Fred curiously blinked her eyes as Hermione told her that what she saw had really happened. How was that possible? Did it have something to do with the surge of energy she'd felt when she grabbed Hermione? She was about to ask when Hermione told her that she'd seen something too. Fred furrowed her eyebrows and listened as the other woman described that she'd seen.
"Y-Yes," Fred answered as she interlaced her fingers with Hermione's. "I worked there so I could have some extra money. I was putting books away in the Foreign Language section and found that book. Stupid me had to read from it and I guess you saw what happened."
Fred looked down at their hands before looking at Hermione again, her mind full of questions. "Hermione, something else happened too. Earlier, when we were in bed, right before I - you know - I felt this huge surge of energy go through me, And when I grabbed you while you were doing the spell, I felt it again but it was stronger and when I tried to let go of you, I couldn't. Not until the spell was over," she quietly said. "Even now, just holding your hand, I can feel little pockets of energy running through my body. Is there something wrong with me?"
Hermione felt so bad for Fred when she admitted that what she had seen regarding the library had actually happened. She couldn't imagine what that must have been like, to have been sucked through to a strange dimension simply because she had opened and read from a book.
But that meant that Fred and she had seen into each other's minds. Somehow, they had connected with each other during the spell. And Fred reminded her of the surge of energy that went through them when she had grabbed her in the lot.
But Fred also felt power running through her when they had been together earlier and now. Closing her eyes for a moment, Hermione concentrated, and she could feel it as well. They couldn't...
Could they?
"Oh, Merlin," she breathed, opening her eyes and looking into Fred's. "There's nothing wrong with you, Fred. It's...if what I think this is is true...then there's a very rare connection between us."
Fred was glad Hermione didn't ask anything more about Pylea. Being there still bothered her sometimes as did the nightmares. She'd done a good job with hiding it from everyone but if Hermione could read her mind, there was a chance the other woman would find out how she was still scared of being sucked into another portal.
And Fred didn't like that all.
When Hermione said they shared a connection, Fred let go of her hand. If Hermione was right, then she'd be able to read her mind anytime she wanted and Fred didn't want her to know. She didn't want her to know what they'd done to her in Pylea, or what she had to do to survive.
"I-I," Fred started as tears came to her eyes. "If we're connected then you'll know what they did to me and then you'll leave. I don't want you to leave me." She covered her eyes with her hands and started to sob. "You'll think I'm weak for what I let them do to me."
Hermione saw the change in expression in Fred's eyes when she said they shared a connection and felt her heart fall when she pulled her hand away. Suddenly, she wondered if she should have said anything, but when the realization of what was possibly going on between them had hit her, she hadn't been able to hold back telling her, especially since it was such an amazing thing.
Now, she wasn't so sure, given Fred's reaction.
Then Fred began crying about what they had done to her, and Hermione felt as though her heart might stop. Pylea. Whatever had happened to her on Pylea must have been awful. No, worse than awful - horrid, terrible. She swallowed when Fred's cries turned to sobs and shifted closer to her, wrapping her arm around her.
"Fred, it's okay," she whispered as Fred continued to sob. "Oh, love, I'm not going to think you're weak, no matter what happened to you. And I would never leave you, not after everything I've done and been through as well." She rested her temple to Fred's, rocking her gently. "Whatever you lived through, you must have been very strong to have endured it, and I can only admire you for that. My feelings for you won't ever change, no matter what I find out."
Fred allowed Hermione's words to wash over her. Everyone was always telling her that she was strong, but none of them knew about the scars she had or the torture she'd been through. Fred had never told any of them because she was afraid of what they would think of her.
With a shudder, she pulled out of Hermione's and got on her knees. She turned her back to Hermione and pulled up her shirt, showing the other woman the scars on her back. "When I would run away from my owners, they sometimes caught me and would beat me for running away," she quietly said as more tears came to her eyes. "They… they also made me sleep in the barn with the horses and would upset them, hoping they would kick me. I was kick a couple of times and my ribs were broken. I had to heal on my own and it hurt so much."
Fred glanced over her shoulder and looked at Hermione. "Do you still like me, even though I'm scarred and ugly?" she quietly asked as she cast her eyes toward the bed. "I-I should've told you before we did stuff together. I'm sorry."
