Fred ran through the hallways of the train, snickering loudly as his twin and his best friend, Lee Jordan, followed him. Shrieking girls sounded out behind them, while the three boys burst out laughing, running to their compartment.
"That was brilliant! I told you buying a pet tarantula was worth it," Lee said, as the Twins snorted.
"You might have credit for that mate," Fred stated.
"But we came up with the idea."
His twin finished. Fred sent a grin behind his shoulder, only to crash into a first-year midget. He stumbled, clutching onto the first-year who was already in robes. Fred's grip had caused the girl to more or less face plant his crotch.
"Ouf," he groaned out, his face puckering up as his ears turned red at the sudden pain. George made a surprised noise,
"Well that's awkward," George muttered. Fred quickly pushed away the offending kid away from him, earning a surprised yelp from the younger girl. Fred leaned on the side of the train, biting his lip and crouching slightly waiting for the pain to by-pass.
"I say! What in the world were you doing? Running around like immature fools!"
A bossy voice sounded out, making Fred squint his eyes open, looking at the unquestionably younger girl. Was she really telling off three third years?
"Get a load of this, Fred being told off by a dwarf," Lee muttered to George, who only snickered and watched what his brother would do. Fred straightened his long form out, raising an eyebrow at the shorter girl. Her hair was bushy, while her eyes were quite large with adolescence, a warm chocolate brown.
"Oh," was all he said, before smiling crookedly, seeing a toad hoping a little ways behind the girl. "Oooh," he exaggerated out, earning a curious stare from the girl. He kneeled down.
"I am truly… terribly… uttermost sorry Ms-"
"Granger," she provided, looking at him in suspicion, pink tinging her cheeks.
"Ah, Ms. Granger. I usually don't run so… 'immature' like, but you see…" he started, while she stared right at his face, his hands were grabbing for the toad that finally came into reach.
"There was a great commotion in the back; these girls were in terrible need for comfort, and me, my brother and Lee" he motioned to the other third years behind him, who sniggered at his 'story' "Being the gentlemen we were, brought them a gift to cheer them up. Since it brought them screaming for joy, we were running with happiness that we had fulfilled our duty…"
His eyes twinkled in mirth as he looked at her, "Would you like to receive a similar gift?"
She stood there, her eyebrow raised as her arms were crossed over her chest. It was obvious she didn't buy anything he had just said.
"Thank you for the offer, but I think better off," she stated, about to dramatically pivot away, only for Fred to grab her small hand.
"Just hear me out Granger…"
He smirked as he brought up his other hand and put it on top of her hand, the toad squirming between his hands and hers. Her eyes widened in surprise as he released his grasp, to show Hermione the gross, slimy, croaking green toad.
Fred was about to share a good laugh with his boys until the girl smiled brightly, her slightly over-sized front teeth showing.
"You found Trevor! Oh, Neville will be so happy…" she rambled on, while Fred sputtered, George and Lee hollered with laughter at the reaction. Fred's plan had gone down the drain. Her cherub face turned up slightly to look at the older teen, her cheeks tinging pink.
"Thankyou," she stuttered out quickly, before turning and fast walking back to her compartment to show Neville his toad, because she wasn't about to run like a daft child. Fred slumped his shoulders, looking at the retreating girls back.
"Well, that could've gone better," he muttered, standing up again. George clapped his shoulder, still snickering, his face turning pink in order to keep his guffaws in.
"I think you just became her knight in shining armor, brother," George snickered out. Lee chortled in the background,
"At least she has time to grow into those teeth, mate. Who knows, she might become quite the bird… give her a few years," the boy laughed, as Fred rolled his eyes.
"Har-har, I just love first-year girls face-planting me in the goolies and then fawning over me," he sighed dreamily. The boys elbowed each other and started another round of laughing, finally making it to their compartment.
Fred leaned on his hand as he watched the first-years walk into the great hall; his youngest brother was easy to spot out with his flaming red-colored hair. Next to him walked Harry Potter, perhaps their brother wasn't as daft as they thought, making friends with the new 'celebrity' of the school. A few steps behind them was Hermione Granger, her nose in the air in a snobbish way, while a porky kid talked animatedly beside her, holding the toad. She smiled kindly to him, and answered back to all his questions.
Soon they made it to the front of the hall. After the sorting hat sang its song, they began to call the first-years in alphabetical order. He and his twin whooped and hollered every time a kid was sorted into Gryffindor, trying to outdo the entire table in their cheers.
"Granger, Hermione."
Fred held in his snicker as the overly excited girl made her way to the hat, putting it onto her head without assistances. Everyone looked in anticipating, each house wanting more students than the others. It was quite a long time, Fred figured, longer than usual. Finally, after a bit of thinking, the Hat shouted out 'Gryffindor'. Most of the table stood up, clapping and cheering encouragingly, including the twins.
The twin couldn't help but smirk as the glowing first-year strutted to the table. She sat next to Percy, who was about to formally greet her, only to have the twins lean over the table and introduce themselves.
