She knew it was dangerous since she had no idea if he’d tease her, hex her, or willingly accept her good luck tidings, knew it bloody well might be the stupidest thing she'd ever done in her life, but this was his last year at Hogwarts and she was nothing if not Gryffindor brave. Gathering every bit of courage she possessed, she calmly walked over the where the twins stood with several of their teammates.
"Fred," she said, a bit surprised that her voice was strong, sounding somewhat prissy, which was actually rather normal. He glanced at her, arching a ginger brow, curiosity evident in his pale eyes. "I'd like to speak to you for a moment before your match."
"Oi, Hermione, what is it now?" he muttered, sharing a grimace with his twin, both obviously trying to think of their recent misbehavior to determine what rule she must have caught them breaking. She almost smiled, but refused to admit that she somewhat admired their well-thought out schemes because they often caused trouble and that tended to undermine her respect for their intelligence that was rarely shown in favorable ways.
"Really, Fred, must you be difficult about everything?" she said sharply, not caring that he was barely two years older and definitely forgetting the 'always respect your elders' mantra her mum had taught her since she was a child. "If you don't wish for me to remove enough House points that it won't matter if you win this silly game or not, come here."
For a moment, she thought she might have gone too far. After all, she was just a bossy fifth-year Prefect, his best friend's annoying little friend who kept them out of trouble, much to their displeasure, but then something flashed in his eyes that she'd first noticed last year. It was the very thing that caused her to analyze, study, and observe her own reaction to the one boy who always seemed to fluster her in an 'I'm nearly a woman and he's certainly a man' sort of way, unlike the 'I'm a big sister to two bothersome younger brothers' way that Ron did.
He gave his twin a brief look and she noticed his hands tightening into fists, much the same way hers did when she was trying to keep control and not just go off on Harry and Ron or leap over the table in the middle of the Great Hall to see if Fred's lips felt as good against hers as she'd been imagining recently. Then he was leaving his teammates and walking over to her.
"What is it, Miss Prefect? Have I been a bad boy? You gonna punish me, ickle Hermione?" His words were full of sarcasm but his eyes flickered down to her lips and chest so quickly she almost didn't notice.
That was all she needed to give her the final burst of course. "I just wanted to say good luck," she said with a slight smirk before leaning up and brushing her lips against his. They feel even better.
When she pulled back, he was gawking at her, and she felt her cheeks flush as she realized she'd just kissed Fred Weasley of all people. Oh God, she'd kissed Fred Weasley. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered, suddenly not brave and calm at all.
Before she could rush off to her room to hide for, oh, a few decades, his rough hand grabbed her arm and swung her back around. His lips covered hers in a real kiss, her first despite being well-past the age of sixteen and sharing a few chaste, close-mouthed kisses with Viktor. Fred's large hand was on the small of her back as he pulled her closer, his Quidditch uniform gripped in her hands as she shyly opened her mouth beneath his.
When he pulled back, he grinned, a pleased look in his eyes as he ran his fingers through his ginger hair. "Now that, Miss Granger, is a good luck snog. I daresay you need a lot of practice," he shook his head, clucking his tongue. "Can't have the most brilliant witch around not masterful in a subject, can we? I will offer my services as a tutor, of course. Least I can do, being the considerate bloke that I am."
"Oi, Fred, stop flirting and come on. We've got a match to play," George teased with an amused grin at his brother, winking at her before blowing a kiss. "Must say, Hermione, I feel neglected. Don't I get a good luck kiss? Fred and I, we share everything, you know?"
"Not this," Fred said warningly, his hand moving along the curve of her arse and squeezing just enough to make her gasp and give him a scolding look. "We'll talk after the match," he told her matter-of-factly before leering playfully, "and then maybe you can punish me for being such a naughty boy."
Her face was now the color of his hair as he stole a kiss before walking over to George. "Come on, Forge. We've got a match to win." A quick look over his shoulder, a huge grin on his face and a hint of promise in his eyes. "I suddenly feel very lucky."
The End
Good Luck Kiss
Story Notes:
5/17/05