"Is there anything I can be doing to help?" Hermione asked sitting at the small table in Fred's kitchen. She was watching him run around the kitchen in amusement as he did several things at once.

"Absolutely not, I'm nearly finished anyway, just got a bit sidetracked earlier. Running a bit late," Fred insisted, not telling her that he had been sidetracked trying to get his hair to fall just the right way, so it looked as if he'd made no effort at all.

Fred sent a bottle of wine toward the table as his salad finished chopping itself. Another wave of his wand had the table setting itself as the salad and bread settled nicely on the table. Hermione poured them each a glass as Fred walked to the table, a large serving dish of baked spaghetti levitating in front of him.

"This all smells wonderful," Hermione commented as Fred began to dish out servings.

"I'm just glad you like Italian food, I know how to make exactly two meals, baked spaghetti and pancakes." Fred took a sip of the wine and tore off a piece of the bread.

"That's about two more meals than I can make, though I can pour a mean bowl of cereal. My mum tried to teach me, but it just never stuck. Then when we went on the hunt, well, it was just a disaster all around." Hermione blushed slightly as she realized she'd already broken their rule for tonight, no war talk, past or present.

"I do hate you had to go through that, but you won't again," Fred reassured her, squeezing her hand before continuing. "George is the cook around here, but that's to be expected, he's the one who excelled in potions."

"Hmmm, I never really thought of it that way, but it makes sense. Potions and cooking are very similar. This really is good," Hermione said, digging in fully to the meal.

The nervousness Hermione had felt when she arrived was all but gone as the dinner plates sailed to the kitchen sink and the bottle of wine was emptied between their glasses. For the first time in a while she could remember what it was like to spend an enjoyable, easy, evening with someone else. She laughed wholeheartedly at the stories Fred told her, embraced the feel of his fingers as they moved hair from her face or grazed her shoulder as he walked past her. There was no niggling of worrisome thoughts as she bumped into his side as they cleaned up the small kitchen. Hermione contemplated on if it was her body's lower tolerance to the alcohol that was the reason or if it was just the company she was in.

"Alright love, now onto the second part of our date," Fred announced as he stood and took her hand.

"Second part? I thought your culinary brilliance was my date," Hermione giggled softly.

"I'm appalled you think so little of me… Good food is the Weasley in me, adventure, though, is the Fred. Now, before you get too excited, I promised Mum not to let you out in the big scary world, so I've had to improvise. If you'd be so kind." Fred handed Hermione a blindfold and smiled at her skeptical look.

"Hmmmm, what's the plan then? Blindfold me and what then?" Hermione asked with a giggle.

"Have my wicked way with you of course."

Hermione froze with the blindfold halfway to her face, an odd mix of shock and intrigue on her face.

"It was a joke, love," Fred said quickly, then taking in the slightly disappointed look on her face stepped closer to her and continued, "unless you don't want it to be."

"Oh for the love of-" Hermione muttered as she closed the gap between them with a rather heated kiss.

Fred responded immediately and pushed her against the wall, hands moving through her hair and around her waist, his mouth never leaving hers. In one swift movement Fred adjusted their height difference by grabbing Hermione's legs just below her bum and lifting her easily. Hermione, now pinned between Fred and the wall, wrapped her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Several minutes passed before they slowed down long enough to catch their breath, both panting heavily. Fred looked at her swollen lips and wild hair before pressing his forehead to hers and laughing quietly.

"Merlin woman, why are you always putting me in a position to want to act ungentlemanly?"

"You don't always have to be a gentleman with me, you know?" Hermione answered.

"That is one thing I absolutely have to do." Fred set her down gently and took a step back. "I've done some things before that I'm not exactly proud of, I try not to make the same mistakes twice. There are plenty of new mistakes to be made."

"What mistakes?" Hermione asked without hesitation.

"I'm no saint Hermione," Fred started with a sigh. "I don't want to rush into anything with you, you're too important. I've done that before, let my hormones override my head. I've gone too far with someone I shouldn't have, it ended badly. I lost a very good friend because of it. I don't want to lose you, I can't lose you."

" Fred, everyone makes mistakes. Hell, I'm the reigning queen of mistakes. I don't think progressing our relationship is a mistake. I love you. I love you for who you are, not just because it may be fated or meant to be. I love how you make me laugh when I don't want to, how you work so hard at anything that is important to you. I even love how you break all the rules and forge your own way. I fully intend on making an honest man of you. When this war is over, and it will be, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

I know how much you love me, you've proven it time and time again. I know that I'm not a conquest to you. This, what we have here, is real and it isn't going away. That being said, I'm in no rush to do anything we both aren't comfortable with. I'd shag you this minute, but I refuse to do anything you may regret. So take all the time you need, I'll be right here when you're ready."

"Well, now I wanna shag…" Fred said with a smile.

"How about you take me to that surprise you've planned out? I promise to be on my best behavior," Hermione said standing and covering her eyes with the blindfold.

"Alright," Fred said with a chuckle.

Hermione held tight to Fred's hands as he led her out of the flat and down the stairs. Grateful for the way he warned her of each step down the staircase, she was confused when he turned her to the left instead of to the right where she knew the main shop floor was. The confusion only deepened when they walked through a doorway and she was hit with a gentle breeze and the smell of freshly mown grass and many different types of flowers and plants.