"I'm Fred,"
"And I'm George,"
"Remember us from the train?"
They asked with identical smiles on their faces. Hermione seemed to look at both of them, as if studying their faces, before smiling at them, and nodding, her cheeks once again pink. They both grinned,
"Welcome to Gryffindor," they both said together, holding out their hands. Hermione blinked, before shaking both their hands.
"Pleasure," she said, looking to Fred, her eyebrow rose, trying to be older than she was, "So you're the one that told Ronald that we had to fight trolls?"
Fred flashed her a toothy smile, "Oh, that comes later-" he couldn't finish before Percy shooed him off, in order to greet her properly as a Prefect of the house. The other house members came up to greet her as well.
The ceremony continued on, the twins going crazy as the famous Potter was sorted into Gryffindor's house. After Dumbledore's small speech and warning, they continued onto the feast, rowdy chit-chat happening between the Gryffindor's. Hermione mostly talked to Percy and Neville, the first irking Fred a bit, but he was busy poking fun at Ron and talking with Harry to notice to much.
Fred noticed the next few weeks that Hermione seemed to trail his younger brother and Harry Potter. He even caught her a few times trailing him, running into him a few times to many. She often would just ask him things first-years usually asked, such as 'Where is so and so located'.
He never minded it much, until after she caught onto their pranking habits (didn't take her long either). After that, she started trailing the twins more fiercely; trying to talk them out of any prank or other shenanigans they were trying to pull. It seemed that Fred needed to do something about it…
As he, George and Lee walked down one of the outside corridors, they happened to see a group of first-years taking their first flying lesson. Harry seemed absent, but Ron and Hermione were in the group. The younger groups were sitting on their broom sticks, flying easily around.
"Seems like know-it-all Granger doesn't know how to ride a broom properly," George commented, snickering slightly.
Hermione was white-knuckled, unsteadily floating a few meters in the air, not taking any daring moves unlike most of the students. She was jerky with her movements, and every time she would move, her eyes would bug out comically.
Fred chuckled lightly, shaking his head, "Suppose she won't be trying out for Quidditch?"
"Not unless you are attempting to befuddle the other team on how bad she is," Lee commented, earning a laugh from the twins.
The red-head twin sauntered down the halls, humming an upbeat song, only a few more bathrooms to go and then he could go pig out with his brother. He walked into the girl's bathroom without a care, everyone should be gathering around in the great hall anyways for the Halloween feast. He stopped though when he heard quiet sobbing. He groaned internally, about to turn around before he thought it sounded quite familiar. Dragging his hand down his face, he turned around, looking through the bathroom stalls. Crouching down, he saw a pair of feet, dangling a bit off the ground in the third stall. Getting back up he wandered to the stall.
"Granger? Is that you?"
There was a startled gasp, a few sniffs to hold in her snot and tears. There was a pregnant pause, before her quavering voice finally broke through.
"W-What are you doing in a… a girls bathroom," she obviously was trying to put on a brave face, a true Gryffindor act. He smiled lightly,
"Nothing particular, just trying to find the best loo to use. Ya' know, my bum's quite sensitive, I can't just plop it down on just any toilet."
He leaned his head against the door, rolling his eyes as he heard a watery giggle.
"Don't tell me you have the same problem? May-haps we can go loo-testing together," he added, a short laugh echoed through the bathroom, before she muffled herself. He grabbed his wand up, swishing it in almost a lazy manor, quietly saying 'alohamora' as the latch opened up. He opened the door widely to find the girl shocked he opened the door. She was sitting on the toilet seat, her eyes and cheeks red from dried tears, her eyes in fact still watery.
"Y-You can't just barge in!"
She reprimanded, earning a raised eyebrow from Fred.
"Oh, sorry Granger… let me try this again…"
He closed the door once again, repeating three sharp knocks.
"Fred Weasley here for one so-called bookworm," he called out, pushing the door open dramatically again. Hermione seemed to smile lightly at his antics, before biting her lip and letting a small sob out. Fred sighed, crouching down.
"Are you ready to come out now, Hermione?"
He asked, looking up at her,
"There's a lot of food waiting to be consumed down at the hall…"
She looked down, her eyes gleaming over in some fresh tears.
"I-It's not like anyone will really notice I'm there, really," she said a bit sullenly. Fred bit his lip, realizing someone had probably bullied her. It wasn't unknown that Hermione seemed like the 'odd' one out in Gryffindor. Everyone had been whispering how she was better fit for Ravenclaw. He saw how she never really hanged out with anyone besides Neville, who was also sometimes picked on, that and Harry and Ron who she followed around.
"Oh, rubbish! Of course everyone will notice you're not there, who else is going to tell them to eat with their mouth closed?"
He teased, tapping her knee lightly with his fist, a friendly gesture. Hermione's cheeks turned red at the gesture, pursing her lips together.
"That only annoys them… that's what they all think; I'm an annoying, know-it-all…"
"Is that what they said?"
She nodded, her lower lip trembling slightly, signifying another sob about to come on.
