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Fred remembers opening his eyes on the last day of his self imposed torture. The mandrake leaf had become part of his routine. In fact, he nearly began to forget it was there at all. With the aid of a sticking spell at night, it got easier everyday!
Taking inspiration from the Marauders, Fred shoved a mandrake leaf into his mouth a full month ago. The leaf had been an ingredient for some of the defense spells he was making for the order. In charge of research, he’d begun assembling them. Standing alone in the back of W.W.W., he felt like he was being entranced by the opportunity. He’d hardly registered his movements before the thing was in his mouth.
Fred had immediately done the math, and realized his luck. A full moon was exactly a month out! He was suddenly sure that such an ability would be of great use to him as the tensions grew.
Things were well out of hand in the wizarding world now. Harry, Ron and Hermione had been gone on their mission for quite a while. Everything around them seemed to be changing, and for that reason, he decided to keep his animagus mission a secret. From everyone, including George.
At first, the leaf had itched his mouth fiercely. But then, as time went on, the leaf began to feel normal. Something forgotten about regularly. Running his tongue over the backside of the leaf, Fred experimented on the defense potions. It was challenging enough work that he couldn’t afford to break his focus.
Most nights, George would have to come and get him for bed. The poor lad’s ear caused awful headaches without proper rest. Somehow, George always remembered to come and get him despite the time.
George headed up to bed even earlier the night of the full moon. Fred waited patiently for the moon to creep through the clouds. As soon as the moonlight filled the square, he turned and spat the leaf into his vial.
The rest of his ritual was incredibly easy. A week later, the man had his thunderstorm.
When Fred transformed the first time, he was nervous he’d messed it up some how. Afterall, the process seemed to be too easy. It took a full few moments of trying to change. When he’d finally morphed, the feeling was like none other. In front of the well positioned mirror, he examined his new form.
In the mirror, sat a small black and white bird. As it tilted his head back and forth, Fred recognized it immediately. Of course it would be his patronus. Sudden sadness overtakes him, he wishes he’d shared this journey with George.
“One for sorrow,” he whispered into the lonely mirror.
--
In the coming months, Fred had little use for his Animagus form. A full month passes, and Fred doesn’t transform at all. In fact, busy with Potterwatch, he hardly thought about it. Instead his thoughts wander to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Hermione in particular causes him to think the most frequently. Ever since the Yule Ball, he’d had a pretty massive crush on the woman. Although he’d originally tried to force his feelings down, something changed in the last two years. After Ron and Lavender had agreed to try again, Fred felt much less guilty about pursuing the wild haired witch.
At this point, Fred is sure that everyone close to him knows.
When May 1st arrives, Fred sees her in the castle.
Standing next to his brother Percy, he spots her running down the corridor. Loudly, Percy is laughing about a joke. A ear-splitting noise overrides Percy’s annoying joke as the wall beside him crumbles. As it falls atop him, he thinks two things.
One, Hermione looks so worried.
Two, magpie.
In a rush of rubble, his tiny magpie form rushes up to the ceiling. Screams of horror filter through his senses as his family members assume his body has fallen into the rubble. The only eyes that aren’t trained on the rubble, are Hermione’s.
Instead, her gaze is set directly up at the white and black bird he’s become. Percy chases up the hall after Augustus Rookwood, caster of his near death spell.
As his family digs through the rubble, Fred floats down to hover in front of Hermione’s face. Lifting a finger slowly, the woman smiles. There are tears in her eyes, and his panic at seeing them is enough for him to change back immediately.
The pair stand chest to chest in the hall. Her finger is now precariously rested underneath Fred’s chin. The contact makes him shiver. Fred’s hands rise to rest on either side of her throat, and the world seems to spin. Slowly, they lean together their lips connecting gently.
A few feet away Ron hollers a noise of confusion, “Oy! Either Fred is fine, or George is after Hermione as well!” Hermione breathes in harshly from her nose and smiles into the kiss.
When they separate, her eyes glitter back at him beautifully. Whispering under her breath, she asks him immediately, “an animagus?”
Fred grins and sweeps her up into a hug. Quietly into her hair, he breathes his answer. “Just me, thatsit.” The final word blends together in his hushed tone as he spins her around in his arms.
When he sets her back on her feet, they part once more and finish the fight.
--
Hermione is away for an entire week after the battle. The tired young woman spends most of her time tending to the ill at St. Mungo’s. When she comes back to the Burrow to sleep, she informs them that Remus and Tonks are recovering nicely. On their mother’s orders Fred and George move back into the Burrow. Nearly the entire order lives there as well, but no one minds really.
After a week of St. Mungo’s shifts, Hermione is sent home on account of exhaustion. Fred lets her rest, but on her second day home, he asks her to take a walk in the garden. Of course, she obliges, and the two set off.
It’s like every other morning walk, the sun shines, the wind rustles their hair.
In the morning daylight, Hermione looks like she has a halo of sun light on her head. With a gentle wave of a wand, ribbons of cornflowers laces themselves into Hermione’s hair. A bouquet of red tulips appears in his arms. Red carnations pepper his own hair.
Hermione’s mouth drops open and she smiles at Fred in front of her.
“Hermione I’ve loved you for years, and I’ve dreamt of this day since you left for the horcruxes.” Fred steps closer, his height reaching well above her. “Will you be my girlfriend? Properly? I have a picnic for our first date, if you’ll have this goofy bloke.” Fred knows he’s being overly cheesy, but he thinks that Hermione deserves a bit of a show. Afterall, it isn’t easy keeping two idiot boys alive for years.
Hermione nods, and they share another kiss. This one not as sweet as their first, but certainly more intimate. They find themselves sharing a picnic, and kissing in the garden for the entire morning.