"I thought we were staying in the shop?" Hermione asked as Fred let go of her hand.

"Go on and take off the blindfold, love," Fred said from a few feet away. He smiled brightly as he watched her take in the room.

The room looked nothing like a room at all. Fred and George had toyed around with their portable swamp product to turn it into a portable meadow. It looked very much like the meadow they visited on their first date, complete with a blanket in the grass. The ceiling, taking a cue from the ceiling in the great hall at Hogwarts, was reflecting the night sky and was filled with stars. Fred led Hermione to the blanket where an assortment of desserts laid waiting for them.

"Fred, this is incredible," Hermione told him breathlessly as she lay down to look up at the magicked sky. It was moments like this that reminded Hermione of what true geniuses the twins were.

"I hope you don't mind, but you are testing a couple of our newest products right now. I know you hate to be a test subject, but I thought you'd make an exception for this."

"This is certainly a product I don't mind testing." Hermione propped herself up and took a tart from the tray next to the blanket, while Fred settled in next to her. Since the earlier sexual tension had been diffused they were able to lay comfortably and talk of unimportant things. Fred fed her from the tray and stole bites of whatever she had in her hand at the moment.

Hermione had just started dozing off when Fred jumped up suddenly and startled her.

"I almost forgot, I made you something!" Fred said, pulling out his wand and a small box. He opened the box to reveal a small package of fireworks. Using his wand to ignite the fuse he tossed it on the ground in front of them.

The fireworks exploded to a beautiful array of colors. Instead of taking the form of a dragon like Hermione remembered from her fifth year, a girl with familiar busy hair emerged next to a boy with red hair. The firework couple ran around the room, touching and playing before embracing each other in a lively dance. Hermione watched in wonder as the boy spun the girl, dipping her deeply back and kissing her passionately.

"You really are quite brilliant you know," Hermione said as she watched the couple explode into normal fireworks, colors lighting up the meadow. Fred rolled until he had her pinned to the ground. With one arm supporting his weight he used the other to slowly unbutton her top.

"You've convinced me, love, I'm ready if you are," Fred muttered between kisses along her neck and shoulder. Hermione gave him her answer with a passionate kiss and removed her top completely.

…...

Hermione rolled over to see a pair of eyes that were nearly identical to the ones she'd been staring into all night. She sat up immediately and grabbed the blanket quickly to cover her bare chest.

"Merlin, sorry Hermione… I didn't mean to see that!" George said rather loudly as he fell back on his bum from the crouched position he was in, hand covering his eyes.

Hermione looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was in the twins shop, the magicked grass was spotty on the floor and the walls and ceiling had returned to normal. Fred lay next to her, just as naked as she was, snoring lightly.

"Fred, wake up!" She said, firmly shaking him. "George, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was just woken up by a rather disgruntled Sirius and thought I'd better check on you lot before he came down here," George answered with his hand still covering his face.

"Sirius? Bloody hell, thanks Georgie, we'll be up in a minute," Fred said groggily reaching for his trousers. George stood up and attempted to leave the room, but ran into the wall instead as his eyes were still covered. On the second try he found the door and they heard him laughing as he made his way back upstairs.

"It may be easier if I go up there alone," Hermione said as she got dressed quickly, a quick look at her watch showed it was three in the morning.

"Not going to happen love," Fred said, squeezing her hand before pulling on his shirt.

Together they made their way up the stairs to find Sirius sitting at the kitchen table a murderous look on his face.

"Pad," Hermione started nervously. She was cut off by Sirius' raised hand.

"Can I see your wand, Hermione?" Sirius said in a quiet voice. Hermione took her wand from the waistband of her skirt and held it up confused. "Right, and your hands don't look broken either."

"Sirius, listen…" Fred began, taking a step in front of Hermione.

"Not a word from you," Sirius spat out.

"Sirius, we just fell asleep…" Hermione tried again.

"There is a war going on Hermione, Death Eaters around every blasted corner. This bloody shop is nothing if not a slap in the face to bloody Voldemort. At any moment he could decide to make an example of them and level it," Sirius said his voice getting louder and louder.

"Pad, please calm down. I know you were worried, but…" Again Hermione was cut off mid sentence.

"No, I don't want to hear any excuses, how can I expect you to fight a bloody war when you can't even make it home when you say you will?" Sirius had stood up at this point and was pacing furiously.

"That's enough of that, I am not a child!" Hermione's temper was now incensed. "I gave that up years ago and you know it. I'm sorry that we fell asleep and I missed curfew, but that does not give you the right to come in here and bully Fred and yell at me like I'm 12 years old.

Furthermore, I know exactly what's going on out there, I've lived it, remember, I was there when they did level this place. I was the one to help George put it back together! If I didn't feel it was safe here I would have gotten them both out ages ago!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" George's voice came from the hall he had been hiding in. He looked between Sirius, Hermione and Fred. "I knew you've been hiding something, and I've let it go, but I think it's time to let me in on the big secret."

"Well, shit…" Hermione said with a sigh, the anger between Hermione and Sirius dissipated in an instant. "Fred, maybe you should put the kettle on."

"Yeah, I think I'd like to hear about this shop levelling business myself," Fred said, squeezing Hermione's shoulder as he passed to the stove.