Hermione gasped softly when she saw the scars criss-crossing Fred's back, tears coming to her eyes as she told her what had happened to her, how she had been beaten by her owners and kicked by horses. She had been a slave. She had been a slave, tortured as badly as the poor people Voldemort or his lackeys captured. Hurt as badly as...
As she stared at Fred's back, her fingers moved up to run gently over her skin. When Fred asked if she still liked her, she felt as though her heart might break. "Oh, Fred," she said, reaching out to turn her to face her and leaning forward to kiss her. "Of course, I still like you. You're not at all ugly - you're beautiful and still the most amazing, wonderful woman I've ever met. These scars...they don't change who you are."
She reached down and pulled her own shirt up a bit, showing her some of the scars that marred her own skin. "Magic can take care of a lot of things, but some hexes leave scars that can't ever be taken away. I got this one from one of Voldemort's men when he hexed me when I was sixteen during a fight." She pointed to the just below her breast. Then she pointed to another one, darker in color on her side. "And that...that was caused by Voldemort himself. He tried to make me turn against Harry - hit me in the same spot with the same hex over and over again - until Ron...sacrificed his life to make him stop long enough that I was able to escape."
When Hermione started to touch her scars, Fred wanted to pull away but she didn't. Instead, she allowed her eyes to flutter shut at the intimacy of it all. She felt Hermione turn her around and tears came to her eyes when Hermione told her that she was beautiful. No one, except her parents, ever complimented her on her legs.
Fred then watched as Hermione pulled up her shirt. When she saw the scars, she reached out and softly touched them. "I'm sorry," she whispered as more tears came to her eyes. "I'm sorry this happened to you and that your friend died. He must've been really special to save you." Fred then smiled a little. "And you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met."
Reaching out, she pulled Hermione to her and pulled them down to the bed. "You should be resting, sweetie." Fred kissed the top of her head and held her close. She was sure her heart was about to burst with everything she felt for the woman in her arms. "Hermione… I think…" she started to say but stopped. She didn't know how to convey her feelings right now. "I-I really like you and… God, this is so hard because I'm scared you won't feel the same way…"
Fred looked down and took a deep breath. "I know we've just met but I can feel the connection we share - which you'll have to explain to me soon. But it's more than that. I feel like I've known you my whole life and I…" She took another deep breath. "I'm developing feelings for you. Real feelings. I want to fall in love with you, Hermione."
"Ron was...Ron was aggravating, dense, and occasionally immature," Hermione told Fred, letting out a soft sigh, "but he was also smarter than people gave him credit for, incredibly brave and truly a great friend. I miss him. Sometimes I wish I could tell him that."
Reaching up to wipe her tears away, she gave Fred a smile. "Sometimes I don't feel beautiful, but thank you," she whispered before allowing Fred to pull her back down to rest on the bed. She was still feeling a bit shattered from everything that had been happened although being with Fred like this was making her feel better. She closed her eyes for a moment as the other woman began to speak, apparently having trouble with whatever she was trying to say.
When Fred finally managed to say what she was trying to get out, saying that she was developing feelings for her, Hermione opened her eyes again, looking up into her dark eyes. She could feel her heart beating hard and fast in her chest, and an aching throb between her legs. "Fred...I--I do feel the same way," she whispered, reaching up to stroke her hand through her hair.
"I'm feeling something in here," she continued, taking Fred's hand and placing it on her chest above her heart, "that I've never felt before. You feel like a part of me, Fred...because in a way you are. I think you were always meant to be."
She took a deep breath, knowing that if they were to going to move forward with this, explore their growing feeling for each other, she had to know what was going on, understand what was going on between them. "Fred, in the wizarding world, in some of the more obscure scrolls, it's said that every wizard or witch has a muggle--a human counterpart. A very special human counterpart. This person isn't a witch or a wizard, can't do magic the way we can, but they have a much different gift - when paired with the right witch or wizard, they act as a...conduit, amplyfying and strengthening the power of that witch or wizard's spells. It's usually always been thought to be no more than story since it's said to be rare for a witch or wizard to ever locate their counterpart, their conduit. According to the scrolls I've read, though, when a pair has come together, their bond has been unbreakable in every way."
