Author's Note-This is my first FanFiction piece and I've never been much of a writer but that was because when I wrote it was never about something I enjoyed! I hope this story doesn't disappoint, and any criticism is appreciated :) If I get enough reviews requesting an update I'll update it!
Summary-Hermione didn't want Fred and George to test their products on first and second years anymore, so she stepped up to be the twins test subject. What happens when they create an extremely dangerous prank potion and Hermione takes it? It may cause a certain redhead to figure out how much he'd really be losing if Hermione didn't make it. Set right after the Battle of Hogwarts. Non-epilogue compliant and of course Fred didn't die:)
Potions, Near Deaths, and Romance
Chapter 1-Mistakes and Winks
"Bloody Hell," George mumbled when the last of his ingredients splattered on his khaki trousers, the same very rare ingredients that spent him ten months to collect-fermented blood of an albino toad and spit of a dwarf ogre. Fred looked over from his desk in the lab room of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, trying to see what George was upset about.
"I do NOT have the patience to collect these ingredients again, Fred. We're gonna have to come up with a different idea," he tried to say as calmly as possible. George was always the one to get upset quicker, ever since their days of pulling pranks on a toddler Ron.
"Perhaps we could replace those ingredients with something just as well? I know that there's a book with all sorts of ingredients and other things to replace them. We'd just have to look around…"
"Maybe Hermione knows of where we can find a book, Merlin knows she knows of the whereabouts of every single book out there. Quite brilliant she is," George added that last part on with a tone of admiration.
Ever since the Battle Hermione had taken a part time job at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to get by while deciding what to with her life. She quite enjoyed working with Fred and George; there was never a dull moment. Besides, she was already their test subject (a result of being overprotective of the first and second years her fifth year) so this would be a good way to be closer to a cure should she ever need one.
Fred got up and walked to the door that led out to the customer floor to ask Hermione if she'd ever read the book. It wasn't a very busy day, since it was the middle of August and Hogwarts and been rebuilt and opened again, so Hermione was working the floor alone. It was, however, extremely busy in the beginning of August though, they had to hire extra help. All of the kids going back to school wanted entertainment. He smiled to himself as he remembered one particular boy who wanted a love potion and Fred sold him a potion that would actually turn the victim's hair the color of their mood.
Fred looked around the store until he saw a bit of bushy hair sticking out from behind a shelf. She had tamed it down a lot in the past few years, but it was still quite big. He walked up closer and opened his mouth but quickly realized she had a customer.
"I said I wanted something to give to my friends to soil their pants, not change the color of their underwear you filthy mudblood!" Fred saw Hermione flinch and the ungrateful words of the man's voice. He felt horrible for the poor bookworm, she was trying to help this git and he called her that disgusting word! He couldn't even think it. He stepped around the corner and saw that it was a young man of maybe twenty whom he had never seen before. He had curly, black hair and wore gross, tattered, brown robes.
"Excuse me, but I think you should leave. You need to treat Hermione with respect," he put emphasis on Hermione's name so he knew that she actually had one, and it wasn't mudbl-well it was just Hermione.
Hermione looked up at Fred when he emerged and came to her rescue. He saw her eyes had turned glossy and that made him even more angry. He turned back to the rude fellow and saw a shocked expression on his face.
"Leave, NOW!" Fred nearly screamed. The customer skittered out the front door, causing the bell to ring and echo in the now quiet store.
"Hermione are you alright? He's a bloody git, he is. Doesn't know what he's talking about."
Hermione looked at him with grateful eyes, still holding unshed tears, "Yes Fred, I'll be fine. Thank you, though. "
Fred gave her a friendly, and slightly awkward, hug, followed by a short pause.
"So was there something you needed, Fred?" She smiled at him to show him that she was getting over the last customer.
Fred nodded and smiled back, "Actually George and I were working on a new product with ingredients that took us ten months to collect, and George is wearing the last of them on his trousers. We were wondering if you knew of a book that had replacements for ingredients that we could use instead of these. "
Hermione listened, nodding. "I have a book quite similar to that at the Burrow. I'll get it for you after closing if you'd like." Hermione had been staying at the Burrow while trying to save up enough money to rent a flat. The twins had a flat above the shop, but mostly stayed at the Burrow, for the food and they enjoyed the company rather than being alone all the time.
"I'd appreciate that so much Hermione, thanks!"
"If you don't mind me asking, what is the new product? Will I be testing it?" Hermione asked, slightly worried. Although she didn't mind testing their products, it still made her quite nervous to find out the reaction.
"Only if you want to 'Mione. Of course, we could always just gang up on Georgie and make him test it," Fred gave Hermione a wink that put butterflies in her stomach. She quickly forgot about them when Fred started speaking again. "It's a potion that is supposed to make you taller. The more you drink, the taller you get. It isn't supposed to last forever, but it should last a good while."
"That's brilliant," Hermione smiled.
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes got more customers in the evening. The trio closed up shop around 10 o'clock and quickly apparated to the Burrow. They walked in to a quiet house. Ron and Harry were asleep because they had Auror training in the early morning, Ginny was at Hogwarts for her seventh year, and Molly and Arthur were asleep.
"What do you say about some dinner, Granger?" George smiled at Hermione and waved his wand at the fridge getting the leftovers that were no doubt from dinner that evening. George was the only one that called her by her last name. Fred always used her first name. Not that she minded in the least, it was just one of the many differences she noticed about them. Spending time with them gave her a lot of time to study that. Not that she was actually studying them that much…
"Hullo Hermione? Your food is ready," Fred waved a hand in front of her and made her realize she was staring at Fred while she was thinking.
"Sorry, Fred, I was just thinking," Hermione blushed and started to eat her shepherd's pie.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, then George spoke up, "Don't forget our book now, Granger! Or you forfeit your pay for a week!" She knew George was only kidding but she mocked anger anyways.
"George Weasley, how completely inconsiderate of you!" she said while laughing. She put her dish in the sink as it started washing itself and went up the stairs to the room she used to share with Ginny, but not before winking at the twins.
I've been spending way too much time with those lunatics, she thought, smiling the whole way up to get the book.