Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own the Potterverse. I do however own my own obsession with this world J.K. Rowling has created, along with some pretty perverse ideas to "encourage" her completion of Book Six.

Okay, I don't even own perverse ideas, so, no FBI, no Auror's, no British Law Enforcement. Just hurry up Jo, please :)

A/N: Thank you so much to cheering charm from (at least that's where I found her) She is beta'ing this for me, and her comments/ suggestions are very much appreciated. If you haven't read her work, check it out. (Even if she is a delusional H/Hr shipper smile) Thanks to her comments, there is only one interruption of Hermione's point of view in this chapter. I still don't know that it's perfected, but it's a lot better!

The Wager

Hermione couldn't believe it. It had been five years since Fred and George Weasley had flown out of Hogwarts, leaving their enchanted swamp in their wake as their last act of defiance towards the unbearable Dolores Umbridge. Although that prank had been truly deserved if ever one was, the Weasley twins in general had a knack of leaving unwarranted confusion and mayhem in their wake. One would have thought that after five years out of school, developing a viable business in 'party tricks and favors' as Mrs. Weasley called them, Fred's marriage to his long time sweetheart Angelina, and the recent birth of Fred's first born and George's godson, that the twin's would have matured slightly.

As Hermione brought Colin Creevy a glass of water, so that he could wash the last of the pop rocks out of his mouth, Hermione turned to the twins. As they tried to straighten their face and quiet the whoops and hollers that had overcome them, Hermione eyed them with an expression that was undoubtedly inspired by none other than the creator of these two pranksters, Molly Weasley. Stirred by the commotion, Ginny came bounding into the room. Though unsure of what had led up to the scene she was greeted by, Ginny knew well enough where to place blame.

"Fred, George! What on earth did you do to him?"

Colin smiled at his girlfriend, trying to subdue her infamous temper. He didn't wish to establish the precedence among the Weasley brother's that he was a delicate boy, needing rescuing by their little sister. "Honestly, Hermione and I were just discussing an old Muggle candy. Fred and George happened to have some on them, and allowed me to reminisce so to speak."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny looked at her brothers. "Not the 'pop rocks!'"

"I remembered being a bit frightened when I was younger at the explosions in my mouth, but I didn't recall them being quite that forceful," Colin chuckled nervously, while rubbing his lower jaw, gauging whether one of his lower molars had been knocked loose.

As Ginny turned on her brothers, her face reminded Hermione somewhat of a Muggle thermometer. She could see the flush rising in Ginny's face to indicate how close to her boiling point she truly was. Catching the desperation in Colin's eye, she decided to diffuse the situation. Having spent half of her life in the company of two very prideful wizards, Hermione recognized Colin's look for what it was.

"Aw, c'mon Gin, you wouldn't hurt your favorite brothers," Fred grinned up at her. Ginny had always loved her Forge and Gred, their joy of life had pulled her out of many a bad spot. After her first year at Hogwart's, it had been their laughter and inclusion of her in one or two plots targeted at Percy that had led to her memories of the Chamber to fade.

Shaking herself visibly, she squared her shoulders, "Oh no you don't, I might not be able to bring myself to hex you, but I can make sure that mum gives you a tongue lashing that will be heard from here to the Forbidden Forest."

As Ginny's words left her mouth, Hermione heard the Weasley's funny old clock. As she looked up, she saw the hand for Molly Weasley move from Diagon Alley to Traveling. Glancing over at Colin's pale face, to the twins' she knew she had to diffuse this situation.

"C'mon Ginny, we're all adults here," she began, giving pause to look doubtfully at a sheepish looking Fred and George. Hermione had no doubt they were envisioning their mother's reaction to their latest prank. "I believe that we can settle this in a way that even your brothers can understand."

Ginny's jaw opened as she spun to look at Hermione. "No offense 'Mione, but this is a family matter," she bit out, instantly regretting her statement. Hermione had been welcomed into the Weasley family with open arms many years ago. After that first summer spent at Grimmauld place, once Molly Weasley realized that the bad press the young witch had been subjected to was unjustified, Hermione had simply become the Weasley's ninth child. The eighth, being Harry, of course.

