Ickle Ginnykins.
Fred and George Weasley – sixth year students of Gryffindor House in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, smirked collectively as they strode up the corridor and caught up to their brother Ron and his best Friends – Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.
Moments earlier they had been informed about an upcoming Yule Ball, and so they set off to annoy Ron about dates and dancing.
"Ronnie!" They greeted their brother joyously as they each wrapped an arm over his shoulder. "So corking to see you!"
Ron knew that they only wanted to tease him, so he scoffed and tried to wrench free of their grasp.
But the twins were too strong.
"So, which unlucky witch has our darling brother got his eyes on?" Fred asked.
"None of your business." Ron responded.
Fred pulled back, feigning hurt.
"I was only trying to help." Fred said. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"I could use some help." Harry said darkly.
"Anything o' great Gryffindor Champion!" George proclaimed, running ahead of Harry and falling onto his knees infront of him.
"Ask and your will shall be done!" Fred added, falling into place next to his twin.
"I've just come from Professer McGonagall. She just told me I need to find a dance partner to open the Yule Ball. I'd rather face that Dragon again."
The twins laughed from the floor.
"But you're a Tri-Wizard champion, and Harry Potter on top. The girls will be queueing up to go with you!" Ron pointed out, keeping most of the bitterness out of his voice.
"That's not always a good thing." Harry pointed out. "Is there any way you guys could give me something underdeveloped around Christmas to keep me out of commission."
Before either twin could respond, Hermione broke into the conversation.
"Out of the question. Harry, you'll just have to ask someone. Surely there is someone you like."
"Well…I don't know…" Harry trailed off.
"Well, even if we cannot save you from dancing, Harry, we're glad we came. It seems we share your predicament, and would like your help and advice. Yours too, Miss Granger, if you would deign to share your intelligence with such mortals as ourselves." The twins proclaimed.
Ron looked miffed about be excluded from the statement.
"You'd have no problems getting dates." Ron spoke up. "You two are the most popular boys in the house."
"That, dear brother." Fred said, grinning.
"Is exactly our problem." George finished.
At Harry and Hermione's quizzical stares, the twins addressed the pressing issue that they brought up.
"Hermione, I ask you this because you are a member of the feminine gender, and as such, you have inner knowledge that George and I lack, and may be able to help us in this most vital matter of importance."
"You'd like to know how to ask a girl out to the ball?" Hermione asked Fred. "Well, I'd say, firstly, you need to be polite to her, of course every girl has preferences – some may like something overly romantic such as flowers and chocolates and others may want you to just straight out ask them. Of course, you need to know if you're going as friends or something more…" Hermione paused for breath.
"Hermione, I wasn't going to ask you how to ask a girl out." Fred stated. "I just wanted to know, when?"
"When? I'm not sure what you mean."
"Well," Fred began, smirking. "Do I ask now, and disappoint everyone else who would miss a date with me, or do I allow them to build up hope, only to cruelly crush their dreams close to the ball?"
Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes at the giggling duo of Fred and George.
"And Harry." George spoke up for his turn. "What do you do with the fans crushing on you?" Fred and George grinned at Harry.
"Umm…" Harry stammered.
"Yeah, like Ginny!" Fred piped up helpfully.
"Err…" Harry tried again. He really didn't want to talk about that. It wasn't that he disliked Ginny, just that…the attention was a little…embarrassing.
"I think dear Harry is remembering the poem. Wasn't it cute?" George asked Fred, as they both smiled with sickly sweetness.
"Yes, very cute. Positively adorable." Harry ground out. "Compared with you two singing it in the common room for four hours straight."
"Dooah, look at him burn Gred."
"Get lost." Harry said, trying to tone down the flush in his cheeks as he sped off with Ron and Hermione, leaving the guffawing twins.
"Come on, lets go and bother Ginny." Fred said, and he and George set off to find their sister.
"You know, Gin-Gins is so ickle, Forge."
"Indeed she is, Gred, and I can think of a great romantic tale for her life."
"Oh, please do share it Forge."
"Well, dear brother Gred, have you not noticed that Harry has a major fanboy."
"Indeed I have my favourite brother Forge, I do believe his name is Colin Creevey."
"You are right in that, Gred. Consider how sweet it would be if they fell in love-"
"Married and had little ones in the headquarters of the Harry Potter fanclub-"
"And lived happily ever after! What a wonderful thought Gred!" George said, wiping crocodile tears off his cheeks.