"Well… because you are one."
He said quite blatantly, earning a surprised wide-eye stare from her. Tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes, dripping down.
"Now hold on, I wasn't finished. You need to take pride of your status Granger! Because you are a know-it-all, you know more things than most people do. The people who act like that's a bad thing, then tell them to shove-off and then leave them with a fact that only you would know," he said, puffing his chest out.
"Everyone's annoying, you see. Me and Georgie are annoying with our pranks, ickle Ronnie's an annoying little brother … Annoying is just another thing people come up because they don't enjoy who you are, but you don't have to listen to them, got it?"
He said with a final grin. She stared at him for a good moment, making him shift awkwardly on his feet. She burst out crying again, and Fred leaned back surprised, that was not what he was expecting.
"The desired affect was for you to stop cr-" he was interrupted mid-way, when she flung her small form to his lanky one, clutching around his neck in a choking hug. She sputtered out thank you's, crying into his chest. Fred awkwardly patted her back, his grin turning sheepish.
"No one has ever put it in a way like that," she blubbered out, "I know being smart is a good thing, but I just figured a know-it-all was always a bad thing…"
"Because Gryffindor is surrounded more by brawns than brains, love. Besides yours truly, of course, who has the pleasure of being both," he mocked, earning a watery laugh. He patted her back one more time before she finally pried herself off and sat back on the toilet seat, wiping her face off of tears.
"Now, are you ready to go get some grub?"
He said cheerfully, oddly proud of being able to cheer a crying girl up, a feat he had never accomplished before. She smiled her face still blotchy from all the crying and rubbing.
"I… I think I'm going to compose myself, I don't want to go in there like I've been crying for hours," she bit out, still smiling lightly and looking to the floor again. Fred laughed, standing up,
"Fine, fine," he said, winking at her, "I know you were just loo-testing anyways."
She smiled thankfully up to him, getting his undertone. He wasn't going to tell a soul about this encounter. He gave a little wave, before closing the door to the bathroom, and making his way up to the feasting hall. He would have to get Ginny a toilet seat later.
He had been the first to react when Quirrel came rushing in, with his warning of a troll. Fred pushed out of the crowd, determined to get to the bathroom Hermione was in, seeing as she still wasn't there. A hand clamped on his shoulder, halting his break-away.
"I know you and George are fond of finding trouble, but don't think I'm going to let you snoop away under my watch. I thought you would understand the seriousness of this?"
A snobby voice sounded. Fred groaned as he faced his older brother, who didn't even bother to get an answer before swirling away to guide the house, keeping a watchful eye out for him. He couldn't escape with Percy breathing down his neck; didn't he have first-years he should be looking after? He then caught sight of Harry and his little brother Ron making their grand escape, he smirked lightly.
Better not mess up Ronnikins, or you will be facing much worse than a room full of spiders.
News travelled fast in the school, that Hermione Granger had went and deliberately looked for the troll to fight it. Obviously Fred knew this wasn't true, but he figured it was some kind of cover for Harry and Ron.
In all the other houses, it was deemed 'stupid' and 'foolish' a first-year thought they could take on a troll. Gryffindor, with its brave induced members, found it daring and extremely Gryffindor-ish. This earned for a set of cheers for the three first-years, who had gained a few more points for the house also.
Everyone (Except people like Percy, Percy was a special case) congratulated the three, giving them high-fives and asking them what happened. Hermione's face glowed with joy, even if she had to lie; she was finally being recognized as a true Gryffindor.
She sat happily next to Harry and Ron, as they talked and laughed. It seemed this had somewhat bonded the three. Fred sauntered up to them, George right behind him, Ron's eyes going bugged eyed at his older brothers.
"I wasn't being serious about the troll," he grinned crookedly, "But now that you have successfully took on a troll, I guess we have no choice-"
"But to put up with you," George finished, hands on hip. Fred through a wink to Hermione, who blushed lightly, knowing he knew that it was a lie. Ron smiled giddily up to his brothers, as if he knew something they didn't (Which he did, except in Fred's case).
The first game of the season had finally come. Fred always enjoyed Quidditch, not only did it let him beat things around, but he also got to let out energy he didn't use one pranks. He flew in the air, circling the stands, lifting his bat up earning some cheers from the stands. Flying by one of the Gryffindor stands, he spotted Hermione in the front with Hagrid and Ron. He sent them a grin and wave, which Hermione returned cheerfully, calling out loudly with encouragement.
His twin soon joined his side, and they circled the hoops and a few stands, doing a few tricks for the crowd. They soon joined the rest of their team, listening to Madam Hooches words.
After the game, Hermione and Ron had come running down to the Quidditch locker rooms, rushing to see if Harry was alright. Fred eyed the trio curiously as they murmured things quietly to one another, before Oliver came in, cheering with George and Angelina about the win over Slytherin. Fred joined, raising his arm up.
He felt a tug on his robes, and looked to his right to see Hermione standing next to him. She shifted on her feet.
