Don't make a fool of yourself, Weasley. Pranking is second nature to you. Of course it is. But don't make a bloody fool of yourself, so help me-

Don't overthink it. It's just a friendly lunch date! Of course. It's not like the two of you are going to get married or anything. Argh! Didn't I just say not to overthink anything?!

Hermione smiled nervously at Fred, who was also smiling nervously. As George looked at the two of them from inside WWW, he sighed, rubbing his face with both of his hands. The two had been standing outside the store for at least ten minutes, half-heartedly suggesting places and then saying, 'Wherever you want to go is fine with me!' and replying, 'No, no, wherever you want to eat!' and then, smiling like two idiots.

"Just go to the bloody pub near the Apothecary!" George roared at them from inside WWW. Fred's ears practically twitched, and George knew his twin had heard him through the glass. You know, twin telepathy, and all that stuff.

"Er, how about the bl- the pub near the Apothecary?" Fred suggested, shrugging as he did so.

"Oh, wherever is fine, Fred!" Hermione blurted out almost a bit too quickly.

"But if you're not okay with it-"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin..." George groaned, and opened the door, leaning his head out. "Lunch'll be over in thirty minutes, so if you want a proper date, then you'll get a move on. There's a new pub by the Apothecary, and they serve really good Muggle style food. Well, it's kind of a pub mixed in with a cafe, because they serve cookies and pastries along with some savory food. Ginny says that you should really order the steak. It's to die for." He knew he was babbling like some sort of Muggle commercial, but he just wanted Hermione and Fred out of there.

"What... What's it called, then?" Hermione said, trying to sound in control.

"Lumos," George said, an air of mystery around his voice. "I heard it's great. Date worthy."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Fred said hastily. "Let's go over and check on it." He grinned, and forcibly turned Hermione on her heels. "Bye, Georgie."

George spent a few couple seconds watching them walk awkwardly to the Apothecary... Or so they thought. "The Apothecary is the other direction, lovebirds."

(*)

Whatever awkward air that had surrounded the two of them earlier dissipated the time they reached Lumos. "Oh, it's beautiful," Hermione breathed out.

"Wow," Fred said, looking up at the most elegant looking 'pub' that had ever been in Diagon Alley. From that moment on, both Fred and Hermione decided to call it a restaurant. The front of the store had an impressive, navy blue exterior, which was so dark that it looked black. The corners and edges of the building had tinges of silver on them, and the roof, which wasn't a traditional roof, had lilting, curving tiles that were silver, as well.

"Well, that's something," Fred stated, letting out an impressed whistle. He glanced at Hermione, who was still staring up at the signage; an elegant script that spelled out Lumos, with a star taking the place of the 'o'. He smiled down at her, and offered his elbow to her. "Shall we?"

Hermione jumped, as if she had forgotten that Fred was still there. She stared at his elbow for a while, and then she took it; tentatively but firmly. "We shall."

He stepped forward and opened the doors, which were elegantly crafted, navy blue double doors with silver handles. Hermione inhaled sharply as they entered Lumos. Inside, it didn't seem like it was high noon. Whatever darkness that was painted on the outside, was applied to the inside. The floor was wooden, giving the whole restaurant a homey, yet high edge taste to it. Tables which were either booths, or circular tables, had whitish silver table cloths. The centerpiece of each table was a silver rose, of all things. But it was the ceiling that held Fred and Hermione in awe.

The ceiling had been painted what looked an even darker shade of navy blue, almost black. But what made it stand out were the little dots that looked like stars, twinkling every once in a while. It didn't look like the ceiling that Hogwarts had, it just looked like an impressive, dotted sky. The thing was, even Hermione wasn't sure if this was regular lighting or magic, and that was saying something.

"Oh, hi!" Fred and Hermione brought their heads back down to the ground, and settled on a girl who looked as if she were Hermione's age. Her hair was long, black, and wavy, though it was tied in a high ponytail. She was slightly chubby, but it didn't look that obvious since she was tall. Her skin was somewhat the color of a very pale brown, and her chocolate brown eyes twinkled warmly at them. She wore a simple white uniform, with an apron over her waist. "You're a couple of new faces."

"Yeah, we heard about this place from my sister, Ginny," Fred said, smiling courteously at their host.

"Oh, you're Ginny's brother!" She seemed positively delighted at the fact. "Harry and Ginny are regulars here!"

"Funny how we didn't know about that," Fred quipped to Hermione, who merely elbowed him in the side.

"Excuse my manners," the waitress said, smiling shyly. "I'm Kaitlin. I'm head waitress here. I think I know the perfect table for you two here at Lumos."

All of the stars on the ceiling suddenly brightened, but not by much. It was just like a simple twinkling of the stars, although it didn't go unnoticed by Hermione. "What was that?" Hermione asked, eyes on the ceiling again.

"The stars?" Kaitlin asked. "Well, lumos," the lights twinkled. "Is so obviously a spell, right? And sometimes, wizards and witches can cause wandless magic. So the owner enchanted the lights so that anytime the word is uttered, the lights would twinkle like stars."

"May I try?" Hermione asked, suddenly very curious. Kaitlin nodded. "Lumos!" Hermione said in a low whisper.

The lights twinkled.

"That will never grow old," Fred commented. "We should do that for WWW, only with fireworks every time someone buys something."

The look on Hermione's face silenced him, but he still kept a grin on his face.

"Alright, so you two follow me. Corner booth it is," Kaitlin chirped, and motioned to them. "Okay, so are you Fred or George?"

"Fred," he replied, inclining his head.