"It would make mum so happy!" Fred cried, wrapping his arms around his brother and pulling him to a manly embrace.
Pulling apart, the twins noticed a straggly blonde-haired Ravenclaw third year up ahead, and as they passed her, she addressed them.
"Hello, Gred and Forge Weasley." The girl with wide silver eyes addressed the twins.
Immediately they decided to like her, because of her used of their mixed names.
"Hello." Fred responded cheerily.
"Nice to meet you." George added.
"You too, both, Gred and Forge, I'll see you later."
"Bye!" The twins waved at her.
"We didn't even ask her her name." Fred pointed out.
George shrugged. "I'm sure we'll see her again."
The two walked on, until they spotted Ginny. Creeping up on her was a major part of their ritualistic greeting, and Ginny was the most sporting available opponent of the twins, and if they got her, they would have to watch out for reprisals. Ron and Percy just took the punishment and grumbled. Ginny was far more fun.
But they stopped. Neville Longbottom was unsteadily walking towards her.
The twins crept closer to listen in.
"Excuse me, Ginny." Neville nervously began.
Ginny looked at him. "Yes, Neville?"
"I was just wondering…if…well…if you'd…like to go…to the ball…with me?" Neville looked relieved at getting it all out, and looked hopefully at Ginny.
It was a tense millisecond for the Weasley twins.
"I'd like that, Neville, thank you." Ginny responded smiling.
Neville relaxed. "Oh, gee, thanks Ginny. I'll see you later, okay." Neville walked off with a small spring in his step.
It was at this point that Fred and George decided to reveal themselves.
"Hello Ginny." Fred smiled widely at her, pretending that he and George had just arrived.
"Hi Fred." Ginny responded casually, whilst narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"Ah, look Gred, she doesn't trust us. Her loving, protecting brothers that only want to bring her news."
"I feel like a giddy, gossiping schoolgirl!" Fred cackled as he bounced on the heels of his feet.
George and Ginny looked at him oddly.
"Oh, yes, Ginny, your ever darling brothers have come to tell you some massively hugeish news!" Fred continued.
George caught on. "Oh, yes Gin-Gin. Now we have just come from…"
"Faraway places…fascinating people…exotic areas…."
"And on our journey, we overheard someone talking about you." George trailed off, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling.
Ginny's curiousity kicked in. From the twins attitude, it didn't seem that Malfoy or his goons were talking about her, else they'd be far more serious.
"Ah, she is interested Forge." Fred grinned at his brother.
"Well, we couldn't help hearing…" George began.
"A dashing, heroic, toad-eyed, black-haired fourth year Gryffindor…"
"Saying certain adjectives in association with your name…"
"What were they Forge?"
"I think one of them could have been 'cute', Gred."
"And I'm sure something along the lines of 'adorable' was in his speech." George beamed at Ginny and Fred.
During this, Ginny's smile widened massively, that Fred and George felt momentarily ashamed of misleading her. She threw herself on her brothers, wrapping them both in a crushing hug.
"Oh, thank you, Fred, George, you've made me so happy!" Ginny gushed out.
Backing away from them, still wearing a wide, toothy grin, she pinched one of their cheeks each.
"Not going to fall for it, you two." Ginny told them. "I know you saw Neville ask me out and you spun that tale to try and get me to drop Neville and seek Harry out instead where you can record my humiliation for posterity on that camera Colin lent you."
Fred and George relaxed slightly.
"Well, I'm off to tell Luna the good news. Bye my dear brothers." Ginny gave the twins a jaunty wave, then strode away. She looked over her shoulder. "And don't get any ideas, I want Neville to be in perfect health when I return."
Fred and George grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
"Well, Fred, that went well." George said.
Fred frowned slightly. "That just shows that the older Hogwartians notice her…do you think…" Fred trailed off, thinking of Harry.
"Nah." George and Fred grinned, reassuring themselves, and set off to commit more mischief.
A/N: I noticed a Canon plothole in my storyline. Neville only asked Ginny to the ball after he was turned down by Hermione Granger, whose reason she was going with Victor Krum. Victor Krum however spent many days gathering the courage to ask Hermione, so the storyline cannot fit in the timeline of a few hours after the Yule Ball annoucement I provided in this story.
I hope that this doesn't detract from your reading experience.