Being Assertive by WeasleyForMe

Could Hermione be the demanding, bossy, assertive woman of George's dreams?

Thanks to Grande.Vanilla.Skim.Latte for beta reading for me!

Fred and George Weasley were busy stocking the shelves in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes after the lunchtime rush had come and gone. Many of their shelves were now bare, and they pulled boxes of their products out of the stockroom to fill in the empty spots while a few customers milled around. It was often during these quiet afternoons they spent together that their conversations inevitably turned toward women.

Fred turned to his brother who was seated on the stool next to his own. "I've just had a revelation, Forge! I'll bet that girls would probably like me better if I didn't date all of them at the same time!" Fred exclaimed in awe, causing George to snicker behind his hand. "Don't you think? I mean, Angelina is mad that I went out with Alicia last weekend, and Alicia is mad that I took Katie to the movies. And I'm pretty sure that all of that contributed to Luna being pissed off at me." Fred stared off into space like a scholar who had uncovered the meaning of life. George just shook his head.

"Did it really take you twenty-three years to figure that one out, Gred?" George asked his twin, mockingly. "I always knew I was the smarter one."

Fred scowled at his brother. "Trust me; you can keep the title of 'smarter' as long as I remain 'better looking'."

George rolled his eyes. "Have you forgotten that we're twins?" he asked sarcastically. Fred merely harrumphed as he turned back to stocking the shelves.

Soon, Fred and George each became lost in thought about their respective dating patterns, pausing occasionally to wait on a stray customer.

After awhile, George picked up their conversation once more. "Hey, Fred, have you ever just wanted an assertive woman to come up to you and make demands?" George asked his brother.

Fred paused while he rearranged a shelf. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I suppose that I'm just tired of the same old 'damsel in distress' act that they always use. Wouldn't it be great if the girls were the ones who pursued us for once? You know, they could make the first move and ask us out," George said with a smile.

"You know what? I think you're on to something there," Fred returned with a smile. "There would be something distinctly sexy about having the girl calling all the shots."

"Right!" George agreed as he set down the Skiving Snackboxes he was holding. "For example, if a girl told me that she liked me and wanted me to date her, I don't think I'd be able to put up a fight."

"Unless she looked like a troll," Fred told his twin.

"Well, obviously," George agreed. "I'm not condoning dating a complete troll just because she assertive. But I don't see why the girls can't just come to us… it would make life much easier. In fact, a woman like that might even have me begging for her." Fred nodded in agreement as they returned to work.

A few minutes later, Hermione Granger came storming down Diagon Alley, her standard issue Ministry of Magic work robe billowing behind her. She had a frown plastered on her face as she had approached Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, rather upset that she had received eight complaints about the twins' store within the past week. They had apparently been performing loud experiments late into the evenings and were breaking the laws against noise pollution that the shopping district had in place. As the junior deputy of the Department of Business and Administration, it was her duty to see that Fred and George Weasley set a better example for store owners by adhering to the rules.

She paused at the front door and squared her shoulders. Yanking the door open, she strode inside and began to look for the twins. She spotted Fred behind the register as he serving a customer, but she didn't want to interrupt him. Walking further down an aisle, she saw George sitting on a stool, seemingly lost in thought. She resumed her purposeful march in his direction. "George Weasley," she called, announcing her arrival. "You'd better listen to me! I want you-" she began, but paused to clear her throat. She took a deep breath, deciding to start over. The twins had always made her a bit nervous, especially George.

George shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at the stunningly businesslike brunette like she'd just sprouted a blue mohawk. "Pardon me?" he asked her quietly, squinting slightly.

She squared her shoulders again and took a step closer to him, hoping he'd take her seriously if she seemed more imposing. "I said, George Weasley, I want you-" she told him, pausing when she stepped on an uneven tile, nearly losing her balance.

George reached out to steady the woman in front of him, and a smile began to spread across his face at his wonderful luck. He decided he rather liked the feeling of his hands on her shoulders and the way she was gaping up at him. Suddenly, Fred appeared from around the end of a shelf. "Hermione, did you just say you wanted George?" he asked, somewhat shocked at her words.

Hermione sputtered. "Yes, I was saying that I wanted George-" she said once again, but Fred cut her off.

"Forge! She's exactly like the assertive one you were talking about!" Fred exclaimed happily as he shared a bright smile with George.

"I know! I can barely believe this is happening," he replied.

Hermione's heart was pounding from George's close proximity, as she looked from George to Fred, completely bewildered by what they were saying. "You aren't listening to me. I came here to tell you that I want the two of you to shape up and start paying attention to the rules about the noise pollution curfew in Diagon Alley."

George dropped his hands to his side. "What are you talking about?"

"We are always quiet in the evenings, Hermione," Fred told her innocently.

Hermione rounded on Fred. "Don't think that I believe that for a second, Fred. I've had numerous complaints about loud explosions coming from your shop, some of them well after midnight. Now I want you to behave!" She crossed her arms smugly, awaiting a response.

The twins just gaped at her. "She's so bossy," Fred mumbled. He looked at his twin who appeared to be completely smitten by Hermione.

Hermione scoffed at them as she said, "If you think I'm being bossy now, just you wait until I get one more negative report from another business owner."

George had a crooked grin plastered on his face as he looked at the fuming woman lecturing them. "Hermione, have you ever tried to pull the 'damsel in distress' act?" he asked her.

"Don't be ridiculous, George. I'm completely capable of taking care of myself. I don't need to make myself appear to be helpless just to gain the attention of some idiotic male who wouldn't give me the time of day otherwise," she ranted. George's smile grew. "Now, don't you try to go and try to change the subject, George," she said as she pointed a finger up at him. "I want you to give me your word that you will conduct yourself in an appropriate manner."

George looked down at the finger she was lightly jabbing into his chest and took her hand in his. "Can I take you out to dinner?" he asked her as Fred walked away stifling his laughter.

"Pardon?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. She must have misheard him; he was a Weasley twin, and she was plain old Hermione.

"I want to take you out sometime," George told her in an almost pleading tone.

"Why?" she asked skeptically. "Are you trying to play a prank? Because I happen to have a lot of more important things to do today, and I don't have time to be shoved in the middle of some sort of prank."

"No, there's not prank," George assured her, but she was still glaring up at him. He grasped her hand tighter. "I only want to spend more time with you, because I just suddenly realized that you're the assertive woman that I've been dreaming of," he told her with a dreamy look on his face. Suddenly Fred burst into giggles in the next aisle, and Hermione pulled her hand out of George's.

"Well, I'm really quite busy with work, George, but I suppose I'll think about it," she told his as she backed away from him. George merely nodded happily as he watched her leave the store and hurry past the front window in the direction of the Ministry of Magic.

Fred reemerged next to his twin. "Sure, she's cute and assertive, but you looked like a bumbling fool! What's gotten into you?"

"She's amazing," George muttered quietly.

"No, she's bossy, and you're smitten," Fred informed his brother.

George knew that much was true, but he didn't mind. He was just hoping his bushy haired dream would agree to a date. He was finally pulled back to reality as a customer requested the location of the Fake Wands, but Hermione hung in the back of his mind for the rest of the day and into the evening. He made sure to make so extra loud explosions in their laboratory, hoping she'd return and lecture them further.

Something silly for you! I'm thinking about adding more to this one, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know! I hope you liked it! Please review!!