"G-Good…" she cleared her voice, trying to look nonchalant, "Good game," she quickly said, her neck turning a bit red as she hurried off to catch up with Ron and Harry, the later who was being carried off on the shoulders of Oliver to the common room. Fred smirked at her font, before George elbowed him, snickering.
"I see she still has it in for her 'Frog-Prince'," George snickered out, while Fred elbowed him playfully in the ribs.
"Don't be jealous because you don't have eleven year old girls fawning over you," he snickered out, the two sharing a laugh together.
"Now," George started,
"Off to the kitchens," Fred finished, as they ran to get celebrating food.
The term passed by without a hitch for Fred, who goofed around with his friends and was running around from teachers. Currently, he was running from Mr. Flich, whose toilet 'happened' to explode when he sat on it. Other than that, Ginny was going to receive her toilet seat soon.
It was almost Christmas break, though that didn't matter for Fred, the Weasley children had gotten a letter from their Mum. Apparently their parents were going to visit Charlie, leaving the kids who were at Hogwarts to stay in the school over the break. Not that Fred minded much, it gave him and George time to plan pranks and gang up with Peeves against Mr. Flich.
He snickered as he ran down the hall; he and his brother had split up during the chase. He skidded around the corner, into the library, instantly quieting his steps and breathing. He wandered around the library, hiding himself in case Mr. Flich was following him, until he saw Hermione, thumbing through books.
"Don't you have a train to be on soon?"
Fred asked quietly, sliding onto a chair that was located near the girl. She jumped at the sound of his voice, turning around with wide-eyes. He only grinned at her reaction.
"You could've given me a heart attack," she commented, gripping her chest area. Fred rolled his eyes at the dramatics,
"You're not that old, maybe mentally," he poked, earning a small glare from her, before she turned around and started her perilous search for whatever reading material she was after.
"Don't tell me you've already read the whole library and can't find a good book," he teased once again when she didn't talk for a while. She gave him a sharp stare in return, which he tried to retain from laughing at. Something about a small girl giving you a glare fit for a mother was quite entertaining.
"No. I'm looking for something for Harry," she stated in a matter of fact tone. Fred placed his elbows on his knees, holding his chin in his hands.
"Hmm, tell me more," he wasn't that interested, probably something for homework or other than that. It was odd though Hermione hadn't found whatever it was yet. She turned around completely to face him, before her gaze shifted around, as to make sure no one listened in.
He raised an eyebrow at her antics, eyeing her as she leaned towards him slightly.
"We need to find out about a certain person. Nicolas Famel to be specific," her tone still serious. Fred raised an eyebrow, the name held some familiarity to him.
"Hm, and you looked everywhere?"
He questioned which she nodded eagerly. "I've been searching for it well over a month."
Scratching his chin, he smirked lightly.
"You searched… everywhere?"
He asked, smirking deviously, while Hermione stared at him curiously. He watched as the gears turned in her head, her eyes widening once again.
"The restricted section! Of cours-" she was quickly shushed by Fred, who was holding in his chuckles.
"No need to shout it out to everyone," he stated. She turned a fine shade of red at the comment, before adjusting her scarf.
"I need to tell Harry… I won't have time to lo-"
"You're actually considering breaking the rules?" he questioned, his eyes filled with mischievous cause. Hermione looked taken aback by his comment, like she had almost forgotten he was there.
"I… Well sometimes the right things need to be done, and that will always stand over the rules." She affirmed, nodding at her statement. Fred covered his mouth to not let out his laugh, while she stared coldly at him.
"Don't laugh at me!"
He simply smiled at her, which seemed to irritate her more. There was an awkward silence as they stared down each other, before Hermione huffed and turned on her heel.
"Well, if that's all I'll be leaving."
"Hermione wait," he called out, standing up and following her. She paused under an arch, staring up at him.
"Yes?"
He chuckled at her pointedly manner.
"Merry Christmas," he simply said, she was about to reply when she caught something over his head, making her blush tomato red.
"I-I..I…" she lost her words, as Fred looked up, to see a stray strand of mistletoe. He smirked coyly, before leaning down in front of Hermione.
"You know what this means, right?"
She cringed, her cheeks heating up even more.
"W-we don-"
Fred gasped, "Don't tell me, you think I'm not good enough?" He feigned a hurt expression; Hermione seemed to stumble over her words even more.
"N-No that's not-"
"Then come on, no need to be shy," he commented, purposely licking his lips till they had a slobber quality to them, then puckering up exaggeratedly towards her. The girl stiffened, leaning back in repulsion. Fred opened his eyes, wondering if she ran away, until her small hand clutched his chin, forcibly turning his head. He watched as she leaned in, her eyes clamped shut as she pecked his cheek lightly. She shyly pulled away as quick as she could, while Fred leaned up, grinning down at her.
"Well that wasn't so hard was it?"
Hermione blushed hotly, before turning away and stomping away,
"Have a nice holiday Fred," she spoke in a rushed tone, quickly making her retreat as Fred watched her back, chuckling lightly.
