The Night The Lights Went Out

The Night the Lights Went out - or How to survive a thunderstorm

Hermione Apparated in the the kitchen of the Burrow. She hadn't told anyone she was visiting, but there was usually someone home. At least Mrs Weasley. Hermione had come to talk to her, but to her surprise the kitchen was empty, and so was the livingroom

"Anyone home?" she called.

"Yeah, me, Fred!" came a voice from upstairs. "Who's there?"

"Hermione."

"Hang on, I'll be right down!"

Hermione waited in the livingroom, and Fred soon came running down the stairs.

"Hey!"

She smiled at him. "Hi. Aren't you too old to be bounding down stairs like that?"

He gave her a look of mock anger. "An owner of a joke shop never gets too old to bound down stairs."

"If you say so. I came to talk to your mum, is she home?"

"No. I came home maybe ten minutes ago, and there was no one here."

"Oh, all right. I guess I should be going then, it was really nice seeing you again."

"Why don't you stay? We could help ourselves to dinner and catch up; I'm sure mum's left something that we could eat."

Hermione accepted his offer. She was hungry and having dinner with Fred sounded much better than going home and having dinner alone.

Fred dragged her back into the kitchen, and soon they were trying to decide what to eat. When they were at school together Hermione had always regarded Fred and his twin brother George as a couple of guys only interested in pranks and mischief, and Fred hadn't changed much. He was still the same joking guy she had gone to school with, only now she found him funnier and more interesting to talk to.

"Your know what?" she said as they were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table.

"No," Fred replied, chewing on a piece of chicken.

"You've actually changed since Hogwarts. You're more mature."

"I should hope so. You haven't changed much, though. You've still got that bushy hair of yours."

Hermine just pulled a face at him, and he gave her one of his famous grins.

After dinner they washed the dishes, and Hermione decided that it was time for her to go home.

Before she even got to the door, however, a loud crack of thunder, followed by a blinding flash of light had her halting in her steps. The lights in the house went out, leaving them in complete darkness.

"Wh-what happened?" she cried, her hands fumbling to grab hold of something steady.

"It must have started without us realizing it" Fred said. "It's nothing to worry about, the lights always do this when there's a thunderstorm."

That didn't make Hermone feel any better. She had never liked thunderstorms; they made her feel uneasy.

"Fred, where are you?" She started to walk towards where she thought he was, but found nothing but air.

"I'm right here."

She felt a warm hand on her right shoulder, and jumped slightly at the contact. "You scared me!"

"Sorry. You act as if this is your first thunderstorm."

Hermione had expected Fred to laugh, or maybe make fun of her, but he sounded completely serious. He remained right behind her, hand on her shoulder.

"It's not my first," she replied. "I just don't like them."

"It's all right, you're safe here. Let's go sit on the couch."

His voice was soft, and his closeness was actually calming her down. Hermione let him lead her to the couch in the livingroom. She didn't know how he managed to find his way without bumping into stuff, but guessed it had to do with the fact that he knew the house like the back of his hand.

Settling down beside him, she didn't realize just how close she was to him until he slipped an arm around her shoulders.

"Feeling better?"

Hermione, somewhat taken aback by his action, nodded. "Yeah, a little. Thanks for being here. Otherwise, I think I would be freaking out right now."

Fred removed his arm, and shifted on the couch so he was facing her. "What happened to Hermione Granger, the most logical and bravest witch in her year at Hogwarts?" he teased. "But I have to admit, this is quite nice."

"I told you I don't like thunderstorms," Hermione said. "They're scary, not romantic."

"Well, I have a different opinion on the matter. I happen to think storms are very romantic."

Hermione looked at him. "You do?" This was yet another new side of Fred she had never seen before, and it intrigued her.

"Yes, I do," Fred replied. "The sounds, the intensity... Now all we need is a fire." He pointed his wand at the fireplace. "Incendio!"

A blazing fire appeared, sending its flickering light around the room. Looking into the fire, Hermione wondered what Fred was playing at. Was he hitting on her?

"And the rain..." Fred continued. "I love the smell. It seems to get in your head and just linger there."

A flash of light lit up the room, startling Hermione. She wished the thunderstorm would end, but the rain drumming on the windows, the flashes of lightning and the rumbles of thunder told her the otherwise.

"What's going on between you and Ron?" Fred asked suddenly. She guessed that he did it to keep her mind off of the thunderstorm.

"Why?"

"Because I want to know."

"Nothing's going on between us. What makes you think that?"

"Oh come on," he replied. "Think I'm stupid? I've seen how you two look at each other."

Hermione had to laugh. "No we don't."

"Yes you do."

"Fred! We're friends, that's all."

Just then another thunderclap sounded, causing Hermione to jump.

"Merlin, Hermione. You're really scared of thunder, aren't you?"

Fred still didn't seem to be making fun of her. Instead Hermione realised that he was genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I am."

"Want a massage?"

Hermione blinked at him, caught off guard by his sudden question. Massage? What was he playing at?

