This is my first story that I have published online, any and all criticism is appreciated so long as it is constructive!
This is not a Ron-bashing story, btw, Romione is one of my favourite couples in Harry Potter, but I still really like the idea of these two together.

I don't own any of the characters or anything like that, all credit goes to J.K. Rowling.

"Hey Georgie, I think I left one of the SnackBoxes in the Common Room," Fred tells George while looking through his bag. "I'm going to go back to get it, save me a seat."

"Okay Freddie, be quick."

Fred turns around and hurries back to the Common Room, taking a shortcut through a hidden stairwell. In a corridor off the stairwell he hears someone sniffling quietly. Curious, he moves aside the curtain quietly to see who it is.

"Hello? Is there someone in here?" He asks. The figure jumps and he recognizes the big, bushy hair. "Hermione, what's wrong? Can I help?" He moves inside the alcove and sits down beside her. He touches her shoulder and she flinches away slightly.

"S-s-sorry, I'm f-fine, thanks Fred," she quickly looks away and wipes tears off her cheeks. She starts to get up, but Fred grabs her arm and gently pulls her back down to sit in front of him.

"Hermione, you are obviously not fine, that's why I didn't ask if you were okay. I instead asked what was wrong. Now, what is wrong, Hermione?" He was looking at her with worry and concern all over his face. He may love to rile her up, he loved seeing her fill with fire, but he hated to see her so distraught. Hermione was so brave and strong and never showed anything she would consider weakness.

"Fred, it's nothing, it's stupid really. We should go down and get some food or there will be nothing left," she says to him trying to feign happiness while getting up to leave, and again he pulls her back down.

"Hermione, I can get us more food if we miss dinner. Now tell me, what's wrong?" He stared at her until he saw her sigh in defeat, the rush of air making the strands of hair not behind her ears dance. She looks into his eyes for a few seconds, tears welling up again, before looking down at her hands in her lap.

"It's nothing really, it's just-it's just Ron. Every time I start to think he feels the same way as I do, he does something stupid. Like we get into a stupid fight and he'll say something to hurt me, unintentionally of course, but still. Or I'll just think that something might be happening in a moment and he'll just be oblivious and ruin it. I don't know, it's like I said, I'm being stupid…" She trailed off, resolutely staring at her intertwined fingers.

Fred just stared for a moment, wondering how someone related to him could be so thick that he didn't notice on of the most beautiful girls in school. Well, he thought, someone noticed her, and he would be damned if she didn't realize it.

"Hermione," he said quietly, before taking a deep breath and then blurting, "Ron's an idiot. If he doesn't realize how wonderful and beautiful you are then he is a thick-skilled dunce." He was the one looking at his hands in embarrassment now. He could hear his heart beating so loud it might have been drums in in the tiny room beside him. He took another deep, calming breath before looking up, expecting her to have run from the room because he couldn't hear anything past his heart beat. Hermione was staring at him, mouth slightly open and head tilted a bit to the left.

"Fred… I-I don't understand," she whispered as he felt his whole face turn bright red at the sound of his name on her lips. But, he still couldn't help smirking a bit, thinking that that may possibly be the first she hadn't understood something.

"What don't you understand, Hermione? That I think those things? That I love you?" He had lost his fear and trepidation by this point. He loved her, he had for over a year now, he had just never told her because, well, why would she ever feel the same way? He was a troublemaker, she didn't like most of the pranks him and George pulled and they hadn't exactly been the best of friends. But she needed to know that she was worthy of love, even if she didn't return it.

Her cheeks had burned bright red at his confession. Fred couldn't help but think it was his favourite colour.

"Fred, you don't love me," Hermione told him with her usual, matter-of-fact tone. "You're just confused and trying to make me feel better. I appreciate it bu-"

Her long-winded speech was cut short by Fred leaning across the space between them and pressing his lips to hers. It was a brief kiss but it was full of meaning, full of every feeling Fred had ever felt for her. She was wrong, he did love her. And now he knew he couldn't handle her trying to let him down easy so he got up and ran from the alcove, dinner and Snack Boxes forgotten.

"Fred! Where were you? You never came down to dinner!" George burst into the dorm room. Fred didn't respond, he was still in shock over what had happened, he had almost flown back to the dorm room he had run so fast. He barely even registered that George had come in the room, he kept replaying over and over in his head what happened.

I can't believe I kissed her.

I told her I loved her! What's wrong with me?

Who's the real thick-skulled dunce in this family? Oh yeah, me!

"Fred? Fred are you okay?"

What if she liked me kissing her?

Don't be stupid, idiot! This is Hermione Granger! The Brightest Witch of Her Age and all that! Of course she doesn't like you kissing her, she's smart and perfect and loves Ron and-

"FRED! What the hell?" George yelled at him as Fred fell out of bed, spluttering and covered in the freezing cold water that George had just dumped on him.

"Oi! What was that for?" Fred yelled back, trying to find his wand to dry himself off. He glared at George when he found it and began drying his hair.

"Well, Gred, you weren't answering so I thought I would help you out. Now, do tell, what has got our wand in a knot?" George asked, using Fred's nickname to try and calm him down a bit.

Fred didn't answer for a while, pretending to focus on drying off his clothes, when in reality he was just preparing himself for what he was going to tell his twin. He knew he couldn't keep this from George, he could barely keep anything from him, they knew each other too well. He decided to just come out and say it.

"I kissed Hermione," he said bluntly, turning to George and wiping all emotion from his face to watch for his reaction. He waited a few seconds before-

"Bloody hell! Finally! What took you so long, how long have you liked that girl? Over a year? Merlin's beard now you can stop moping around and staring at her all the time," George was ecstatic, until he saw the look of unusually serious emotion and despair on Fred's face. "Why do you look like that? What's wrong?"

"I told her I love her, and then she tried to tell me I didn't and then I couldn't help it, I kissed her. So, to save myself any embarrassment, I ran for it. I don't know how she reacted or if she feels the same way or if she wants to hex me into oblivion," he told George full of distress. George had some tact to look upset for Fred. For a few moments anyways, then he just started laughing.

"Are you serious? You're worried she doesn't feel the same way so you ran? Come on, Freddie, so what if she doesn't? You're never going to find out sitting up here all mopey and distressed! Get your butt down in the Common Room and face her!" George started shoving Fred out of the dorm room and into the staircase. Fred tried to fight him at first but then he realized that George was right, of course, he always was.

When he got downstairs he looked over to the fireplace where Hermione usually sat with Harry and Ron. There she was, as always, her back to him and her nose in a book. He took a deep breath, walked to the opposite side of the Common Room and sat down. George snorted loudly, but didn't say anything.

"Uh oh…" He heard George whispered before he was hit in the back of the head with something hard.

"Oi! What the bloody hell-!" His shout was cut off after he stood up and turned around to look down at Hermione, standing there looking furious at him. This is what he had been afraid of, she was mad at him for kissing her.

"Look, Hermione, I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have-" Fred started but he was cut off again by her shouting at him, her bushy hair seeming to grow with her anger.

"You shouldn't have what? Run off? Kissed me and then left me there alone? What is wrong with you, Fred Weasley?" And with that she pulled his head down and kissed him. Fred was in shock for a second before he picked her up and kissed her back, not noticing George laughing hysterically behind him or Ron looking like he had been slapped in the face. Fred didn't care, Hermione loved him, and whatever happened he would be able to deal with it.