"Hermione, I'm, I'm…" Ginny started, seeing the hazy look that had come across Hermione's eyes. The downfall of Voldemort, had taken its toll on everyone. They had all lost loved ones in that final battle. But Hermione, it seemed had lost everything. Her parents, brought as bait. Ron, selflessly throwing himself between Harry and a mortal curse; Harry, destroyed in a final all encompassing blue light that took everything in that clearing in the Forest that night, including the bane of Wizards and Muggles alike with it. The Weasley's were the only family she had left now.

"Forget it Ginny," Hermione bit out, trying to swallow the bitterness and hurt, focusing on Colin. "I simply think that it's time these two get a taste of their own medicine," she replied, forcing her hands across her chest, shifting her weight haughtily to one side, hoping the bravado Gryffindor's were known for came through in her voice as she intended.

Fred and George remained silent, anticipating the war that was about to occur between Hermione and Ginny, and carefully listening for the pop signaling their mother's arrival. Ginny eyed Hermione thoughtfully; her scowl softening as she considered her sister's words. Her eye's twinkled, as she heard the telltale sound of her mother apparating back to the Burrow.

"Hermione," Molly Weasley called from the other room. "Have Ginny and her new 'friend' arrived yet," she asked teasingly.

"We're all in here mum," Ginny called a smirk creeping to her face as she faced her brothers.

Molly walked into the room, and beamed at her sons. "Good thing I went out. If I hadn't, there would be no way I could have fed the two of you, much less everyone else tonight." As Molly removed her cloak and set down her parcels, she caught the snide smirk on her daughter's face and the looks of anxiousness from her son's her eyes narrowed. Trying to assess the situation, as she looked around the room her eyes finally crossed Colin. Turning her attention to the slightly peaky looking young man, she walked over to pull him into a motherly embrace. "Why, you must be my Ginny's Colin," Molly chuckled. "I certainly have heard many stories about you and that camera of yours over the years." Smiling as Colin's face reddened at the reference to his first years at Hogwarts, Molly cast a gaze over her shoulder again and continued, "I trust that you've been made to feel welcome," she questioned.

Taking a deep breath, and eyeing Ginny carefully, Hermione spoke up before the silence spoke for itself. "Colin and I were simply recalling our favorite muggle treats from childhood."

Ginny's smirk softened into an innocent smile, as she raised her eyebrows at her brother's and mouthed, "This isn't over."

Molly Weasley simply shook her head, unconvinced that her sons had not played some prank, before shooing the young adults out of her kitchen so that she could prepare dinner.

Once they had made it out to the area of the garden that served as a makeshift pitch, Fred and George fell back into their normal confidence. "A taste of our own medicine, Hermy?" George questioned.

If there was one thing she would throttle Ron and Harry for when she meets them in the next life, it would be divulging that ridiculous nickname. "Methinks, our little bookworm believes she can Prank the Prankster's," Fred continued, before the twins fell onto each other in hysterics.

"Cunning, planning, skill," Hermione ticked off on the fingers of her right hand. "I'm amazed that the two of you have been able to manage it at all."

Fred and George's eyebrows lifted at her words. "Well, if it's so easy for the cleverest witch of our times, perhaps you would care to make a wager?"

Hermione considered George's words carefully, looking for a way to maneuver out of this situation. Before she could open her mouth, Molly Weasley, came out of the back door to where her children were standing.

"Ten days boys," the elder witch smiled at Hermione. "It's about time someone gave them a taste of their own medicine, dear," she added softly before turning to face Fred and George. "If in ten days, Hermione is able to successfully 'Prank the Prankster's,' Fred and George, you will arrange for Hermione to take a well deserved holiday. Ladies choice," she said with finality. "Hermione, if you do not succeed, you will volunteer your services as Fred and George's product tester for a month." Molly caught Hermione's look of horror. "What? I refuse to test those abominable products. And I'm tired of hearing Ginny complain. Besides, I have no doubt that you will win," she added with a wink, before turning back to her kitchen.

Leaving the young witches and wizards to themselves, Molly Weasley sank into a chair, allowing the weariness the war had brought on to surface. They had all lost so much to Voldemort; Harry and Ron, her husband Arthur. Molly's eyes smiled softly as she thought of her husband, who had lost his life the year before the final battle. Although she missed all of them terribly, she knew that their loss had also served to mend wounds.