Hermione pressed her hand against Fred's cheek. "I think you're my counterpart, Fred. Somehow, we've managed to find each other."
Fred's eyes fluttered shut for a moment when Hermione ran her hand through her hair. She loved it when Hermione touched her hair. Her eyes opened again when the other woman said she felt the same way. A smile tugged at Fred's lips and she pressed her hand against Hermione's chest. "I feel it there too," she whispered.
When Hermione started to explain the things about the conduits, Fred furrowed her brow with curiosity. She had so many questions she wanted to ask and she was about to explode, waiting for Hermione to finish. When she finally did, Fred moved closer, her eyes wide with wonderment.
"Amazing," she whispered in awe. "I-I don't know what to say. Well, I do have a lot of questions but I've forgotten all of them already. I'll have to write them later when I can remember them all." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Hermione's. "Can we… trying more magic when you're feeling better? I want to try it again. Also, could this be the reason why I absorb information so well?"
Fred grinned and snuggled against Hermione. "This is so romantic. It's like we're soul mates but better!" She pulled back and cupped Hermione's face before deeply kissing her.
Hermione gave Fred a smile after she pressed her lips to hers. "Honestly, I have a lot of questions myself since most of what I know if from vague stories. We...we may have to find out a lot of this together, on our own. So yes, we can try more magic and see how far this extends. Obviously, I'd say based on tonight that it goes rather deep."
She didn't know either about what being a conduit counterpart meant in terms of intelligence, but it did make sense. Having someone who wasn't very smart or knowledgeable or able to learn much wouldn't be of much help to a wizard or witch, all things considered. "I would say, that it very likely is the reason," she told her.
Fred was right, she realized when she kissed her. They were like soulmates in a way - created by the universe to be together. It was amazing. She had never thought that it might actually happen to her, didn't even consider it. But know that she had found Fred, it seemed absolutely right.
"I want to do so much with you, Fred," she breathed when they parted though she kept her arms wrapped around her. "There's so much to explore and find out, but...I'm afraid I'm still knackered, and I feel like all I want to do right now is sleeping. But...will you--you will stay with me, won't you?"
"Of course I'll stay with you," Fred whispered before kissing Hermione's forehead. She reached over and turned off the bedside lamp before pulling the covers over Hermione and her. She then snuggled closer and smiled. "Night, sweetie."
When morning came again, Fred awoke to a light knocking on the door. Furrowing her brow, she untangled herself from Hermione's arms and went to answer it. When she opened it, she saw Wesley standing there, looking panicked. "It's Rupert," he said as he wrung his hands. "He… he was in Sunnydale to help Willow and he was hurt. He's in the hospital and I need to get to him but I don't think I can drive. Do you… can you drive me there?"
Fred's eyes went wide and she frowned. "I can drive you there. Oh, Wesley, he's going to be okay, isn't he?" she asked, worriedly.
"I don't know, Fred. Anya said he almost died. Oh God, we need to get there as soon as possible," Wesley said as tears filled his eyes.
"Okay," Fred said, patting his arm. "Let me wake Hermione up and we'll be down in about ten minutes, or less." Wesley let out a grateful sigh before nodding and walking down the hallway. Fred closed the door and went over to the bed.
"Hermione? You have to wake up. Rupert's been hurt and we have to get Wesley to Sunnydale," she said, shaking the other woman's shoulder.
"Y-Yes," Fred answered as she interlaced her fingers with Hermione's. "I worked there so I could have some extra money. I was putting books away in the Foreign Language section and found that book. Stupid me had to read from it and I guess you saw what happened."
Fred looked down at their hands before looking at Hermione again, her mind full of questions. "Hermione, something else happened too. Earlier, when we were in bed, right before I - you know - I felt this huge surge of energy go through me, And when I grabbed you while you were doing the spell, I felt it again but it was stronger and when I tried to let go of you, I couldn't. Not until the spell was over," she quietly said. "Even now, just holding your hand, I can feel little pockets of energy running through my body. Is there something wrong with me?"