Fred and George laughed loudly as they recalled all the things they had done over break. Mr. Quirrel's reaction to the snowballs hitting him had to be one of the top moments. They continued to talk among each other, as they moved through the bustling corridors.
Students who had left the campus for break were finally back. He smirked lightly as he saw Hermione huddled together with Neville, most likely talking about what they did for break. Chocolate-brown eyes met his for a moment, while she offered a small wave, a blush forming on her cheeks.
Fred nodded towards her in greetings, before him and his brother continued to trek through the halls. They were about to turn when a shrill 'Leave him alone!' echoed through the hall. Fred and George instantly turned their heads, both narrowing their eyes as they saw a group of older Slytherin boys, attempting to bully Neville, which meant Hermione was caught in the middle.
"Oh, if it isn't your bushy-haired freak of a girlfriend, Bottoms," they teased, Neville as biting his lip hard from his place on the ground, where one of them had shoved him. His fist clenched in anger, but tears gathering in his eyes to show his weakness.
Hermione stood unmoving in front of the older boys, "Says the one who need to gang up on one person," she snapped back. The empty was mostly containing a few wandering Slytherins and Ravenclaws. The Slytherin boy shook, glaring at the girl.
"Says the mu-"
Fred's feet were moving before he could watch any further, grabbing the boy, who was in his year, by the collar.
"I wouldn't finish that sentence, mate."
He grinned, though it only hid his true feelings for this cockroach. The boy seemed to be shocked at the sight of the twin, and George had moved towards the group to, helping Neville up, looking just as menacingly as Fred.
"Now, before we sack you in the face," Fred cheerily said out,
"It would be better for you to leave,"
"And never let this happen again," They finished together. Fred pushed the boy back into his friends, who caught him, shock written in their faces. After a minutes thought, they scoffed and turned their heels, walking back.
"Not even worth our time," the all agreed to. Fred narrowed his eyes, before smirking at George. He lifted his wand up and cast a spell onto the boy who talked, and he started yodeling uncontrollably. The twins and the first-years laughed, Hermione trying to muffle her giggles at the yodeling Slytherin. Neville looked to the boys, obviously intimidated.
"T-Thank you, they've been at it all day now," he commented, scratching his head sheepishly. The twins synchronized a 'Not a problem' back at him.
"We owe you one, thank you," Hermione pitched in, while earning a raised eyebrow from both twins.
"Don't know if you want to do that Granger," George sniggered out, Fred nodding in agreement. Hermione rolled her eyes at their behavior, before grabbing Neville's sleeve.
"We need to find Harry and Ron," she stated, giving the twins one last glance.
"George, Fred," she said, looking to each boy, a small blush on her face as she looked to Fred, before she scampered off.
"I don't think our actions helped her infatuation, Freddie," George commented. Fred smirked,
"I find it… endearing," they shared a good laugh, before planning on other pranks they could play on the Slytherin house.
He and his twin shared a glance as the young Hermione Granger lectured them about not playing pranks.
"Hermione, as much as we enjoy this little chat,"
"We've got things to do, so if it's alright-"
"Or not alright," George cut in once again.
"We will be on our way," Fred completed, standing up along with his brother. Hermione put her hand on her hip.
"You must not play pranks; it could be potentially dangerous to other students!"
She insisted, her face square with determination. The Weasley twins sighed simultaneously.
"But look at how happy everyone is," George commented, "Everyone laughs,"
"Even usually the victims laugh… in the future,"
"The far future."
Hermione pursed her lips at their talking, how they seemed to be perfectly in synch with one another.
"You know what Gred?"
George smirked deviously, Fred's face mirror his.
"I think I do know what, Forge."
The first-years wide-eyes squinted at their behavior, could they read each other's mind or something? Was that a twin thing? Fred held in a laugh at her expression. The twins stepped towards her together, each one grabbing her arm and hoisting her up earning a yelp of protest from the girl.
"What… What are you two doing? Put me down immediately! I will not be… be man-handled like a broom-stick!"
She squealed out, her feet kicking, but she was no match for the two over-grown twins. They both looked at each other before cracking grins.
"Oh, talking about broom-sticks," George started.
"Why don't we go for a ride," the twins swaggered through the halls, still clutching Hermione off the ground. People gave them curious glances, some cracking out in stifled laughs at the red-faced first year, whose shrill voice was screaming to be put down.
They made it out to the field, going over to the quidditch shed, where the broom sticks and other items were being held. It didn't take long for George to break into it, while Fred restrained the still fighting Hermione. She had spirit, he'd give her that.
Still holding Granger with one arm, he commanded his broom up with his other hand. Once it was floating, he got on it, situating the girl in front of him, who was desperate to escape. Looking to George who was on his broom already, with another in his hand, they both nodded, before kicking off. He flew straight in the air, going a few hundred meters up.
Fred grinned widely as Hermione shrieked like a banshee, all while gripping the broom tightly and leaning back into him.