As Molly's thoughts turned to her son Percy, she recalled the bittersweet joy that had come with his return to the Burrow. He had returned after a year with his new bride Penelope in tow. Though his love for rules and discipline had been misguided in following that old fool Cornelius, Molly was relieved that he had proven that he had not blindly followed a thirst for power to the dark side as some had believed.

When Percy and Penelope announced at Ron and Hermione's engagement party that they were expecting a child, Molly had stepped outside to smile up at the stars and her husband, knowing that he was smiling down on them. When Ron and Harry had fallen during the final battle, the same night that Penelope gave birth, Molly had cried. As the wizarding world rejoiced, she cursed; cursed Voldemort for marking Harry, Ron for following him, and Arthur, for not protecting them.

Not even the promise of her grandchild born as the dark cloud was lifted off the world could bring Molly out of her depression. For the first three months of her grandson's life, Molly had withdrawn herself from everyone around her. It wasn't until Hermione's mother, Elizabeth Granger, visited her in her dreams one night that she saw beyond those that she had lost, to those she had left to love. With a new charge, having been entrusted with the care of Hermione, Molly reclaimed her family.

It had been three years since Voldemort's defeat, and Molly had honored her promise. She kept a watchful eye over Hermione, concerned that the young witch was still deep in mourning, functioning only by immersing herself in work as an ambassador between the Ministry and a newly formed coalition for Magical Brethren. Her son's if nothing knew how to live life, Molly sincerely hoped that by engaging in this wager, the magic that kept her sons so full of life, despite the tragedies that befell their family, might bring back the girl that her youngest boy had loved so much.

"Arthur, Elizabeth, tell me I'm doing the right thing," Molly pleaded softly, as she pulled out the ingredients to prepare dinner for her family.

"Ginny," Hermione moaned. "What on earth was she thinking?"

Hermione dragged Ginny away from her brothers and Colin, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. Launching into a tirade as to how she absolutely refused to allow the twins to use her as a lab rat for their products, she turned to Ginny in exasperation. Growing impatient as the youngest Weasley stood before her laughing at her rant, Hermione was astounded when the young witch finally provided the one answer she herself had not come up with. "Well then win!"

Hermione fell silent as her thoughts wandered back to Hogwarts. An "insufferable know it all," that's what Ron had called her. She chuckled nervously as she remembered that at one point in time, expulsion was her greatest fear. How Ron and Harry had put up with her remained one of life's untold mysteries. Her idea of fun had always been curling up with a large tome, uncovering some new bit of knowledge to carefully file away in her memory. It had only been the influence of her best friends that had allowed her to see past rules and regulations, books and assignments, to live life. They had showed her that in order to truly live life, she had to have fun. She had to learn to laugh at herself, and her obsessive-compulsive tendencies. She had to learn to interpret a situation, and decipher which rules could be discarded. She had to learn to look beyond her knowledge, and see people, really see people. Ron had taught her that one.

She doubted he had ever even read the Introduction to Hogwarts: A History. He certainly was nowhere near the top of the class. Yet, he had a spark of life about him, and a passion that was more valuable than any knowledge that could be gained in a book that had drawn her to him. He in his simplicity had been the one that taught her the value of laughter and fun. But as she considered Ginny's charge, "to win," Hermione realized that all laughter and joy had left her life three years ago in a beam of blue light.

Hermione faced Ginny, with tears in her eyes. "I c-can't. I'm no good at this. Unless you can find me a book titled.'How to Prank a Prankster' I'm a hopeless cause."

Ginny's eyes softened as she looked at Hermione. "Who better to have as a research assistant, than the pranksters' apprentice." Ginny wiggled her eyebrows playfully as a grin spread across her face. "Do you think they came up with the charms for that swamp alone," Ginny scoffed as she hooked her arms in Hermione's.

"Now the secret of the successful prank," Ginny started, as if teaching a course at Hogwarts on the subject, "is very similar to the practice of Muggle Magic. We have to distract them over here," she said, waving her right hand, "so that they never see it coming from over here," she finished, producing a Sugar Quill in her left. "Of course, we are at a significant disadvantage here, as they know that it is coming within the next ten days, so we'll have to come up with a pretty significant distraction to pull this off," Ginny continued as she linked her arms back in Hermione's and headed back into the Burrow up to her old room to scheme with the older girl.