"Oh, I should have guessed," Kaitlin said airily, her voice carrying back to them. "Ginny told me that Fred was the one head over heels in -"

"So, who owns this spectacular place?" Fred interrupted their waitress, trying to ignore the blossoming blush on his date's face.

Kaitlin shot him a sly glance. "My family owns the place. Mum and Dad thought they should brighten Diagon Alley up after the war with a neat addition. Is it working?"

"Quite," Hermione said, smiling. "It's beautiful, Kaitlin."

"Thank you!" she beamed, and waved them towards a table. "Here it is!" She pointed them towards a booth in the corner. "What'll your orders be?" she chirped, after the two had slipped into the booth. Fred and Hermione both sat at opposite sides of the booth, smiling a bit at each other uncertainly.

Kaitlin sighed happily as she waited for them to order. Those two are so cute together!

Fred looked at Hermione, motioning for her to go first. "Oh, uhm... Why don't you decide for us?" Hermione shrugged, and smiled across at Fred for confirmation.

"Yeah, I'm guessing the owners' daughter would know the special things to order." Fred grinned, and Kaitlin nodded, smiling enthusiastically.

"I know just the thing! Alright, it'll be out in fifteen."

"She's chipper," Hermione said, smiling. "I like her."

"She has that aura. I bet she gets along with Ginny quite well," Fred said, smiling with a far-off expression on his face.

Both of them were silent, watching as the stars above them twinkled every once in a while.

"'Mione-"

"Fred-"

Both of them broke off, and they laughed, albeit a bit awkwardly. "Ladies first," Fred said, offering a hand in her direction.

"Well, alright," Hermione said begrudgingly. "Look, Fred... Thank you for being so nice to me. Really. I know... I know that it's hard dealing with someone who bursts into tears every other day, and I just want to apologize for-"

"What? No," Fred said, eyes nearly popping open. "Don't! I... I like being here for you. I really do." Hermione frowned, and before she could say anything, Fred reached out for her hand, holding it tightly. She tensed; this was the first time he had openly done anything like this. "That's why I asked you to lunch. Because I-"

Her heart couldn't possibly beat any faster, especially when his thumb was running circles around her knuckles. "You don't-"

"And heeeeeere is your food!" Kaitlin appeared all of the sudden, a tray full of sandwiches and two tall glasses of what looked like chocolate shakes. Fred and Hermione jumped, their hands drawing apart. "Hey, was I interrupting anything?" she asked, looking genuinely horrified.

"Oh, no, no," Hermione said, shaking her head so fast her brown waves were flying everywhere. "This looks wonderful, Kaitlin. Really."

Fred sighed, and placed his head into his hands.

(*)

"Oh, it's so bright outside," Hermione commented the minute they exited Lumos, tummies full, but the awkwardness still present. She shielded her eyes with her hand. "We kind of overstepped George's thirty minutes, so I guess we better hurry."

The two of them brisk walked towards WWW. Fred couldn't help but wonder if he had ruined the whole thing; if she really wasn't ready, and he was just forcing himself on her. Hermione, on the other hand, was wondering if she was just getting paranoid. She had to get out in the world sometime, right?

After a couple of streets and stores, they finally reached their destination. Slowing down, they paused just outside of the store. Fred sighed. "'Mione... Alright, my time to talk first. Is that okay with you?"

Hermione smiled lightly, and nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm pushing you. I'm... If you want to move on in the world, it should be your choice, not mine. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Fred let it all out in one go, as Hermione watched him.

"Well, for all it's worth, Fred, I'm sorry too. I panicked. And I shouldn't be hurting you like this. It is being unfair on your part, and I do believe that I should at least give you another chance." She blushed, the red coloring on her cheeks reaching her ears.

It took Fred a while to process what she said, and when he finally did, he lit up like the end of his wand after uttering 'Lumos'. "So... That's saying yes to another lunch date I haven't even asked you on yet?" he teased, and winked.

Hermione turned even more red, if possible. "Fred! Y-You know what I meant."

He grinned, his heart at ease. "I know, I know." He inhaled. After hesitating only a few moments, he walked a few steps closer, and put his hands gently on the top of her shoulders. "Thank you for giving me another chance. I won't bloody screw this up. And I'll be here for you, and not be an idiot. Okay?"

She bowed her head, biting her lips. Then she looked up at him and smiled. "Okay."

After staring down at her for what seemed like forever, he smiled back at her, and leaned down to press his lips gently against her forehead. Hermione's eyes popped open in surprise; both at the spontaneity, and at the sudden warmth that flooded her senses when she felt his lips on her skin.

"I'll make you smile again, 'Mione." He chuckled. "I promise."

She leaned back again, and smiled at him. "You're very nearly there." Hermione winked at him, and extracted herself slowly from his hands. "George is glaring at us from inside. Uhm, I'll go in first."

"Why don't we go in together?" he said, smiling at her.

Hermione hugged herself, as if trying to assure herself that she was really doing this, and smiled. "Lets."

(*)

Let's start off the author's note with a huge apology. I had the worst writer's block. Funny, within these exactly two weeks of no updates, I was able to attend a creative writer's workshop. And the author giving the workshop said that writers get writer's block because they set high expectations for whatever they're writing.

And seeing as this is Fred and Hermione's first date, I can bet you the standards were high. So after 2 weeks of just staring at a blank word document, I just started to have fun with it!

That was my excuse, so yeah. I hope you guys are at least kinda happy? :)

Read and review guys. *sends you flying kisses*

PS Extra cookies and chocolates for you if you caught the other fandom reference in here! :D I bet y'all can get it.