This is my first ever Harry Potter fiction and I'm extremely excited. It's going to be focused on a Fred/Hermione relationship because something about the two of them makes me want to delve further into their relationship and develop it the way I think it should be.
This takes place after "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" – however Sirius did not die, instead Harry defeated Voldemort and now the Golden Trio and their friends have only the remaining Death Eaters to battle.
Fred and George were persuaded to come back to repeat their seventh year by Dumbledore so they are seventh years while Ron, Harry and Hermione are sixth years. Ginny is (obviously) a fifth year.
Bill and Fleur are married and are expecting twins within three months time, Percy has since made up with his family and Charlie has moved closer to home to work with the Order; because although Voldemort has been defeated it has come to light that the strength of his followers was much more then the Order originally expected and several candidates have stepped up to become his successor.
Now, on to the point of the story I guess. After fifth year the trio spent their entire summer at Sirius' home and gradually things between Fred and Hermione went from a general annoyance to heavy flirting to a full-on secret relationship. Unfortunately even wizard teenagers can be foolish and the two are facing a problem neither had ever expected.
Misplaced Affections
Chapter One
"Bloody hell Gred, get off my foot." George snapped at his brother, pushing him forward light heartedly.
Fred turned grinning at his brother, "Sorry Forge."
"Is it possible for you two to maybe act your age once in a while?" Their younger sister asked, coming up behind the two and squeezing between them to prevent herself from being swept down the platform by the massive crowds of wizarding children, ranging from eleven to nearly nineteen in the twins case.
George flung his arm around her shoulder and Fred bewitched their trunks to follow them as they boarded the train.
"Come on Gin, I thought you were like us." Fred commented, emphasizing the us part. The entire family agreed if anyone could come close to being as mischevious as the twins it would be Ginny.
"Oi! Fred, George, over here." A familiar voice called from a nearby compartment.
The two turned from their sister and followed the voice, coming face to face with Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. Katie was currently trying to charm her black and white trainers to become gold and maroon. It was obvious she wasn't successful.
"So why are you two back?" Angelina questioned, peering at them over her magazine, Witch Weekly.
The twins shared a look before Fred responded, "Well, you see Angie dear, it seemed a shame to not fulfill our seventh year of torment. That wouldn't be fair to anyone, now would it Forge?"
"I hate when you two do that." Katie commented, looking up at last and smiling at her friends.
"Yeah Gred, she hates it."
"Shut-up."
"Oi, you shut it."
"I said it first."
"Girls." George huffed, realizing he was fighting a losing battle.
The four settled into a conversation about the impending Quidditch season, however Fred's mind kept wandering to a compartment elsewhere.
Hermione was probably with his youngest brother and Harry and Ginny. Those two would no doubt be snogging leaving only Ron to entertain Hermione. He wasn't jealous, but he didn't like the idea of his lovesick brother spending any more time then necessary with his girlfriend, secret or otherwise.
"Blimey, I forgot, I have to go get my uh, school robes out of Ron's trunk. Mum packed horribly." Fred lied, standing quickly and letting himself out of the compartment before George could protest, reminding him that they had packed for themselves this year.
Angelina shook her head, she was used to his odd behavior having dated him for nearly all of their fifth year.
George however was significantly more confused. He wasn't used to his brother being sneaky or flustered. They were the Weasley twins for god sakes, they were never nervous. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind however, he had more important things to do, such as convincing Katie that snogging him the rest of the way to Hogwarts was a very good idea. All the better if Angelina wanted to join in.
Hermione feigned interest in Harry and Ron's discussion of the Chudley Cannons and their chances of winning the Quidditch Cup in the upcoming year. The sport had never much interested her, despite the fact that it comprised a large part of her boyfriends life. She sighed, speaking of which, he was no where in sight. Of course she hadn't expected him to sit with them, that would have been suspicious, but a quick hello would've been nice.
He was probably with Angelina she thought angrily, an involuntary scoff coming out before she could catch herself. Ron and Harry looked at her quizzically for a minute before returning to their original conversation.
"Oi, Ron, Harry, Herms, nice day for travelin' eh?" An all too familiar voice asked from outside the compartment.
Hermione looked up and smile at Fred, moving over to allow him to sit next to her, he squeezed her hand quickly before the other two noticed then turned straight forward to talk to his brother and his best friend.
"Where's George?" Ron asked his brother suspiciously, not used to the twins going anywhere seperately.
