A/N: Okay, for all of you who will be reading this story, it's one I've had for a while under another name and I'm posting it up here because that user name has been discontinued (by me). I hope you all enjoy it!

Well thank you to all of my faithful readers for joining me on this new chapter of "The Secrets" (only the name has changed). I'm hoping to polish this and make it much more in depth than it was before. I hope I continue to receive the reviews from my old reviewers who really helped me gain inspiration when I was writing. Well, enjoy!

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What's the World come to?

By the author formerly known as Loppy.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

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"Oh can it Ron, no one cares!" My younger sister, Ginny, nodded and grinned at my younger brother.

"No, it's just you Fred," Ron spat as he speedily walked through the invisible barrier and onto the platform.

I laughed. It felt good to return to Hogwarts. I hadn't been back since Umbridge had kicked my brother and I out. And now...

As I stepped out into the bustling platform I caught sight of someone. I thought that I knew her, but she was so beautiful. Surely I would have recognized her before if she was that stunning?

I walked over to her and tapped on her shoulder, pointedly ignoring the giggling of the girls she had been talking to. I'm sorry, but don't I know," I broke off.

The girl smiled, revealing a row of perfect teeth. "I'm sorry you can't even recognize me," she said in mock sadness as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Wow! Hermione, you look..." I trailed off, my mind not able to manage the thoughts of Hermione and hot in the same sentence.

"Beautiful? Different? Freakish?" She offered helpfully.

I smirked as I quickly regained my cool. "Always were the walking dictionary, weren't you?"

She blushed, but quickly recovered. "Just because I can read," she said as she poked me in the stomach, "doesn't mean you have to be bitter."

"Ha ha, very funny." I rolled my eyes at her, but couldn't help but appreciate her wit.

She stared at me for a moment longer, but finally decided on not making a comeback. Instead she reached up and gave me a hug and a kiss on my cheek. I grinned and returned the affection.

"Well now that we're not arguing," she laughed, "What are you doing here? Did they really come back; do you have to do the school year over again?"

"The sad thing is, I can't tell if your joking or not! And of course I don't have to repeat a year. Apparently with age, your mind is fading! I was the brilliant one. George was an idiot." She snorted derisively. "I'll just ignore that. Anyway, I'm here to teach; student teach actually, with Flitwick. Charms was always my best subject."

Her hands dropped to her sides and her jaw hung open.

"Y... y... you teaching? And Dumbledore knows this?"

"Of course, m'dear!"

She shook her head and sighed. "Sometimes I think that he really is going nuts."

"Hey, are you two gonna stand like that forever?" Harry popped up beside us, grinning madly.

I blushed the horrible Weasley blush, while Hermione just rolled her eyes. "Of course not. We were just catching up."

"Well I'd finish up because Ron's coming over and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like this scene." Harry looked at us and smiled brilliantly. "Well, see you on the carriage!"

Hermione pulled away from me. "Oh I absolutely HATE how he thinks I'm his property."

"Don't worry about it," I said, drawing her back to me as I whispered in her ear, "I'm much stronger than he'll ever be."

Hermione smiled, but pulled away, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "Yeah, well let's get on the train. WE wouldn't want to miss it."

I reached down to get my large trunk and out of the corner of my eye I saw her do the same. As I stood back up to drag it onto the train, I heard her utter a small moan. Quickly I whirled around to see what was going on.

I saw her standing there staring at her trunk blankly, her face pallid and one hand clutching her stomach.

"What's wrong?" I took her arm firmly in case she felt like passing out.

That seemed to snap her out of the trance she was in. "I'm fine! Really! I just got dizzy. That's all." She smiled, but I wasn't reassured.

"Wait here!" I commanded while I grabbed her luggage and hauled it over to the train. I hurried back over and helped her slowly up the stairs, dragging my own trunk behind me.

"Fred! I'm FINE," she protested, ignoring the appraising looks from the other students at our odd pairing.

