Annie looked over her book as Hermione Granger stomped away, after having told the Weasley twins off about testing their Skiving Snackboxes sweets on first years. On one hand, Annie understood that point of view; it was not exactly dangerous, but using naive eleven-years-olds... well, Annie didn't condone that. But on the other hand, as an admirer of the twins' geniuses, Annie understood how necessary it was to them to see if everyone reacted in the same manner. Acting on impulse, she stood up and marched over to the two boys. Tapping gently on Fred Weasley's shoulder, she quickly said, "I understand Granger's point but I also see yours, and so I want to offer you my services as your tester." While she spoke, Fred and George had swiveled to face her, and George snarled.
"What? Who are you, anyway?"
"Anne-Lise Mercantes. But call me Annie or I will joyfully rip your bowels out," she said innocently. Both boys stared at her, still seething with anger.
"Why would you want to help us?" spat Fred.
The truth was, Annie wasn't sure. She knew her admiration for their geniuses played a part, as well as her longing for more pranks, and her small crush on Fred Weasley...
"I admire your skill; I'm not going to let your geniuses go to waste because of a lack of tests," she answered with a shrug. Fred and George looked at each other, seemed to have a silent conversation, and Fred frowned.
"Give us a week to think about it. You'll have an answer next Saturday." And with that, Fred turned on his heel, closely followed by his twin, and marched up to the boy's dormitory, leaving Annie alone.
.oO0Oo.
Annie fidgeted with her pencil. She didn't like quills, especially when it came to sketching. The week the twins had asked for had gone by in a flash, and it was now Saturday evening, and they had still not given Annie their answer. Annie was starting to regret her offer; she wasn't used to wanting to talk to someone. She didn't have many friends, apart from one girl she liked, Katie Bell. Both girls were in the same year, the same dorm. Katie, however, was a rather sporty person, whereas Annie was rather bookish. But both got along quite well, and Annie was sure she could count Katie as a friend. Annie shook her head, pushing away her reverie. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of the Weasley twins; they were across the Common Room, discussing something animatedly. Annie hoped it was her offer. Suddenly, Fred stood up, and without stopping his conversation, took his jumper off. Annie stared. For others, this might not seem like an important matter, but for Annie, who had been nursing a small crush on the ginger-haired boy, this... this was more than she'd ever asked for. She could see the lines of his muscled chest from under his white shirt, and could just make out his biceps. It was just like in the Muggle young adult romance novels she'd read over the summer; his clothes never rendered his body to its full glory.
Annie blushed profusely, looking down at once. She attempted to concentrate on her sketching, but all she'd managed to draw was Fred Weasley. All over her parchment. It was horrifying to her: she'd never caught herself doing this before. She abandoned the prospect of drawing and kept glancing up at Fred and George's general direction, but could never bring herself to truly look at them.
If she had, she would've noticed both young men staring at her and clearly discussing her, just as she'd hoped.
If she had, she might've noticed both young men getting up and walking towards her.
If she had, she wouldn't have been startled by them sitting down at her table.
Yelping, she sent her pencil flying over the table, hitting George on the head. He and Fred guffawed, making Annie blush even deeper. George bent down to retrieve the pencil from where it had fallen on the ground after htting him, and returned it to Annie with a gentle smile. His attitude was much different than the one they'd originally met in; Annie was taken off guard.