"Right below you Fred," George called out from underneath him. He forcibly pried her off of the broom, which made her whimper.
"Don't worry, Hermione, we won't let you get hurt… Just a bit scared," he said calmly, a wide grin plastered on his face. She turned to look at him shocked,
"Wha-" before she could comprehend, she was thrown of her broom. She screamed, flying mid-air, before George caught her by her robes and lowered her onto a broom that was waiting for her.
"Bloody hell, do you have banshee blood in your family?"
He asked teasingly, as Fred came swooping in, on the other side of Hermione. She went tight-lipped and wide-eyed, her hands gripping her broom stick, which wobbled at her wavering control.
"Need to loosen up, love," George commented, "Or your broom will lose control."
Her head whipped around to stare at him, that was probably not the most encouraging thing to hear. George merely grinned at her, before leaning back to get a look at his twin.
"Ready Fred?"
"Ready George."
He answered, before reaching over and grabbing the top of Hermione's broom-stick. With that he raced off, Hermione being forcibly lead by him. He suddenly whipped her forward, towards Hogwarts castle. She went white face as a tower came into view, but George came in time to give her another push in another direction, which only seemed to push her forward into more towers and obstacle's.
Fred and George continued to zoom around Hermione, constantly coming down on her to make sure she avoided obstacles, while she was looking white as a ghost. The twins were overly amused at her face.
Finally, after facing the obstacle of Towers and poles, Fred hovered over Hermione, gripping her robes and pulling her up to his broom once again, while George grabbed her broom and flew back to the sheds. Fred was a bit slower, enjoying the moment in the air.
"Now, what lesson have you learned?"
The twin asked teasingly, Hermione kept her stiff back, her head shaking as she turned to glance at him.
"L-Lesson? T-There was no-no lesson!"
She finally spoke, while Fred tsk'ed.
"There is always a lesson, you should know."
Her wide-brown eyes only stared at him, slightly confused. He smirked,
"I, the great Fred, will open your eyes. Me and George forced you to do something we do, correct? Ride brooms and all that crazy stuff. You try to force us to follow rules… get it now?"
Her eyes widened even further at the realization, before her head whipped forward again, Fred sputtering slightly when her hair came into contact with his mouth. They finally landed smoothly, Fred jumped off first, helping the jelly-legged girl onto the ground again. George took the brooms back to the shed, locking it back up, as he looked to the girl then to Fred.
"Well, should we be off? We are already… delayed," he commented slyly, while Fred smirked.
"Don't want to keep our vic- I mean friends waiting," Fred added, chuckling, before heading off to the castle, casting one last glance at the shaken girl, who was staring right back at him. She seemed deep in thought, but a bit more understanding. She caught his eye, and immediately turned a shade of pink before stumbling off to the castle.
"That should get her off our backs for a bit. I swear she's like a miniature McGonagall," George muttered, shaking his head and laughing at the thought.
Fred relaxed in the common room, snickering at George's attempts to 'woo' some seventh year witches. They obviously were not giving the prankster the time of day, but he managed to get a few laughs out of them.
The portrait door suddenly creaked open, the 'famous' first-year trio trudging in. Hermione seemed to patting Harry's back, offering a few comforting words, while Neville was white-faced.
"A little late for a stroll, ain't it?"
Fred called out to them, raising an eyebrow. The three turned their heads to the Weasley.
"We just got done serving detention with Hagrid," Hermione stated, her head tilting up to give her that prudish atmosphere.
"The worst part is that stupid prat Malfoy was there," Harry continued, the two other first-years nodding.
"W-Well, I guess the worst part is whatever Harry saw," Neville admitted, his head down, not used to speaking up. Hermione patted his back, smiling at him encouragingly.
Fred chuckled at the three, "Oh, detention? Never imagined a certain someone-"cue a glance at Hermione, who's cheeks turned red, "-would land a detention. Me thinks I'm rubbing off on you a bit, yeah?"
Hermione puffed her cheeks out slightly, looking away. "It was for a good cause."
Fred smirked, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, of course, know-it-all Granger would never do anything bad," he snickered, earning a glare from Hermione, but he could tell it wasn't a meaningful one. Harry looked back and forth at them, witnessing the exchange.
Neville yawned, covering his mouth.
"Well… If it doesn't matter to you… I think I-I'm going to go head up to the dorm. See ya later Harry, Hermione," the shy boy said, before waddling up the steps to the boy's dorm. Harry and Hermione bide their goodnights, before tracking down Ron. Fred watched as the trio formed, talking together in hushed whispers and urgent replies and questions. Finally Ron seemed to get his fill, and called out his retirement to his dorm. Harry soon followed his lead.
"I think I am too. Sorry Hermione, I'll have to study with you tomorrow," he commented, looking to the girl. She only sent him an understanding smile.
"I'll be here if you need anything, okay?"
She said in a very motherly way, and he flashed a smile before following Ron up to their dormitories. Hermione sighed, looking up at them, before turning around, looking around. Fred grinned widely as her eyes passed him, making her huff and look away quickly.