Fred flicked Ron's Prefect badge, grinning evilly. "Why ickle wittle Ronniekins? Finally taking on a bit of your Prefect duties. Don't worry, we aren't up to anything, yet. I just thought it would be a nice gesture to pay a visit to my favorite sixth year prefects and of course the boy who lived."
Harry just laughed, the twins had become like brothers to him over the years and he didn't mind their teasing much.
"Anyways I'll leave you three to yourselves, I've got things to do." He said with a wink, leaving the compartment quickly, a high pitched yelp a minute later assured the three that he was up to no good.
Ron shrugged at Hermione, "Well I guess we should go dock points or what not."
She pretended to be immersed in her book so as to avoid having to reprimand Fred.
"Fine, I'll do it." Ron grumbled, taking off down the corridor in search of his mischevious brother.
Harry gave Hermione a skeptical, imploring look but she ignored it, smiling innocently at him. He would probably have a heart attack if he knew. As if Harry didn't have enough worries she didn't want to add her current predicament to the list.
The train made a rumbling noise then pulled to an abrupt stop and Hermione gave a silent thanks for the distraction.
"I've got to go oversee the first years, get my trunk for me please?" She asked Harry with a smile. He nodded still staring at her intently as if looking long enough would reveal something to him.
She kissed his cheek, oblivious to the blush it brought and bounded off to fill her Prefect duties.
Hermione's eyes wandered the common room, it was the first time she had seen it empty in the daylight. That was probably due to the fact that all her classmates were at dinner then probably off to the newly instated "dance night". Dumbledore felt the best way to bring up the students morale was to turn the Great Hall into a muggle worthy club setting each friday night for the teens to enjoy themselves.
Despite Lavendar's pleading Hermione had somehow managed to get out of going, insisting she had a lot of work to do with the course load she had taken on. As far as she was concerned dancing wildly in a darkened room with random people whose faces she couldn't make out was a not the best way to raise morale. The whole idea reeked with Ministry work. Of course they would think a silly dance could take peoples minds off of recent events. Why Dumbledore went along with it was another story entirely.
She settled into the comfiest chair in the room, it was shoved back in a dim corner and was where Hermione often found herself watching the action around her but never joining in. Her eyes fluttered closed involuntarly and sleep was just overcoming her when she heard the portrait swing open.
Through the slits of her barely open eyes she saw a shock of red hair and knew immediatly who it was. "Took you long enough." She commented.
A smirk crossed his face briefly but he said nothing, instead lifting her up before taking her set and settling her back in his lap so that her head rested on his shoulder and her feet hung over one of the sides. She reveled in the feeling, taking in his scent as she buried her head in the crook of his neck.
"I hate this Fred." She murmured, her voice ragged. He didn't respond but held her tighter. They both knew it was unwise to reveal their current statues. Not only did they need to focus on the Order but neither wanted to risk losing Ron or hurting his feelings over whatever it was they had.
His hands roamed her body before slowly sliding up her shirt, surprisingly she pulled them away quickly, linking her hands to his to avoid further "exploration". He looked at her questioningly, "Whats up?"
She shrugged, feigning ignorance, "It's nothing, I'm just not in the mood for that, okay?"
"Is it because you've gotten a bit plump, because I don't mind 'Mione, I think your gorgeous either way." He said, hoping to soothe what he thought her worries were.
Instead of being soothed, anger flashed over her face and she untangled herself from him, smacking him hard across the face. "I am not plump! You are such an imbecile, I'm pregnant Frederick!" She screeched before breaking out in a run up to the girls dormitory.
He knew from third year that trying to go up was a futile attempt. Instead he stared in awe at the staircase, surely she couldn't have just announced she was pregnant. Things like that couldn't happen; could they?
What hurt more was the tone of voice she had used with him, not even Ron had been spoken to with such malice, that was a voice usually reserved for Malfoy and his cronies. He flopped infront of the door dejectedly. She couldn't stay up there forever and he wasn't going to let her get by him without further explanation. It looked to be a long night.
Music by The Screaming Banshee's filtered through the newly dimmed Great Hall. The students seemed to have forgotten Dumbledore and a few other "chaperones" were still present and had let go dancing wildly to the music.
Despite the fact that he was currently sandwiched between Angelina and Katie, George couldn't get his early discussion with Fred off of his mind.
George and Fred were at the head of Gryffindor table, coyly smiling at the girls staring in awe of them. They were legends at Hogwarts and had been giving a seat of honor without hesitation. George nudged his brother and pointed a few seats down where a sixth year whose name was escaping him at the moment was watching the two intently, the look in her eyes showing exactly what she was thinking.
