This is Us.

Chapter 17

He had said it. The words she'd wanted him to say for ages. The word she'd daydreamed about. Yet now, when he said them, she couldn't speak.

 "Em? Say something, love, you're worrying me." Fred pleaded anxiously.

 "You -" I love you, Em "-I - you-" I love you, Em "Just- i -" You're my whole life. "But- how -" I love you. "D-did you mean it?" Hermione stuttered out finally. Fred looked relieved to see her speak. 

"Of course I did, love. I love you. I've known for a while now, but I couldn't get the courage to tell you, but tonight, George said that if I don't tell you, I couldn't come back to the shop, and it's ok if you don't love me back, it'll happen eventually if we're meant for eachother, which we are, so I'm not worried -" Fred ranted, without stopping.

 "I love you too." Hermione blurted out in between his rant, but he didn't stop talking. 

"-so, really, it's fine if - wait, what?" he said, finally realizing what she'd said.

 "I love you too, Fred. I have for quite a while now. I love you, Fred Weasley, and nothing in the world will change that." she said quietly. Fred looked overjoyed, and leaned down to kiss her happily.

"Say that again." he ordered, panting.

"I love you, Fred. Always and Forever." she promised.

"And if I snuff it?" he asked jokingly. Hermione smacked him tearfully.

"Don't say that!"

"I was joking, love. We'll make it out of this together. But if I do snuff it, - which I won't! - but, if I do, then? What'll you do?"

"I'll stay a sad widow forever and ever." Hermione whispered back jokingly. He smirked.

"Good." he said, kissing her cheek. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad my potential future suffering makes you that happy." she teased, and the couple burst out laughing.

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Fred Weasley was in an especially good mood the when he apparated into his and George's flat the next morning, and started fixing up breakfast for him and George. He was mixing pancake batter, humming a little tune, filling the flat with a display of happiness.

"You woke up early to make breakfast, did you?" George asked him, an amused expression on his face.

"Oh, yeah, starving." Fred lied unconvincingly. George smirked. He could see through his twin's lie. They were practically the same mind!

"How's your lovely girlfriend, and my dear almost-sister?" George inquired. Fred's ears turned pink, but he didn't reply. George laughed outright.

"You told her you loved her, didn't you?" he said, and Fred nodded a yes at him.

"How's Ronnikins and Lav-Lav?" continued George. Fred grinned evilly.

"Couldn't keep their hands off eachother. Thrashing about like a pair of eels, in Ginny's words." he told George. George laughed too.

"So, when are we sending out the wedding invitations?" he asked. Fred snorted.

"For Lavendar and Ron?"

"For you and Hermione."

"You're very funny, George." Fred muttered dryly.

"So they tell me."

The twins went to sit on the table for breakfast. It was in this moment of pure happiness that George found himself hoping that Remus, who came by their flat every day, would not stop by today. That he and Fred could just spend the day laughing together, just like old times.

George suddenly wished fervently that this war would be over. That Voldemort would decide to terorrize America instead, and they could go back to living  peacefully, their lives holding the normalcy it had before meeting Harry Potter.

George never metioned any of his fears to his twin, he knew Fred would laugh and shrug it off, but he was scared. Scared about what the war would do to hid family, and Fred. Because Fred wasn't just his brother; he was his other half somehow, and George couldn't imagine his life without him.

But George knew that if, in this war, some terrible force killed Fred, he would always remember him in this way. Covered head-to-toe in pancake batter, laughing at his own jokes. That dopey expression on his face caused by his little brother's best friend. He would remember him as a man smitten with a certain bookworm - but happy, carefree and funny, instead of how he had being the past few days, worrying and fretting about their work for the order.

Because that was just who Fred Weasley was, and nothing could change that.