"Shut up Hermione," I muttered as we entered Harry and Ron's compartment.

I put on false cheery smile as my brother asked crossly, "What have you two been up to?"

"Oh nothing," replied Hermione airily. "I was just showing him something in my Charms book."

Ron nodded, but from the scowl on his face he didn't believe a word. Harry was too euphoric about leaving the Dursley's to comment.

I shot a questioning glance towards Hermione, but she had already buried herself in her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and was pointedly ignoring me.

.............

(no longer in Fred's POV, obviously)

The train arrived at the school about two hours later.

Fred had watched Hermione closely the whole time, but she had seemed to be fine, joking and laughing along with everyone else. He mentally shrugged and dismissed the problem as just a freak happening.

He was a Weasly, thus thickheaded.

When they stepped out of the train it had begun to rain. Fred drew Hermione close and held his cloak over her head. Hermione smiled gratefully, ignoring the seething looks they were getting from Ron.

"Will you lay off of her?" Ron growled to Fred as he gallantly helped Hermione up the steps.

"Ron, she's not your property. If you don't have the guts to ask her out, then lay off of her."

Ron glared angrily at Fred, but said nothing due to the presence of Hermione.

The carriage ride to the school was a tense affair, silent except for the failed attempts at conversation from Harry. Everyone was relieved when they piled out of the carriage and made their way up the marble steps and into the school.

Fred purposely slowed he and Hermione down by "accidentally" getting his cloak caught in the door of the carriage. When he finally got it undone they began to walk towards school slowly, heedless of the rain.

"So what happened?" Fred peered down at Hermione, but could see only a vague outline of her through the raindrops.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm ok. I'm just tense. I have a big workload this year." She looked at Fred, her eyes begging him not to ask anymore. "And please don't tell Harry and Ron. They'd just... worry."

He nodded ever so slightly, and she relaxed.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Why do you trust me, and not your best friends?"

Hermione sighed and shivered as the warm air of the school hit her chilled body. "I don't know. I mean, I do know, but I don't know why I trust you. I mean, sometimes they're just such... guys. They aren't sensitive to when I'm in a bad mood or sad."

"I get it," Fred said as he put his arm around her shoulder, "and know that I'll always be here to talk to."

"Thanks." Hermione's face visibly brightened. "Thanks a lot."

They walked silently together hearing the roar of voices from the Great Hall getting louder and louder.

Hermione stopped in front of the doors. "I'm not really that hungry. I'm just going to go upstairs and go to sleep."

"I'll come with you."

Hermione shook her head. "No, you should go to the feast."

"I'll be fine," Fred said smiling.

Hermione smiled, nestling closer to him and completely missing the smile on his face.

The two made their way slowly up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, reaching it more quickly then they would have liked to admit.

Fred led her to the couch and sat down beside her, sighing softly as her pondered Hermione's secret problem.

Suddenly he stood up, retracting his arm from her waist, where it had settled here comfortably for a while. He looked at her. There was defiantly something wrong, and he wanted to help.

"Hermione. Please tell me what's going on. You said you trusted me. I won't tell anyone what's going on. I just want to know.

"Fred, please! No, just don't ask." Hermione looked at him with pleading eyes.

He looked at her carefully for a moment. She was so wonderful and beautiful. He hated to use this card on her. "I am a teacher. I have the right to know what's wrong with my students!"

"Oh, so now I'm just a student? A few minutes ago I could have sworn it was different." She blushed at this last bit, but pressed on. "Don't you get it? I'm not going to tell you! Leave me alone. Get the hint I don't want to tell you!" She stood up and glared at him with as much intensity as she could muster. Finally she broke and she turned away, retreating up to her room.

Slowly, he sat down into the couch and put his head in his hands.

A/n: Cliffhanger, yay! Hmm, such a tough problem. Wonder what's going on with Hermy? Anyway, read and review blah!