An Unexpected Romance

Author's Note: This story takes place after the Deathly Hallows. Except Fred never died and Hermione never kissed Ron. This is before the epilogue of the seventh book.

POV: This story will be in Hermione's view, unless I decide to do a few chapters in Fred's perspective.

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. They belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Lucky her!

**And now, what you've all been waiting for… (drum roll please!)…THE KISS!**

Chapter 4

A blur of images danced across my closed eyelids, making me dizzy. I opened my eyes and saw stars. Fred was right beside me, which is the only reason that I didn't fall flat on my face. He was hugging me close to his side. I was sort of swooning at his proximity.

Once my vision cleared, I looked around and found myself in a forest. Fred had taken me to a small clearing. I could hear a babbling brook a small distance away. Fred gently grabbed my hand and led me towards the stream. Once there, he waved his wand, and a blanket unfolded on the ground in front of us. He sat down gracefully. I quickly followed suit.

Fred lay back on the blanket, and clasped my wrist and pulled me down with him. We lay side by side, staring upwards at the sky. He had chosen a spot in the forest where we could see the sky as we lay by the little river. Looking up at the sky, he suddenly asked, "Hermione, what do you see?"

I took it to mean in the clouds, so I studied the clouds. "I see…..an owl. What do you see?" I replied.

He turned towards me then, which made our bodies much closer. "I see a heart," he slowly answered, looking deeply into my eyes.

I paused, considering what this meant. I decided to ask the question that had been bugging me earlier. "Fred?" I asked tentatively.

He looked amused at my tone. "Yes?" he asked.

"Could I ask you something?" I said as I twisted a piece of hair around my finger.

His smile went away abruptly, and his eyes smoldered. "Hermione," he said fervently, "you can always ask me anything."

I was a little shocked at his reaction – the sense that he truly would do anything for me – but also, I was staring in fascination at his magnificent eyes. He was beautiful. I quickly zoned back into the conversation. "Why were you angry with George earlier? In your room, I mean?" I asked cautiously.

Fred sighed heavily. "I was hoping you hadn't noticed that….but of course you would, you're so observant and intelligent." he answered. "George was being…difficult."

I refrained from raising an eyebrow at the vague term. "Difficult?" I asked.

Fred sighed again. "I knew you wouldn't let that one slide, Hermione. Yes….difficult. He was being too exuberant – too affectionate."

Suddenly I understood – my Fred was jealous. Jealous of his twin brother! I paused, considering how to phrase what I was feeling. "Fred, you don't need to be jealous," I told him sincerely.

"Blast it, Hermione, yes I do!" he shouted. A bird, startled, flew into the air from its perch on a nearby tree. "All these years, and I still haven't told you!" he exclaimed.

I waited breathlessly for him to continue. He reached out a pushed a strand of hair off of my face. It was utterly silent. The birds were silent, and the trees had stopped swaying in the gentle breeze. When Fred spoke again, it was quietly. "I love you."

I just lay there stunned. I had no idea of his feelings toward me, let alone that they had been present for apparently quite some time. I knew that I was in love with him as well, but I didn't have the slightest idea that my feelings were reciprocated. Nevertheless, Fred was expecting some sort of response, and I was laying there gaping – again. I looked into his eyes, and replied, "Fred, I love you too."

The happiness that suddenly lit up my beloved's eyes was incredible. He slowly leaned closer to me, and I felt his warm breath on my face. As he came closer, I noticed several freckles on the bridge of his nose. They were adorable! His eyes twinkled, and I spotted green and gold flecks in his deep brown eyes. He smelled just like the forest around us.

I closed my eyes, and our lips touched. He covered my mouth with his, and his lips felt way more fantastic than I had imagined in my many daydreams. They were lush and soft. The heat of our mouths together was incredible. And, oh, his taste! He tasted of spices – especially cinnamon. I loved the taste of cinnamon. Without thinking about it, I reached my hand up and twisted my fingers into his hair. I pulled him closer to me and he deepened the kiss. He circled my mouth with his delicate tongue, and I opened my mouth with a sigh. Our tongues explored each others' mouths thoroughly. Fred put one hand on my little waist to pull me closer, and the other hand cradled my face. I felt the roughness of his hands, but I loved it. It was such a contrast of surfaces – his calloused hands against my smooth face. It was absolutely amazing.

All I could think was that this was better than any daydream that I could possibly cook up.

When I finally had to breathe, I pulled away reluctantly. I opened my eyes to gaze into his brown ones. We were both panting heavily. It was a long, intense kiss, and it had surprised both of us. Our bodies were perfect for each other, and everything came so naturally. We definitely had chemistry.

We stayed that way for several infinite moments – laying down, facing each other, our faces so close together. It was perfect. Neither one of us spoke, not wanting to ruin the perfect silence between us.

Fred leaned in and kissed my forehead softly. He brushed the hair back from my face. I struggled with his hair a bit, trying to get it to its previous state of order, before my fingers had mussed it.

Fred spoke suddenly. "Hermione, we should probably be getting back now. It's close to dinnertime."

He correctly interpreted my look of disappointment. He chucked softly and said, "I know, I feel the same way. But we can come back here anytime, you know. It will be our secret spot."

I immediately brightened and nodded enthusiastically. He chuckled again and sprang up nimbly from the blanket. He held out his hand to me and I took it. He pulled me up and crushed me to his chest. I could feel his soft lips in my hair. "I really do love you, you know," he murmured.

I snuggled closer to his chest, and smiled happily. "I know you do," I replied, "and you know that I love you."

He gently lifted my chin up so that he could see my face. "I hoped that you would feel that way," he whispered.

He let go of me and grabbed the blanket, then began folding it up. While he was occupied, I walked over to the little brook and stood there silently watching it. I heard footsteps behind me as Fred approached me. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to his muscled body. I leaned my head on his shoulder, and sighed wistfully. "I wish we didn't ever have to leave this place," I sadly said.

He looked down at me nestled into his side, and replied, "We will come back, Hermione, don't worry. I promise you."

I smiled and looked up at him. I reached up and put my arms around his neck. I stretched up on my tiptoes to try to reach his face, but it wasn't enough. I gently tugged his face down to meet mine. Our lips met again as he put his big hands on my waist.

A few moments later, Fred pulled away with an expression of regret on his face. "Hermione, we really do have to go now," he said.

"Oops, sorry!" I replied, and blushed madly.

Fred looked down at me and spoke, "Believe me, if my mother wouldn't send Harry, Ron, Dad, and George out to look for us if we're not back in a couple of minutes, I would stay here forever with you. As it is, I'm tempted enough already."

I smiled at him and laced our fingers together. We turned and walked back to the entrance of the forest, where we bid farewell to our memorable forest and Apparated back home.

Author's Note: What did you think of the kissing scene? I hope that it lived up to your high expectations! This was my very first time writing a kissing scene, so I hope it turned out alright. I was on a roll and just had to post this tonight instead of tomorrow. I've got some ideas for the next chapter already, but if there's anything you want to see, please let me know. Thanks for reading!