Best of You

Fred really couldn’t believe his luck. Just yesterday he had decided to woo Hermione, and here she was just wandering into his shop the next day. He actually was stuck on a product as well and knew she would love figuring out the puzzle. He couldn’t help but gloat a little internally as they reached the top of the staircase and he led her through the door to his office/laboratory that sat on the top floor of the Hogsmeade WWW, across from his flat.

“So, what are you working on?” Hermione asked him as she turned slowly, taking in the large room around her.
It took Fred a moment to remember what it was he actually needed her help with as he just took her in instead. “Uh,” Damn she looked good in jeans too, “Oh right!”

He moved over to a work table and held up
“An umbrella?” Hermione’s eyebrow lifted in question. “I’m pretty sure you’re done inventing if that’s it.”

Fred grinned. “This, my fair lady, is not your average umbrella.” He twirled it around with a flourish and popped the umbrella open, only for it to empty what looked like an entire bucket of water on his head.
Hermione let out a strangled shriek of laughter and clapped her hand to her face. “Is that what it’s supposed to do?”
“It is not.” Fred winced as he put the umbrella back down. He hadn’t been expecting that kind of result from his latest round of tinkering. “It’s not a bad backup plan if we can’t get this to work though.” He shrugged as he set the umbrella back on the worktable. “Clearly it’s hilarious.” He grinned over at Hermione who was struggling more and more to contain her laughter.

She dropped her hand to reveal a very large grin and tilted her head in agreement. “At least you have a backup plan.” She set her bag down and walked over to the table to join him. “So what is it supposed to do?”
“The complete opposite of that.” Fred grumbled. “The idea was an umbrella that made it feel like you were on a sunny beach rather than in wet dreary Scotland.”
Hermione nodded, pulling out her wand and casting a few detection charms on the umbrella. Readings popped up above it and her brow crinkled as she settled in to examine them. Fred leaned back on the table to watch her work. During school he had always caught glimpses of her studying and working through a problem, and the more he had developed a crush on her the more it had become one of his favorite sights. Especially as he and George had gotten deeper and deeper into inventing. There was nothing quite like solving a really good puzzle.
______________

They had been studying the diagnostic results together for almost 30 minutes and had tried a few tweaks to the charm that at least had them somewhat closer to the desired result. Now instead of bucketing water down when opened, the umbrella released gale force winds. While it wasn’t necessarily the result he had intended for, Fred was taking detailed notes on how they had achieved both results.

“You enjoy notetaking failures?” Hermione asked him, clearly a little frustrated with the umbrella.
Fred grinned at her. “I prefer to think of them as hitherto before undreamt of alternate opportunities.” He gave his pen a bit of a flourish upwards as he spoke, then shrugged. “Who knows maybe we could make this a whole line of prank umbrellas alongside the intended product.”
Hermione chuckled at him and shook her head, then pointed at the pen. “Turning into your dad then?”
“Now Hermione!” He pointed the pen at her in a mildly sword-like manner, “I would have thought you would appreciate a good muggle pen!”
She pushed his pen out of her face and raised her eyebrow at him. “I do! I’m just surprised a pureblood wizard does as well.”
“We fought a whole war about this,” he set the pen down and dramatically put his hands on his hips, “I should be able to use whatever writing implement I want.” He followed this up with an equally dramatic pout.
Hermione snorted and turned back to the diagnostics. “Fair enough.” He could hear the grin in her voice and it made Fred’s chest swell. Turning people's moods around was a skill he prided himself on, and to be able to do it to Hermione Granger was a whole new level of achievement.

Fred sidled back up next to her at the table as she returned to the diagnostics, feeling a nostalgic level of comfort. During her Eighth year they had often spent time together while he tinkered with new inventions and problem solved, while Hermione hid from the gawkers who lurked around Hogsmeade.

He glanced sideways as she pushed her sleeves up her arms. It was feeling quite warm in here. He started to turn away to adjust the temperature when his gaze snagged on her left forearm. All feeling left his body as he slowly processed what he was seeing, and his ears filled with a strange buzzing noise.

“Fred?”
Hermione’s voice broke through. She was standing facing him now, with a clearly concerned look on her face. She must have been talking to him. Fred still did not respond, instead reaching out to lightly grasp her arm and take in the horrific scar marring her arm. He felt her stiffen slightly at the contact but couldn’t stop himself from holding his hand over it as he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them he focused instead on her face.
“Who?” It was all he could ground out. His voice deeper than usual with a very sharp edge to it.
Hermione glanced down at her arm, placing her other hand on top of his, before looking back up to Fred with a sad but resigned look on her face. “Bellatrix.”
Fred nodded and looked back down to her arm, taking his hand away to take in the scar in again.

