Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. This story takes place at Christmas time and I am aware that some relationships are at different stages in the books at this time than what I have written, so it does not follow the exact timeline. Hope you enjoy it!

I held the glass between my hands to warm them up. I could see the steam from the butterbeer rising and I gripped it closer. While it wasn't cold inside the Burrow and the fire was crackling, it still felt nice having the warm beverage in my hands, and even better when I took a sip and I could feel the warmth spread through my body.

As I sat there on the edge of the couch I realised the butterbeer was probably the only good thing I had at the moment and I took a sip every time I felt my eyes sting with tears.

I watched the Weasleys chat and laugh over the music and I felt a little better whenever one of them would catch my eye and grin at me. That Weasley grin, you couldn't help but smile back.

But then every time my eyes darted to the corner of the room I had been trying to avoid looking at all night, my stomach would drop, and I would feel miserable all over again.

I felt someone sit beside me and looked over to see it was Harry. He didn't say anything, just moved a little closer to his arm was touching my arm and I felt a little better. He never said anything. We never talked about it, about how I felt about Ron, about how he had mumbled my name under the effects of the poison, about how I thought that meant he felt the same way, and about how he broke my heart by going back to ignoring me and continuing his awful relationship with Lavender. We never spoke about it, but just knowing that someone understood what I was feeling and why I was so miserable was enough.

I watched Harry as his eyes were focused on Ginny. Ginny was standing with Bill and Fleur, laughing at something Bill had said. She had broken up with Dean only a few weeks ago but seemed as cheerful as ever. It was clear me that Harry had feelings for Ginny, and she had always liked Ginny. Apparently everyone else was blind to it though. I guess it was another unspoken thing between Harry and myself as he knew I had noticed his attraction to her, but I never said anything.

I bumped his leg with mine and he stood up, giving me an absentminded squeeze with his hand on my shoulder, his eyes never wavering from Ginny as he headed over and joined in the conversation.

Alone again I thought to my butterbeer and I took the final swig, emptying the glass.

I tried to pretend I couldn't hear Lavenders giggling over the music, but I couldn't. I had truly believed that Ron had been dating her out of male desperation, just to be dating someone, and that eventually it was maybe to make me jealous and notice him. Little did he know I had been noticing way before that. After he had been poisoned and said my name, I thought that was it. That when he was better he would break up with Lavender and finally admit his feelings to me. That was the problem with hope though. It only builds up your expectations and leaves you crashing to the ground when they don't follow through.

He had shrugged off calling out my name and continued his relationship. The worse part was though, that not only had it broken my heart, but we had basically stopped being friends too. I knew it was mostly his fault for not wanting to reconcile, but I had a sneaking suspicion that Lavender was pulling a few of his strings too, especially after the poisoning incident.

I looked around the room, everyone else looked like they were having a good time. Molly and Arthur were slow dancing out of beat to the music over on one side of the room, their cheeks were red and it was clear they might had been just a bit tipsy, but they looked so happy, looking at each other that you couldn't help but smile a little.

Bill, Fleur, Harry, Ginny and now Remus were standing in the other corner, deep in conversation about something, laughing in sync every minute or so.

I saw the Weasley twins walk into the room with Charlie between them, chatting about something and using wild hand gestures that made me smile, knowing it probably meant they were up to no good or trying to sell him something.

Percy wasn't here of course, although I suspect all the Weasleys were sad he wasn't there, Molly had been the only one to show it.

And then there was the other corner of the room. The corner with the one arm chair where Ron had sat and Lavender had wrapped herself around him. They hadn't moved from that seat all night and I had been trying my best not to look their way. The room was only so big though.

As my eyes passed over them all I saw was entwined bodies and my stomach lurched. Over the months my feelings for Ron had begun to fade, but that only made it worse. I felt like a horrible little girl who was jealous she couldn't have what she wanted. I couldn't help how it made me feel though. While I still had some feelings for Ron, I felt an awful jealousy over their relationship like nothing I had ever felt before.

Jealous that he would pick her, a bumbling, giggling idiot, over me. I knew it was an ugly way to feel, but I felt it. The part that broke my heart most though, wasn't that he chose her as a girlfriend over me, it was that he chose her as a girlfriend over a friendship with me. 6 years we had been best friends, and now it was like we were strangers.

Lavenders giggling was getting louder, and I couldn't shut it out. I imagined Ron running his hands over her body, holding her and kissing her and I couldn't take it anymore.