After observing the room, she made her way to him and the mostly empty couch.
"May I study here?"
She inquired, seeing as there was no other space to sit. Fred nodded, scooting over on the couch and allowed her room to sit. The small girl plopped furthest from him, the couch engulfing her form.
"So… detention?"
Fred voiced out, raising an eyebrow towards her. She had just opened a book, which was almost as wide as her, when she looked up at the twin in question.
"Malfoy found us past curfew in the halls," she stated, not giving him another look. He rolled his eyes, leaning back on the couch.
"Oh, that sounds so unbelievably… ordinary," Fred pointed out, closing his eyes. They snapped open when a small giggle left the girl, his light brown eyes looking towards her.
"Is there something more to the story?"
Hermione's eyes widened, realizing her mistake.
"Of course not, why would you think that," she said a bit too fast. Fred scooted over, getting closer to her.
"You're a terrible liar, Hermione. I think you have something interesting to tell Ol' Freddie," he joked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Hermione shook her head, her mouth clamped close as she continued to read.
"Really, it's nothing, we were just… enjoying the view on the roof, " she stated, snapping her book close and standing up, looking down at the older boy, her face still flushed slightly.
"Have a goodnight," she snapped, before turning on her heel and heading to the dorms.
"When you decide to tell me what you have been up to, feel free to find me," he stated, smirking lightly.
Fred had been sneaking out, gathering some food for George and Lee, and himself of course, when he saw Professor McGonagall leading Hermione and Ron to the Gryffindor tower. She was talking to them in hushed tones, though it was clear she was more fretting in worry and relief than scolding them. Fred followed behind them quietly, wondering what had happen. Both kids looked quite shaken, Hermione looking up to the Head of the House.
"Is Harry going to be alright?"
Her eyes wide with worry. McGonagall sighed, clutching Hermione's shoulder in order for some sort of physical contact.
"He is, he is in good hands, Ms. Granger. No need to worry," McGonagall mouth formed one of her rare smiles to the younger girl, who nodded, believing the teacher fully. Hermione bumped into Ron as a friendly gesture, he lifted his downcast head, looking to the girl. She whispered a few words to him, which had him smiling lightly, while he whispered a few things.
"You were really brave, really Ronald."
With that comment, Ron's ears turned a mad red, while he glanced away, a shy smile breaking through at the compliment. Fred arched his brow, wondering what exactly happened to the three, and what happened to Harry?
After McGonagall left them in front of the portrait, they entered immediately. Fred baited his time, waiting for the professor to make her way out of sight, before entering the portrait door was well. The common room was completely empty, save for Hermione and Ron, who were chatting in front of the fire. They both were curled up, looking every bit their young age, but the tense atmosphere showed they were involved in a deep conversation.
Then they would break into small laughs, acting like kids again. Fred watched them for a moment, before Ron let out an obnoxious yawn, causing Hermione to roll her eyes. Ron bide Hermione an awkward goodnight, before meandering back up to his dorm.
Fred saw Hermione get up as well, though she hesitantly looked between each staircase.
"Already confused? It's not like it's almost be a whole year or anything,"
Fred teased, coming up behind her. She jumped up in the air hysterically, her head whipping around. Her wide dark eyes took the sight of him, while Fred only smirked in response.
"Fred?"
She asked, probably making sure she didn't confuse him with George. Fred snickered, bowing dramatically, only to drop a few tarts.
"The one and only," he stated, before cursing under his breath at the dropped goods. He quickly crouched down, languidly picking them up and dusting them off. 'Lee and Georgie can eat these ones' he muttered.
Hermione fully turned to face him, shifting on her feet. She cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the Weasley Twin.
"Was there something ya' needed, Hermione?"
He asked, looking at her, while she nodded.
"Remember how you said… Well before you said that when I was ready to tell you everything," she trailed off, fidgeting with her skirt. Fred smiled lightly,
"Well of course I do, I wouldn't miss anything to find out what a bookworm like you does behind closed curtains," he joked, winking at her. She huffed, but smiled good-naturedly. Fred stood up, rocking on his heels before motioning to a couch near the fire place, that was still emitting a warm glow. She silently walked over, sitting down in a very lady-like way, while Fred jumped over the back, making her bounce up slightly. He snickered, before offering her a snack.
Hesitantly, she took one, plopping it in her mouth, chewing and swallowing before continuing.
"Well… you see…" She trailed off. Telling him the story of the three-headed dog, obviously named Fluffy, because that is what one named scary objects. Fred had laughed at that part, adding his own few comments, before she continued. She told them how they suspected Snape, and the dragon named Norbert, and how she charmed Hagrid into talking about faculty matters. The twin added a 'Maybe the simple, cute and-or stupid names make them seem more harmless' when the second thing was named. She told them about Nicolas Famel, and about the Philosopher's stone. The task the trio had gone through, the devil snare, the chess board (He couldn't help but be a little proud of his little brother), and the potions. Finally her story came to an end, and he would be honest, he was a bit flabbergasted at the intensity.
