Disclaimer: As much as I would love to say that I own Fred Weasley, I tragically don't. I do not own any of the characters related to Harry Potter, and I never will.

Chapter One: It's Not Ronald, It's Fred

It was late in the Gryffindor common room. Everyone had gone to bed early so they would be able to get up early the next morning for classes—everyone except for one Gryffindor. Hermione Granger sat on a large, squishy couch in front of a fireplace with a book in her hands.

Her lids were heavy and threatened to cover her blurring eyes, but she fought with all her might to stay awake. She was studying for the O.W.L exams, even though they were months away. This had been her routine since the beginning of the year: Wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to classes. Eat Dinner. Go to the library. Go to sleep, and do it again the next day.

Since she hadn't died yet of sleep deprivation, Hermione took it as a sign that she could continue to follow her schedule. Her body would undoubtedly scream at her and command her to sleep, but she figured she could pay back the sleep debt during holiday breaks. The problem Hermione seemed to be facing was that her mind was more determined to study than her body was. As she finished the chapter in her latest book, her tired eyes took control of her and soon all she saw was darkness. Her book fell to the floor as her fingers lost grip of the binding, and the thunk it made resonated throughout the entire common room.

The noise had awoken Fred Weasley, even though he hadn't really been sleeping. He was distraught from his recent Quidditch scrimmage with Slytherin that afternoon—his team lost 10-4. He had spent the entire afternoon wallowing in self-pity, and proceeded to do so all night instead of going to sleep. Until, that is, he heard a loud noise downstairs in the common room.

He knew that it was probably nothing, but his body was wide awake and needed to get up and go do something. Fred got out of bed and put on his slippers before making his way to the common room door. As he made his way down the staircase, a snoring sound made its way into his eardrums.

"Must be another overly stressed first year…" He muttered to himself as he rounded the stairs. However, the bushel of hair that caught his eye when he entered the common room was not the hair of a first year.

He made his way across the room to the couch in the far corner and stopped in front of the fire. Hermione Granger lay in front of him on her back, with one arm over the back of the couch and the other flopped over the side—she was snoring a little.

"What a bookworm." He thought, and walked closer to the couch, kneeling over Hermione.

"Hermione," Fred whispered as he nudged her shoulder lightly. "Hermione, get up and go back to your dormitory."

"Go away Ronald, I'm trying to sleep."

"Ron?"

"No, Fred. Of course I mean Ronald."

"Whatever. Hermione, get up and go back to your dormitory—all the guys are laughing at you because we can hear your walrus noises from upstairs in our room."

She turned over so her back was facing Fred. "No you can't, Ronald, leave me alone."

"I will not! Now get up and go to bed."

"I can't," she murmured into the couch pillow, "My eyes are exhausted from reading all day, everything is blurry when I open my eyes…"

"Then I'll just have to carry you."

Hermione turned back over and opened her eyes a little. She yawned and stretched her arms a little, and then got up and walked towards her dormitory.

"Happy now?" she muttered under her breath and she walked past Fred and around the couch.

"Yes." Said Fred, and just as he was about to turn around and go up to his room, Hermione tripped on the leg of a side-table and fell to the floor.

"For the love of Merlin!" Fred said as he ran over to Hermione. "You really are blind—let me walk you upstairs and then your roommates can deal with you up there."

"Thanks Ron, what a good boyfriend you are. I'll remember that next time you need me to help you."

Fred wrapped Hermione's left arm around his shoulder and walked with her up the stairs to the Girl's Dormitory. She stumbled a few times over items left strewn across the pathway, but Fred had almost gotten her to the top when the stairs disappeared from under his feet and a slide took its place. He was pulled backwards, taking Hermione with him sliding downstairs into the floor of the common room. He rolled down the slide until he hit a book on the floor and went flying backwards a few feet—landing on his back on the cold, hard floor. Hermione hit the same book on the way down and was jettisoned forward, right onto Fred.

"Ow…" they both said while rubbing their heads.

"Hermione, get off, you're hurting me…"

She didn't seem to hear him, however, and rested her head against his chest and fell proceeded to fall asleep again. Fred nudged her shoulder a little bit, then her stomach, trying to get her to move.

"Hermione, get off, you need to walk upstairs by yourself… The stairs won't let guys come up to your dorm."

"But I'm comfortable here, Ronald, let me sleep."

"Okay, first off, it's not Ronald, it's Fred. And second, I need to go to bed too, so get off."

"Not Ron…?" Hermione lay still to let the words comprehend in her brain. Slowly, she got up and looked at Fred in the eyes.

"Oh… It is you, Fred. I'm sorry…" She looked down in embarrassment, and sat up. She caught Fred's eye on the way up and paused. Her eyes wandered down from his blue eyes to his long nose and pink lips, and farther down to his chest, which was breathing heavily and bare.

"Why are you down here?" She asked as she studied his muscles—his shoulders, chest, and stomach.

"I heard a thumping noise and I figured I'd come down here and see what it was." Fred knew she was staring at him, and wasn't sure whether or not to be excited or frightened. After all, it was Hermione, and she could curse him into Oblivion if he made any sudden movements.

"Oh."

"Hermione?" Fred asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"You're still sitting on me."

Hermione jumped off immediately after realizing she hadn't gotten off. "I'm sorry," she said over and over again, and scurried back to her couch to gather her book. She picked it up and made her way passed Fred to go up to her room.

"Good night Hermione." Fred said as he turned away to go back to sleep.

"Good night Fred."

Hermione stumbled up the stairs and into her room, eventually plopping into bed and falling to sleep. Her dreams were crowded by the chapter she wasn't able to read that night and a red haired boy on a broomstick.

Fred watched Hermione make her way up the stairs to make sure she didn't kill herself, and then glided up the stairs to his bed. His thoughts were still cluttered with the Quidditch match that afternoon, but a sandy haired girl made her way onto his body and slept with him in his dreams.