I stood up, gripping my glass so hard I feared it would break in my hands.

"You alright Hermione?" a voice asked, snapping me out of my own thoughts.

It was Charlie, looking at me with concern. He ran his fingers though his red hair, pushing it out of his eyes. He had blue eyes like half of the Weasleys did, like Bill, Percy and Ron, probably from Arthur's green eyes, while Molly had bright brown eyes she had passed to the twins and Ginny.

"Yes, just going to get a re-fill" I said, shaking my glass and trying to smile. It must have been convincing because he smiled back and let me pass.

I walked out of the room and into the kitchen. The kitchen was not quite as warm as the main room was, but with the stoves running, it kept it nice and cosy.

I made my way over to the nearest stove where a batch of butterbeer was bubbling away. I ladled some into my glass, instantly warming up my hand. Taking a sip, the warmness spread throughout my body and I started to feel better again.

"You know that's alcoholic right?" a voice came from behind me and I jumped. Spinning around a saw one of the twins was rocking on a chair in the corner of the kitchen. Had he been there the whole time? I must have been too upset to had even noticed. Looking closer I could see that it was Fred. The twins were almost completely identical. For the first 4 years of school I had been constantly mixing them up, and then made it my mission to try my hardest to find something that set them apart so I could tell the difference. And then I had found it. It was the eyes. Although their physical eyes were exactly the same, they moved differently. George's eyes were kinder, they were always wide and soft, and crinkled on the sides with smile lines. Fred's were narrower, as if they were always squinting a little with focus. They were always on the lookout, taking in more information than George's. At first I thought it was just a one time thing, but every time I looked at them and saw one with kind eyes and one with calculating eyes, and every time I was right about which was which.

It had really annoyed them after I could tell the difference, they had been desperate to find out how I could tell, but I never told. Even now, sitting on a chair in the kitchen, Fred's eyes looked me up and down, squinted a little but dancing with mischief.

"There's enough alcohol in butterbeer to warrant it even being an alcoholic beverage. That's why house elves get drunk off it but they can sell it to teenagers" I told him and he grinned.

"Ah that may be true Granger, but I'm telling you, you're missing one key fact about why the butterbeer is alcoholic enough that you're on your way to being pissed as a goat right now"

"What does that even mean?" I sighed, and he chuckled.

"Anyways, I know for a fact that butterbeer doesn't have enough alcohol in it to effect humans anyways. All it does is make you feel warm and lower some inhibitions if you drink enough, which to be honest, I'm not convinced is true, I think it's just what people say as an excuse to act silly or do something they wouldn't normally do" I rambled, but I could see his face lit up with smugness.

"So what fact am I missing then?" I asked, gripping the glass tighter and taking a small step forward.

"Mum makes her recipe with large quantities of fire whisky" he laughed, and I felt my face drop. No wonder it made me feel better. Good thing I had only had 2 glasses, I thought to myself, putting the third glass down on the table, much to Fred's amusement.

"What are you doing in here then?" I asked, trying to change the subject. He slowly stood up out of his chair.

"Writing down some ingredients I need to order tomorrow for the shop. Had a big order come in yesterday. Unfortunately, business doesn't take a holiday" he smiled. I had never actually thought of Fred and George as proper business men, whenever I saw them at their shop they were always smiling and laughing, playing with their own merchandise and having fun, I never even thought about their responsible side.

"You're welcome to come help us do inventory tomorrow at the shop" he said suddenly and all I could spit out was "What?"

"Well mum, dad, Bill, Fleur, Charlie and Ginny are all going to do the family rounds tomorrow, so I would imagine you wouldn't be too keen on spending the whole day here with Harry, Remus, Ron and Lavender" he explained. My heart dropped. I hadn't even thought about the day after. The last few times we were here for Christmas the Weasley's would all go do their family rounds, Ron would stay behind to keep Harry and I company and the three of us would spend the day together. Now I couldn't think of anything worse.

"You know, I might take you up on that offer. Inventory can't be that bad right?" I said with a small smile. Fred stepped closer to me, his face was slightly frowning now.

"I knew Ron and you were fighting, but it must be bad if you'd rather spend the day doing paperwork for something boring" he said, continuing to step closer.

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again. I wasn't about to explain why we were fighting. I wouldn't admit my own selfish thoughts out loud. I suddenly realised how close he had come.