"Fred Weasley, are you hitting on me?"

"No. I'm just trying to make you relax and forget the thunderstorm," he answered simply. "Now, do you want that massage or not?"

Hermione studied him. He looked her straight in the eyes, calmly waiting for her answer.

"Yeah, a massage would be nice," she said finally.

Fred pointed at the floor in front of the couch. "Have a seat then."

Hermione did as she was told, and sat down between Fred's legs. The whole situation was making her somewhat nervous, but she guessed that a massage would help to keep her mind off the thunderstorm.

"Could you tie back your hair or something?" Fred asked. "It's a bit hard to give you a massage if it's in the way."

Hermione didn't have anything to tie back her hair with, so she just gathered it to one side and held it in her hand.

Fred gave her shoulders a thorough massage, working his way from her neck down to the shoulder blades. Hermione closed her eyes, the feeling of his warm hands making her relax. He was really good at it too, she thought idly.

"Better?" he asked ten minutes later.

"Yeah. Thanks." Hermione looked up at him and smiled. Just then there was a loud crack, louder than the previous ones. She gasped and felt herself tense up; a second later Fred's hands were on her shoulders again.

"Tell me why you're so afraid of thunderstorms," he said softly, gently rubbing her arms and shoulders.

"I don't know really," Hermione replied. She closed her eyes, listening to the storm outside. "I just don't like them, I always think I'm going to be struck by lightning."

"You're safe here," Fred said. "Are you comfortable on the floor, or do you want to sit on the couch again?"

Hermione joined him on the couch. The thunderstorm showed no signs of subsiding, and Hermione and Fred remained on the couch, talking. By twelve thirty pm, when there was still no sign of Mr. and Mrs Weasley, they both started yawning.

"I should be going home, but I'm not Apparating in this weather," Hermione said.

Fred looked out the window, at the rain streaming down the glass.

"I don't blame you. Tell you what, you could sleep here if you want. You can take George's bed."

Hermione, who hadn't really expected to stay the night at the Burrow, hesitated. However, the prospect of having to Apparate in a thunderstorm made her take Fred up on his offer.

"I'll stay, if it's all right with you."

"Hermione, why do you think I asked? Anyway, I think I'm going to bed now."

Hermione decided it was time she went to bed too. She stopped just after she entered Fred and George's bedroom, looking around. It was bigger than Ginny's room, where she usually slept whenever she visited the Weasley's. A desk stood by the window, and there were two beds.

"Try to keep your hands to yourself; I don't want my body ravished tonight," Fred teased, pushing past her to lay down on the bed furthest on the left-hand side.

Hermione watched him bounce up and down on the bed a few times before finally settling on it. He stretched his arms back to prop his head up.

"Come lay down, Hermione. I promise to keep my hands to myself."

Hermione lay down on the other bed, and for a while they were silent. She turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the storm raging outside. It was a good thing she would be sleeping in the same room as Fred, she thought.

He started to undress, and somewhat embarrassed, Hermione made sure to not look at him. Instead she kept staring up at the ceiling.

"You can look now," Fred said as he climbed back into his bed. "You can undress too, I won't look."

Hermione smiled sheepishly, rising from the bed and pulling back the covers. After creeping under them she undressed too, and once she had taken everything off but her knickers and bra she folded her clothes and put them on the floor beside the bed.

"Goodnight then," she said.

"G'night. Think you'll be able to sleep, or do you want to share my bed?"

The tone of his voice told Hermione that he was teasing her, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I'll be all right over here, thanks."

She heard him shift in his bed, and she did the same. Pulling the covers over her she tried to relax, but it was hard. The rain that smattered against the window she could handle, but the thunderstorm was another thing. She waited for the occasional crack, tensing up whenever she heard one.

Soon Hermione heard Fred snore, and she actually managed to fall asleep as well. However, she woke up a couple of hours later, sweating and panting.

"Hermione, are you okay?"

Fred was at her side, sitting down on her bed. He put an arm around her, and Hermione relaxed against his warm body.

"What happened? Why did you scream?"

She had screamed?

"I had a nightmare."

Fred lay down on her bed. That surprised Hermione, and she looked down at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't have any more bad dreams."

Hermione didn't really know what to make of it; first the massage and now this.

"Fred, why are you doing this?" Hermione tensed as he gently pulled her down beside him, and Fred let go.

"I'll go back to my bed if you don't want me here."

That wasn't really answer to her question, Hermione thought, but she was too tired to care about what reasons he had to sleep in George's bed with her. It had been ages since she had had someone sleeping in the same bed as her, and now, when Fred was there, she would be a fool if she turned him down.

Wait! Hold on a moment! What was this? She, who never had looked twice at either Fred or George...

Realizing that Fred was still waiting for her reply, she shook her head.

"No, you can stay here if you want to."

Without a word he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Hermione sighed contentedly, relishing in the feeling of his warm body next to hers. She closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep again, Fred's arms encircling her.

THE END