Light in the darkness

42. Old traumas

„Hermione, have you seen my briefcase with the documents?" Fred's voice echoed through the house as he made his way downstairs, determined to find the paper sheets he was looking for so desperately.

His mind was so focused on the papers he had to find for today's crew gathering that he didn't even realize, that Hermione's things started to gradually disappear from his house, that they had shared some time now. It was until he spotted her downstairs, with her suitcases and boxes packed.

"What's this?" He swallowed and pointed at the things she was holding in her hands before she reached for one of the boxes and put them inside. And though he had already known the answer, he needed to hear it from her, so that it would give him last one push.

"Alice gave me the keys to her apartment a few days ago," Hermione said calmly giving him a small, sad smile.

"It's time for me, Fred. I will start moving my things today and hopefully, I will manage to move everything till the end of the week." A sad twinkle in her eyes betrayed how hard it was for her to move out, to leave him once again.

She had done it once. Leaving him was the only decision she would regret till the end of her days. They could've had it all. They could've had the life both of them had dreamed. She couldn't even count all of the nights they were lying together and daydreaming about their future, making plans that they deeply hoped to realize together. Little did they know how their lives would change.

And now, they were going to make another mistake. The same one. They were letting each other go. They were about to allow one another to give up on everything they had dreamed about. Though they weren't seventeen-year-old kids anymore, they still could make it up and build a future, they had always wanted to have. Together.

"What are we doing Hermione?" Fred spoke up, breaking the confusing silence between them.

At that very moment, he didn't care if the things between them would be even more confusing. It was now or never, and he found the courage to take a shot and fight for her. He should've done it a long, long time ago. But he hadn't. And God, if he didn't do it now, he would let her slip through his fingers.

"What do you mean?" His question caught Hermione off of guard a little, but her heart started beating faster anyway.

"We're pretending like we don't have feelings for each other anymore," Fred spoke up his mind for the very first time in a long while.

"Maybe I was stupid enough for a long time, but I won't let you slip through my fingers once again." Fred's voice trembled and his lips quivered dangerously as he was trying to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes.

"I want to wake up next to you every single day. You're the person I want to share the news with. You're the one who stole my heart in high school." He took a step closer in her direction and raised his hand to let it rest on her porcelain cheek. She didn't take it back, just melted in his soft touch she had missed so damn much.

"And you're the one that I always loved, who my heart always belonged to," Fred told her honestly, his eyes twinkling with something so familiar yet unknown to Hermione, who was standing in front of him and watching his face softening with every single word.

"I still love you Hermione and I don't want us to miss another day." It was the confession that took him way too long to say out loud. But now, when he finally get it off of his chest, he knew it was the right thing to do.

Hermione gasped silently and she felt herself getting emotional too. It was hard to hide it from Fred, he knew her way too well and could read her like an open book. There was no point in avoiding his gaze or pretending like she didn't have any feelings for him anymore. The truth was that she was falling hard for him. Once again she had a chance to fall in love with him and God, it was both the most beautiful and painful journey. Now, all she saw in his eyes was love. And happily, they would get their happy ending.