Fred stood in front of me, a head taller I had to look up in order to see his face. He was so close I could feel the warmth of his body and I felt like I had taken a large sip of butterbeer. I could see his chest rising and falling in front of me, his arms hanging by his side. I had never noticed his arms before, I thought to myself. When did he go from the goofy, lankly kid, to a mature looking man? His arms were still long and skinny, but there was a definite bulge of lean muscle on them. His shirt clung to him and I could make out the appearance of what looked like a lean body under the ugly green sweatshirt. I looked back up to his face, where I noticed for the first time now that he was close, that he has a slight stubble, spread all over his jaw and un-patchy, it was clear he would have to shave it nearly every day to keep it trimmed. His bright brown eyes stared into mine.

"What are you guys fighting about? Surely not that bimbo" he said softly, and I shook my head out of the trace he had put me in by standing so close. I had forgotten we had been talking about Ron. I stood silent for a second before his hand reached forward and his fingers grazed my elbow. And then I spilled.

I told him everything. In a shaky whisper I told him all about how we had fallen out, how he had spent all his time playing tonsil hocky with Lavender. About when he had been poisoned and said my name, what I had hoped that meant, and what it had felt like when I had been wrong.

When I had finished spilling my guts to him I stood very still and silent. Waiting for him to laugh, to say I was being childish and that my jealousy over their relationship when I didn't even want to be with him anymore was just petty. But he said nothing. His eyes were hard to read as he was taking in all of the information I had just spilled.

"I always knew my brother was an idiot" he finally spoke.

"What?" I asked, confused by his reaction.

"He had a smart, funny, beautiful woman by his side, and he threw it away for someone like her" he mused. No one had ever called me beautiful before and I felt my cheeks get hot. Any hotter in here and I was going to melt, I thought.

"You don't think I'm being childish or something?" I asked meekly.

"Of course not. I think your reacting like any normal person with emotions would act. If anything, it doesn't sound to me like your jealous of the romantic relationship, but that you're afraid she has replaced you, the role you played in Ron's life" he said, and my heart skipped a beat. He had put exactly how I was feeling into words and it meant everything.

"Don't you dare let anybody ever make you think you are replaceable Hermione Granger. You cannot be replaced" he whispered, and I felt my eyes sting as I held back tears.

"At least that's what I am hoping, and they aren't romantic feelings" he said softly.

"Why's that?" I said shakily.

"Because then I won't feel bad for doing this" he breathed and before I could respond he had stepped forward into me.

His arms wrapped around, and his face leaned down to mine. I felt his lips press softly against mine and his face was warm. At first, I was shocked, trying to comprehend what had happened. While he didn't pull back though he had almost frozen, clearly waiting for my response as his lips lingered against mine. Something in the back of my mind told me to stop trying to comprehend the situation, to just do what I wanted to do and I moved into him, moving my arms around his waist and pressing my lips firmly against his. It must have been the response he was looking for because he held me tighter, his kiss going from a soft touch to a more passionate one. I felt his hand run through my hair and rest at the back of my head before moving to cup the side of my face. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss and my whole body felt electrified. I never wanted to stop.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" a voice ripped through my ecstasy and I felt Fred pull away, making my body ache without it.

I turned my head to see Ron standing in the kitchen door, Lavender behind him, her hand in his.

Fred had moved back a little, but his hand was still on the back of my head, the other on the small of back and my arms were still wrapped around his waist, neither of us went to move.

I opened my mouth to explain myself and then closed it, realising I didn't owe anyone, especially Ronald Weasley, an explanation. I looked Ron up and down, I looked over and his hand in Lavenders, and I felt nothing. It was as if by speaking how I was feeling out loud, Fred and turned those feeling powerless.

"You've obviously gotten her drunk off mum's butterbeer" Ron said angrily, looking at the glass on the table.

"I'm not drunk" I spat, suddenly wanting to make sure it was known I wanted this, that I was doing this freely, and I saw Fred look my way with a soft smile.

"You have to be. This is just….wrong" Ron stuttered.

"Well if it's so wrong you best be on your way little brother. Because it's about to happen again" Fred smiled, and he looked down at me.

I didn't know if Ron had left or not, but I had suspected so, because Fred leaned down to kiss me again and all that mattered in the world at that moment was how good I felt as he pulled me back into him.

Suddenly Fred pulled away and my heart dropped. Was he not feeling the way I was?

"Maybe you and I could skip inventory tomorrow" he murmured, and I laughed in relief.

"I think that's a very good idea" I grinned and he smiled back, his eyes shining brightly as I pulled him back in.