weeks Fred barely caught glimpses of Hermione, though she increasingly plagued his dreams. But she and Ron opted to spend Christmas with the Grangers in France, and the new year quickly rolled into February. George was busy making Valentine plans for Angelina, so Fred busied himself with the shop.

He was restocking the love potions, and his thoughts inevitably drifted to the potion Hermione had been looking to purchase in Knockturn Alley. Fred morbidly wondered if she'd ended up using the shady concoction, but he couldn't help but selfishly wish that she hadn't. Last he'd heard however, they'd make plans to spend Valentine's Day in Spain, so he knew his dark hopes were no more than a sadistic pipe dream.

He closed the shop early on Valentine's afternoon to prepare for a last minute date he'd scraped together. It had started to rain quite heavily when he looked out the back window of the shop and spotted Hermione's ever-familiar gaze staring back at him through the downpour.

Fred hurriedly unlocked the door and threw it open, shouting through the torrent. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Spain?" She made no attempts to enter the shop, so he stepped out into the cascades of falling water until he was just in front of her. "Hermione," he brought his hand to hers as the rain continued to tumble down, and he tugged her hand until they were out of the deluge. "Hermione, are you all right?"

To his surprise she leaned into him and began sobbing into his shoulder. "No Fred, I'm not."

"Did Ron do something? I swear to Merlin, if he hurt you—" Anger began to swell beneath his veins, but Hermione pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him instantly.

"No. Ron didn't do anything, Fred." She shook her head in despair. "I just wish I'd realized…Fred, I wish—"

Her tears mingled drops of rain, and Fred couldn't help but notice how terribly beautiful she looked at that moment. She took a deep breath, straightening up as best as she could.

"—Fred, I wish I'd never married Ron. I wish I'd seen what was right in front of me—" He might have stopped breathing at that moment. Perhaps he was dreaming.

"—I can't stop thinking about…someone. Someone I shouldn't - even in the deepest recesses - entertain the slightest thought. But I can't help it," she hiccuped in a mixture of hopeless laughter and tears.

He wasn't sure what to do. She was married to Ron for Godric's sake, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't been secretly pleased at her being here.

"I'm ashamed of myself, Fred. So I just came to say goodbye, before I—"

"Goodbye?" Fred cut her off. "You're leaving?" He grabbed her by the arms as if to physically keep her from apparating away.

Her nose tipped up against his chin as she peered upward into his eyes. "I have to, I can't…" She'd brushed against Fred's bottom lip, and he let out a heavy exhale that made her shiver.

Letting his lips graze painstakingly downward, his eyes fluttered involuntarily when he felt her unsteady wavering breath fill his senses. His lips skimmed hesitantly against hers until Hermione gave in with a sigh of defeat, clutching his robes and pulling him into a desperate kiss.

Fred let out a deep moan before he could steel himself, and Hermione sighed, taking his bottom lip between her own. Throwing caution into the storm he let his tongue run along her teeth until she gasped, and he deepened the contact.

He drew her more closely toward him until their bodies touched, and Hermione's hands wandered up his neck and through his hair.

At that moment a familiar baritone Fred knew as well as his own cleared his throat loudly, and the pair turned sharply to face George, staring at them in a chaotic mixture of horror, disappointment, and confusion.

Before Fred could open his mouth, Hermione spoke from behind.

"I am so sorry, Fred. I never meant for this to happen."

"Don't leave," he mouthed with hope.

Hermione's eyes crinkled wistfully, and she gazed at him with more longing than he'd ever seen her look at any man. "I have to."

Before she could apparate away, Fred grabbed her arm firmly, formulating a reckless plan in his mind. "No you don't."

Then before she could utter another word he lifted his wand and focused everything on the heartbreakingly beautiful witch.

"Obliviate!"

A few weeks had passed since Valentine's Day, and Hermione sat at the Weasley dinner table observing the usual bedlam. Ron ate ravenously, Ginny and Harry were nowhere to be seen, Mr. Weasley was prattling on about muggle torches, and his wife bustled frantically to and fro between rooms. The only person who seemed unusually out of sorts was Fred. She stared at him now and again for a while, trying to discern the difference, but eventually she gave up before she could draw attention to herself.

When had Fred Weasley become so handsome?

With an odd sense of déjà vu Hermione shook her head briskly to rid her mind of the errant thoughts. An eerily familiar hint of guilt settled in the back of her mind, but the witch managed to shrug it off. She couldn't seriously imagine ever thinking about Fred that way. After all, she was a Weasley now– and she belonged to Ron.

Just as she thought those words Fred looked up, and their gaze locked for a long moment, and she couldn't help but wonder what might have happened between them, had things gone just a little differently.

Fin.

I know I'm the worst! A cliffy ending to one-shot! There are so many fics with Ron abusing or cheating on Hermione, I've just wondered for a while how it would play out if Hermione wasn't so innocent. Anyway, if you made it this far thank you so much for reading, and please review with any improvements or insights. Thanks! -V

February 2015 Twin Exchange Challenge

Pairing: Hermione/Fred; Theme: Valentine's Day/Anti-Valentine's Day; Quote: "Go ahead, if you think you can."; Prompt: Love Potion