I'll Fight For You - Fred/Hermione

Chapter Forty

‘Where the bloody hell have you been?!’ shouted Fred, stopping his anxious pacing as he heard a crack that echoed Hermione’s arrival.

Hermione apparated into the house later than she would have liked. She carried her small bag with one pair of clothes and some underwear that she had took over to Harry’s house. Hermione had planned to wake up early and get home before Fred woke up but it didn’t work out like that exactly. She had slept in and getting changed into her clothes plus declining breakfast took more time than it should have. Now she had to face a snappy and hung-over Fred.

‘I didn’t really feel like sleeping in a house alone,’ Hermione sighed as her eyes roamed over Fred’s condition.

He looked awful and nothing like the Fred that she had fell in love with knowing how many hurdles they would face in their relationship. Fred’s eyes were decorated horribly with black bags under them while his hair looked as though it hadn’t seen the face of a brush in months. He wore grey trousers and a white stained shirt. His posture suggested that he could hardly keep on his feet. Hermione realised that some of his features were only because he had just woken up but something about him was different and she couldn’t put her finger on it.

‘Where did you go?’ Fred muttered almost too quiet to hear. His eyes stayed on hers and Hermione felt something squirm inside her which felt like her intestines were competing in a knot contest or something.

‘None of your business,’ she muttered, grabbing her bag tighter in her hand. She marched past him with her head held high and bumped his shoulder as she did so. In a flash Fred grabbed her arm tightly and spun her around so that they were face to face, nose to nose. Hermione gulped and her voice came out in a whisper, ‘let me go.’

‘Whose house did you go to last night?’ Fred said almost in a threatening tone. Hermione glanced down and his grip got tighter on her arm making her look up at him again, ‘TELL ME!’

‘I said it’s none of your business and you’re hurting me again... in more than one way!’ Hermione yelled and pushed him away with what little strength that she had.

‘Don’t push me, Hermione,’ threatened Fred, holding up his hands and looking frustrated at her, ‘I have a right to know where you were last night.’

‘No, that is where you’re wrong, Fred!’ Hermione pushed him again and his back hit the wall. His face turned red in anger but Hermione pointed a finger in his chest and continued, ‘you do not have a right to know where I was because we are not a married couple. I am my own person and you are your own person! Besides you don’t tell me where you disappear to every night but I know it’s a bar because you come home filthy and drunk. You think I don’t realise that you’re drunk every night! You don’t even tell me who you’re with and I don’t know if it’s another woman! You have no right to question me about where I was and, to be honest, I don’t care where you go or who you’re with. I'm leaving, Fred!’

‘Leaving?! To go where?’ Fred shouted at her making her flinch, ‘you’re not leaving me! I work so hard to get some money and it’s only for you and this bloody child who I do care for but I care for you way more. I only agreed to raising it with you because I love you! I won’t let you leave, Hermione!’

‘Let me... let me?! How are you going to stop me?’ Hermione shouted and bought her foot down on Fred’s foot. He yelped and jumped away slightly, letting her go so that she walked to their room.

Hermione grabbed the suitcase from the top shelf of the drawer and opened it up furiously. She started to grab her clothes from the cupboard and shove them into the suitcase. Fred walked in and waited for a moment. Horror dawned on his face as he shot across the room and started to take the clothes out of the suitcase. Hermione just grabbed her other clothes and threw them in. Fred grabbed her waist and tried to stop her but she pushed him away.