A troupe of first-years had done all this? He thought his first year was memorable. He stared at her for a few minutes, making her snap at him.
"What?" She demanded, crossing her arms. He only grinned. Maybe he had underestimated this first-year.
"You're quite the trouble-maker yourself you know? Deliberately going and looking for something the Headmaster forbade, tsk tsk Granger. I have to say, I'm impressed," he chuckled as she reddened.
"I-I only did it because it was right!"
She finalized, only making Fred laugh a bit louder.
"Oh, of course, if the Goody-two shoes does it, it must be right," he prodded; making her slunk deeper into the cushions, looking away.
"It was!"
"I believe you fully… I feel the same way, I mean; Filch obviously deserved a pastry to the face during breakfast. Did you see the stink-eye he was giving me?!"
Hermione tried to look at him seriously, before bursting out in a contained giggle. She gave him a slight shove, that didn't affect him much.
"That's not the same," she retaliated, shaking her head with an obvious smile on her face.
Fred smiled lightly, cozying into couch, staring absentmindedly at the ambers, still sparking with life. They continued to chat a bit, sometimes falling into silences. In between Fred talking about his first-year and Hermione about her parents, they both had dozed off on the couch; Fred sprawled out, taking much of the couch space, while Hermione was curled into a ball, as if to minimize her size.
"Fred"
A shake.
"Fred! Wake up!"
The voice hissed, Fred only moaned, moving only slightly before falling back into his slumber.
"For the love of," the muttered voice said, before Fred was flipped onto the rug on the floor below him. He let out a surprised yelp, his hazel eyes opening on impact. The Weasley lifted up slightly, looking around in confusion.
"George?"
He asked, taking another glance around. It was dark in the common room, the fire had flickered out, and it was quite cold. He let out a noise of discomfort as his back cracked.
"I'm starting to really think you have a thing for the bookworm," George commented, gripping Fred's hand and pulling him up. Fred scoffed, before looking back to the couch, where Hermione's form was still curled up.
"She's more like a Ginny, ya know?"
"She's nothing like Gin," George snickered out, while Fred rolled his eyes.
"The little part, and the girl part,"
"So every young girl is now Ginny?"
Fred let out a short laugh, punching his twins shoulder,
"Shut it, you know what I mean..."
They were silent for a minute, Fred thought about waking the girl up so she could go up to her dorm.
"… While that might be excusable, I'm not going to forgive you about the snacks. Lee and I were waiting for a good few hours. Turns out you pigged out without us, that's unforgivable, mate" George accused playfully.
"We could've starved," he added, while Fred sniggered.
"Oh, yes, got to feed the baby birds their worms or they just might die," Fred teased back, before shuffling to Hermione, shaking her. She woke up without too much effort, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"You need to go back up to your room, Granger," he said, and she just mutely nodded. She got up and ambled up the stairs to her dorms, looking more like a zombie than a girl. Fred grabbed a few smashed baked goods, revealing them to George.
"Look, I found your favorite, smashed pumpkin pasties. I didn't even realize I've been keeping them warm under my bum!"
Hermione and Ron seemed glued to each other's side, talking only to Neville occasionally. When Harry finally woke up from his unconscious state, the three were stuck like a welsh-flea on a hippogriff.
Fred was busy with George and Lee; they had a lot of pranks to plan for the end of the year. They liked to leave the school with a bang.
The two of them hardly spoke alone since that night on the couch, and when they did happen upon each other, it was when their friends were with them, so they rarely talked one on one. Finally, after the pranks and the final week of the exams, it was time to go home.
Fred stepped off the Hogwarts express, grinning ear to ear in the thought of summer. He saw his mother and Ginny a little down the platform. He elbowed his twin, who nodded as well, about to walk towards them, only to have a hand tug on his sleeve. He arched his brows, looking behind him, he found a little bushy-haired girl.
"Hermione?"
He questioned, raising an eyebrow, looking back to his twin, shrugging his shoulders at his questioning stare. George rolled his eyes and continued down the platform. Fred turned to Hermione fully, which she stepped back and stuck her nose in the air.
"This is my street address, and if you want to send it through norma- Muggle mail I mean, I put a set of directions on there for you." She explained, holding a packet of written on parchment.
"I gave Ronald the same information, so if something happens to yours, you can always go to him. Or vice a versa. I expect to get at least one letter, to make sure you didn't die in a horrible accident or what not."
Fred grin was crumpled up, trying to contain his laughter at how much the girl sounded like an adult. With that, she looked him up and down, her cheeks turning a bit red. Finally settling her eyes, she held out her hand formally, for a handshake. Fred finally let the dam burst; laughing loudly as she stared at him, looking like someone had just slapped her. He suddenly brought one arm up, wrapping it around her and pulling her into a one-armed hug. She stiffened, blushing even more at the contact.
"No need to be so formal, Granger," he commented, as she huffed, but smiled lightly. He let go of her, and she waved. He grinned in return before turning to his own family.
What a strange girl.