After a few moments of silence Hermione pulled her arm out of his grasp and pulled her sleeve back into place. “It’s actually why I’m here today.”
That surprised him. “What? Why would that bring you here?”
“Your blemish cream,” she smiled at him. “It’s the only thing that covers it completely.”
Fred’s eyebrows flew up at that. Of course when they had created it George and he had tested it on their scars and noticed it was very effective at hiding them, but he never really thought about it as a marketable effect. “Oh..”
She nodded. “I dragged Draco along after mentioning it. He seemed to wonder if it might cover his mark as well.”

At the mention of the slytherin, Fred’s gaze hardened again and swung to the door. He had heard Malfoy call her that many a time in school, and Bellatrix had been his aunt. Someone he could aim his fury at. As he started towards the door though Hermione grabbed him.
“Fred.” She pulled hard enough on his arm to make him look at her. “Don’t. It’s not his fault.”
Fred looked at her arm again and almost didn’t care, looking back towards his office door.
“It was just as traumatic for him, Fred. Please leave it alone. Bellatrix is dead.”
Fred took a few deep breaths and nodded, turning back to face her completely. “I think for the first time in my life I’m sorry mum killed her.” He ground out. “Because I really wish I could do it myself right now.”
The slight crimson blush that started to creep across Hermione’s face broke some of the tension in Fred as he watched her face.

As he calmed down he registered something she had said. “What do you mean it was as traumatic for Malfoy as it was for you.. Was he there?”
“Among a few others.” Hermione nodded.
Fred had heard a little about their time at Malfoy Manor as part of the trials and hearing of the Malfoy’s. He knew Hermione had been tortured but it had been left of of the trial that her torture had left such a mark.
“It still looks fresh.” He commented, reaching for her arm again, feeling the raised edges of the scar through her sleeve. This time she was less tense at his touch.
“Cursed blade.” She smiled ruefully. “It’s as healed as it’s ever going to get.”
Fred nodded. “You always cover it?”
“Mmm.” She hummed. “Not exactly something worth advertising. Plus not many people know about it.”
“Who knows?”
“Draco, Fleur…” she trailed off, staring at him with an odd look on her face. “You.”
Fred’s gaze snapped from her arm back to her face. “Harry and Ron?”
She shook her head. “They know I have scars but they’ve never seen it. Don’t know the specifics.”

Fred stared at her hard for a long moment. He suddenly felt guilty for stumbling onto a secret she hadn’t been intending to share. “I’m sorry that I have added myself to that list.” He grimaced.
“Oh Fred!” She lifted her hand from where it rested in his and put it on his chest, just above his heart. “No! It’s not your fault. I rolled up my sleeve and left it uncovered. Only a blind man wouldn’t have noticed it.”
Or someone not relentlessly checking you out. Fred thought to himself. And his brain caught on that for a second.
“Wait. How does Ron not know? You two dated for a year?!”
Hermione snorted. “Among the many reasons Ron and I made a terrible couple is his complete lack of awareness of who I am as a person past how it serves him.”
Fred’s jaw tightened. His stupid git of a little brother had been with this incredible woman for an entire year and hadn’t spent the entire time just staring at her? Relishing in her splendor? What a fucking waste.
“Plus,” she added, “you had invented your cream by the time my bandages came off.” She shrugged and her hand started to drop from his chest.
Fred quickly lifted his hand to rest on top of hers and hold it in place. Startled, Hermione met his eyes.
“For the record,” Fred’s voice was soft and quiet, but deep. He wanted her to know that he meant this. “Ron is a fucking idiot, especially when it comes to you. To spend that long with you and not spend the entire time taking every inch of you in…” He let the statement linger between them. “Also, this is not who you are, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He turned her arm so that their palms now touched, and ran his hand down her arm, pushing her sleeve back again and exposing the scar, eliciting a shiver from her. “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t hide it, do whatever makes you most comfortable, but for Merlin’s sake don’t let it define you.”

They stood like that for what felt like an age, eyes locked with each other. His hand resting on her scar, the back of her hand pressed against his chest. He wondered if she could feel how hard his heart was hammering through the back of her hand. Fred could tell she was searching his eyes just as he was searching hers, but couldn’t tell what she was looking for. They were so close he could feel her breath on his face. All he had to do was take one step and dip down…

A sudden bang at the door had them springing apart.
“Granger!” Malfoy’s unmistakable drawl came through the door. “Get decent and let’s go! I have shit to do today.”
Hermione huffed in a very frazzled way.
“Right. Yes. Well.” She rolled her sleeves back down and picked up her bag. “I should go. I hope I was helpful!”

Before Fred could respond she was out the door and it snapped shut behind her.