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But that meant that Fred and she had seen into each other's minds. Somehow, they had connected with each other during the spell. And Fred reminded her of the surge of energy that went through them when she had grabbed her in the lot.
But Fred also felt power running through her when they had been together earlier and now. Closing her eyes for a moment, Hermione concentrated, and she could feel it as well. They couldn't...
Could they?
"Oh, Merlin," she breathed, opening her eyes and looking into Fred's. "There's nothing wrong with you, Fred. It's...if what I think this is is true...then there's a very rare connection between us."
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And Fred didn't like that all.
When Hermione said they shared a connection, Fred let go of her hand. If Hermione was right, then she'd be able to read her mind anytime she wanted and Fred didn't want her to know. She didn't want her to know what they'd done to her in Pylea, or what she had to do to survive.
"I-I," Fred started as tears came to her eyes. "If we're connected then you'll know what they did to me and then you'll leave. I don't want you to leave me." She covered her eyes with her hands and started to sob. "You'll think I'm weak for what I let them do to me."
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Now, she wasn't so sure, given Fred's reaction.
Then Fred began crying about what they had done to her, and Hermione felt as though her heart might stop. Pylea. Whatever had happened to her on Pylea must have been awful. No, worse than awful - horrid, terrible. She swallowed when Fred's cries turned to sobs and shifted closer to her, wrapping her arm around her.
"Fred, it's okay," she whispered as Fred continued to sob. "Oh, love, I'm not going to think you're weak, no matter what happened to you. And I would never leave you, not after everything I've done and been through as well." She rested her temple to Fred's, rocking her gently. "Whatever you lived through, you must have been very strong to have endured it, and I can only admire you for that. My feelings for you won't ever change, no matter what I find out."
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With a shudder, she pulled out of Hermione's and got on her knees. She turned her back to Hermione and pulled up her shirt, showing the other woman the scars on her back. "When I would run away from my owners, they sometimes caught me and would beat me for running away," she quietly said as more tears came to her eyes. "They… they also made me sleep in the barn with the horses and would upset them, hoping they would kick me. I was kick a couple of times and my ribs were broken. I had to heal on my own and it hurt so much."
Fred glanced over her shoulder and looked at Hermione. "Do you still like me, even though I'm scarred and ugly?" she quietly asked as she cast her eyes toward the bed. "I-I should've told you before we did stuff together. I'm sorry."
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As she stared at Fred's back, her fingers moved up to run gently over her skin. When Fred asked if she still liked her, she felt as though her heart might break. "Oh, Fred," she said, reaching out to turn her to face her and leaning forward to kiss her. "Of course, I still like you. You're not at all ugly - you're beautiful and still the most amazing, wonderful woman I've ever met. These scars...they don't change who you are."
She reached down and pulled her own shirt up a bit, showing her some of the scars that marred her own skin. "Magic can take care of a lot of things, but some hexes leave scars that can't ever be taken away. I got this one from one of Voldemort's men when he hexed me when I was sixteen during a fight." She pointed to the just below her breast. Then she pointed to another one, darker in color on her side. "And that...that was caused by Voldemort himself. He tried to make me turn against Harry - hit me in the same spot with the same hex over and over again - until Ron...sacrificed his life to make him stop long enough that I was able to escape."
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Fred then watched as Hermione pulled up her shirt. When she saw the scars, she reached out and softly touched them. "I'm sorry," she whispered as more tears came to her eyes. "I'm sorry this happened to you and that your friend died. He must've been really special to save you." Fred then smiled a little. "And you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met."
Reaching out, she pulled Hermione to her and pulled them down to the bed. "You should be resting, sweetie." Fred kissed the top of her head and held her close. She was sure her heart was about to burst with everything she felt for the woman in her arms. "Hermione… I think…" she started to say but stopped. She didn't know how to convey her feelings right now. "I-I really like you and… God, this is so hard because I'm scared you won't feel the same way…"
Fred looked down and took a deep breath. "I know we've just met but I can feel the connection we share - which you'll have to explain to me soon. But it's more than that. I feel like I've known you my whole life and I…" She took another deep breath. "I'm developing feelings for you. Real feelings. I want to fall in love with you, Hermione."
