Title: Twin Love Competition 2.0 (Revised Edition)

First Published: 02-03-04

Revisions Started: 10-21-11

Chapter 1: Recognizing Love

Fred and George were walking down the hall pondering their next prank to pull. Suddenly, while not looking, they ran into a younger student.

"Hey! Watch it you—," Fred started in before seeing the bushy brown hair of the girl's and books scattered on the floor. "Oh—Hermione. Sorry about that." Fred helped her up while George picked up the books she'd dropped.

"Thanks," She said between sobs.

Fred shook his head and said, "No Problem."

George nodded and said, "Yeah, erm-it's okay. What..uhh…"

"What's wrong?" Fred finished-wondering why George was being so wierd. The two twins had never really been able to comfort another individual properly. It just wasn't really in their character, but George was acting extra odd.

Hermione sighed. "It's nothing; It doesn't really matter anyway."

Hermione dusted herself off, took her books from George, and began walking towards the Gryffindor Common Room. Fred and George followed curiously behind.

"Seriously, Herm. What's up?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, Mione. Need us to kick some arse for you?" George said.

"We'd do it. Maybe switch out their glass with a nose biting teacup?" Fred said.

"Or—how about we set off a few dungbombs under their bed?" George replied.

"Yeah! Or we could d—" Fred started.

Hermione intervened, her tears had stopped for a moment. "Okay, enough. I don't want to hear any more about you breaking the rules—especially not for me."

"Well, tell us what's wrong then." The twins said in unison..

"Okay, if it will get you to stop following me around and scheming." said Hermione.

The twins smiled at each other, the expression on their face reading, "Us? Scheming? No…Never…"

By that time, they'd reached the Gryffindor Common Room. The three went to a corner where they were less likely to be overheard, and Hermione began to tell them her story.

"I was on my way to Potions and…and…" She started to cry again but still went on speaking. "I was alone because Harry and Ron were already in class, and I had been in the library. I was almost to the potions dungeon, but right when I walked in, Malfoy came up and tripped me. I fell face flat on the stone floor, and everybody saw. All of the Slytherins were laughing, and Snape took points away from me for disrupting the class. It was horrible."

When she was finished, Fred and George shook their heads in frustration.

"How could he do that?" Fred said.

"Why does he have to be such a prat?" replied George.

Then they both said, "We'll get him back, for you." They nodded and added, "Revenge will be sweet."

Hermione sighed and said, "Thanks guys, but I don't want you two to get into any trouble. Don't do anything stupid."

Fred and George smiled and looked at each other. "Oh, we won't get into any trouble."

Hermione shook her head disapprovingly and went slowly up to her quarters.

As she left, George both watched her with curiosity. He thought, "I never noticed before how beautiful she is—even with tears streaming down her face."

Fred noticed his brother watching her leave and thought it odd, but they didn't say anything. Each kept their thoughts to themselves.

Throughout the days ahead, the twins plotted revenge against Malfoy. Every time Hermione would pass by them in the halls, common room, or great hall, George would watch her intently. He didn't make it obvious that he was watching her, but Fred noticed every time.

When she would pass close by, George caught her scent. She smelled like an assortment of spring flowers just freshly picked. Once, when this happened, George was so swept away with her beauty that he sighed loudly. Hearing the noise, Hermione turned and said, "What was that?"

Fred looked at George and they both shrugged. She looked at them like she thought they were odd and turned to leave.

George thought, "Wow, that was a close one."

Fred, even more suspicious of George, thought, "I wonder what that was all about." George's distraction with Hermione had begun causing an uncomfortable sort of rift between the twins. George wasn't as dedicated to their pranks, and he often didn't want to do anything but sit around and stare off into the distance. Fred took notice of it all.

One day, Fred and George were hanging out in the Common Room. George was daydreaming—staring out the window thinking about Hermione. It was raining and storming outside, so their Quidditch practice had been cancelled for that afternoon which gave him plenty of time to think. He wasn't sure what prompted his sudden adoration for the younger girl—Maybe it was the 'Damsel in Distress' sort of feeling he was getting from her after the Malfoy incident. Whatever it was, he couldn't keep his mind off of her.

Then, George noticed Fred staring at him pretty intently and confronted him, "What is wrong with you?"

Fred narrowed his eyes and said, "Nothing. Just thought you might want to go see Hermione. Seeing as how you have a thing for her."

George blushed, turning his face nearly the same color as his hair. "Is it any of your business who I have a thing for?" He asked.

"If it's Hermione then yeah, it is my business." Fred shot back.

George, anger rising, replied, "Why? You're not dating her and you're not making any moves showing you like her. You have no claim on her."

With narrowed eyes, Fred left the common room. He walked down onto the grounds of Hogwarts where it was still storming. Fred's red hair could be seen bobbing across the grounds from the window. George purposely paid no attention.

Hermione, however, saw Fred leave and sensed something was wrong. She walked over to George and asked, "What's with Fred?" She looked out the window and saw that he was out on the grounds, alone and in the rain. George shrugged, not really sure what to say and still shaken up from the argument with his brother. Hermione left to see Fred.

Out on the grounds, looking out at the lake, Fred sighed and thought of Hermione and George. 'Why is George acting so odd lately, and why is it bothering me so much? I don't like Hermione like that. I mean—sure, she's a great person and friend, but I'm not jealous. If George wants to date her, that's fine. He might end up spending less time with me, but whatever. It doesn't really matter. But he could at least talk to me about it-I'm his twin for Pete's sake!"

His thoughts were interrupted when Hermione walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey. You okay?" she asked.

Fred turned around and smiled a fake half smile. "Yeah, I'm okay."