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Reaching up to wipe her tears away, she gave Fred a smile. "Sometimes I don't feel beautiful, but thank you," she whispered before allowing Fred to pull her back down to rest on the bed. She was still feeling a bit shattered from everything that had been happened although being with Fred like this was making her feel better. She closed her eyes for a moment as the other woman began to speak, apparently having trouble with whatever she was trying to say.
When Fred finally managed to say what she was trying to get out, saying that she was developing feelings for her, Hermione opened her eyes again, looking up into her dark eyes. She could feel her heart beating hard and fast in her chest, and an aching throb between her legs. "Fred...I--I do feel the same way," she whispered, reaching up to stroke her hand through her hair.
"I'm feeling something in here," she continued, taking Fred's hand and placing it on her chest above her heart, "that I've never felt before. You feel like a part of me, Fred...because in a way you are. I think you were always meant to be."
She took a deep breath, knowing that if they were to going to move forward with this, explore their growing feeling for each other, she had to know what was going on, understand what was going on between them. "Fred, in the wizarding world, in some of the more obscure scrolls, it's said that every wizard or witch has a muggle--a human counterpart. A very special human counterpart. This person isn't a witch or a wizard, can't do magic the way we can, but they have a much different gift - when paired with the right witch or wizard, they act as a...conduit, amplyfying and strengthening the power of that witch or wizard's spells. It's usually always been thought to be no more than story since it's said to be rare for a witch or wizard to ever locate their counterpart, their conduit. According to the scrolls I've read, though, when a pair has come together, their bond has been unbreakable in every way."
Hermione pressed her hand against Fred's cheek. "I think you're my counterpart, Fred. Somehow, we've managed to find each other."
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When Hermione started to explain the things about the conduits, Fred furrowed her brow with curiosity. She had so many questions she wanted to ask and she was about to explode, waiting for Hermione to finish. When she finally did, Fred moved closer, her eyes wide with wonderment.
"Amazing," she whispered in awe. "I-I don't know what to say. Well, I do have a lot of questions but I've forgotten all of them already. I'll have to write them later when I can remember them all." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Hermione's. "Can we… trying more magic when you're feeling better? I want to try it again. Also, could this be the reason why I absorb information so well?"
Fred grinned and snuggled against Hermione. "This is so romantic. It's like we're soul mates but better!" She pulled back and cupped Hermione's face before deeply kissing her.
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She didn't know either about what being a conduit counterpart meant in terms of intelligence, but it did make sense. Having someone who wasn't very smart or knowledgeable or able to learn much wouldn't be of much help to a wizard or witch, all things considered. "I would say, that it very likely is the reason," she told her.
Fred was right, she realized when she kissed her. They were like soulmates in a way - created by the universe to be together. It was amazing. She had never thought that it might actually happen to her, didn't even consider it. But know that she had found Fred, it seemed absolutely right.
"I want to do so much with you, Fred," she breathed when they parted though she kept her arms wrapped around her. "There's so much to explore and find out, but...I'm afraid I'm still knackered, and I feel like all I want to do right now is sleeping. But...will you--you will stay with me, won't you?"
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When morning came again, Fred awoke to a light knocking on the door. Furrowing her brow, she untangled herself from Hermione's arms and went to answer it. When she opened it, she saw Wesley standing there, looking panicked. "It's Rupert," he said as he wrung his hands. "He… he was in Sunnydale to help Willow and he was hurt. He's in the hospital and I need to get to him but I don't think I can drive. Do you… can you drive me there?"
Fred's eyes went wide and she frowned. "I can drive you there. Oh, Wesley, he's going to be okay, isn't he?" she asked, worriedly.
"I don't know, Fred. Anya said he almost died. Oh God, we need to get there as soon as possible," Wesley said as tears filled his eyes.
"Okay," Fred said, patting his arm. "Let me wake Hermione up and we'll be down in about ten minutes, or less." Wesley let out a grateful sigh before nodding and walking down the hallway. Fred closed the door and went over to the bed.
"Hermione? You have to wake up. Rupert's been hurt and we have to get Wesley to Sunnydale," she said, shaking the other woman's shoulder.
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