"This is the life, eh mate? Just what until tonight." George said with a laugh, spitting food on the plate of the kid next to him. The first year looked up at him angrily, quickly being reduced to tears at the sheer size of the twins.
Refilling his plate Fred said in one breath, "Ican'tgotonightsorryForge,gototherplansandwhatnot." Then he stuffed his mouth with food to prevent further questioning.
George stared at his brother incredously, it was the first time he could remember that his twin willingly turned down a night of hot girls dancing dangerously close to them. He shrugged it off, figuring his brother had a good reason that he would tell him soon.
However his thoughts were only fleeting, when Katie wrapped her hand around his upper arm and pulled him away from the dance area the only thing on his mind was how quickly he could get her up to his dorm.
Hermione was fully aware of the fact that George was seated at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her eventual departure, for food or some other neccesity. Which was why, despite how against house elves she was she had summoned Dobby. Having read Hogwarts A History multiple times she knew that although she couldn't apparate out of the door, due to some serious charming and ministry law, there was no reason Dobby couldn't apparate her to another part of the building, neither wizard charms or ministry law having any effect on him.
"Dobby at Harry Potter's friend service, what can I do ma'am?" He asked in a high-pitched, excited voice.
Resting a hand on his shoulder to calm him down she knelt to his level, "Dobby I hate to ask this but I need you to apparate me to the library. A certain boy is waiting at the bottom of the stairs and I'd rather not have to deal with him."
Dobby nodded his head knowingly, "Mister Weasley, yes? He's already asked me to apparate him up here, but Dobby said no. Dobby wants not to break Hogwarts rules, Dobby loves Dumbledore. Hold my hand and off we'll be."
Hermione complied and gripped his hand, everything went black and she felt as if she was being squeezed through a garden hose, her insides ready to explode. Then with a pop! she found herself in the middle of a row of books, the familiar musky smell of old books bringing her great comfort.
"Thank you Dobby." She said turning, but the house elf was already gone. Her fingers traced the leather bindings as she skimmed the titles looking for something she could immerse herself in.
"Hey 'Mione." A soft voice whispered from behind her, she had assumed she was alone, but atleast he was a person she wanted to see.
She turned and threw herself into her friends waiting arms, no longer trying to keep tears back. Harry rubbed her back soothingly, "It's okay Hermione, everything will be okay."
"No, no it won't. If you knew what was going on you would hate me." She choked out, balling her hands into fists, his cloak bunched up in her tiny fists.
He gently seperated them, holding her at arms length and looking at her in the eyes, "Please tell me what's going Hermione, I won't judge you I promise. I just, I just want to know."
"We're going to have to start from the beginning." She managed to get out, before sliding down into a sitting position. Harry joined her, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder and urging her to go on.
"This summer when you and Ron were doing Order stuff Fred and I started to hang out more." She said, he nodded knowing they had forged a friendship over the summer. Everyone at Grimmwuald Place had after all.
"Well things went a little further then, friendship. We've been dating since July. Please don't hate me!" She cried, burying her head in his shoulder once again.
After thinking over the recent developement he said, "I don't hate you Hermione, I just wish you would've told me earlier. Ron really likes you, you know."
She nodded miserably, "That's why it's a secret."
"Well if that's it, then don't worry - we'll all support you guys." He promised, flashing her his infamous reassuring smile.
Wiping her nose with the back of her robe she shook her head, "That's not all. I'm, uh, I'm. Pregnant." The last word came out barely above a whisper.
She could feel him stiffen next to her, but he didn't leave something she was eternally grateful for. Instead he wrapped her in a tight hug, resting his head on top of hers.
"Does he know?"
She let out a muffled "yes" as she choked back further sobs.
"And.." He implored her to continue.
"And nothing, I ran. He's not even nineteen yet, he doesn't want this." She said, trying to convince herself and Harry that it was better for her to face this alone.
A deep red crept up his neck, the vein usually hidden on his neck bulging. "Bloody hell, he better take responsibility, or I'll, I'll - "
Hermione let out a humorless laugh, "You'll what? He's a good five inches taller then you and much more advanced. Thanks for the gesture but I think it's best if you just leave it alone."
"I'm your best friend, I'm not going to let him mistreat you. I won't let anyone mistreat you." Harry promised. Sometimes his need to be a hero was a bit much fo her. He couldn't always protect her.
She sighed, "Please just don't talk to anyone about this, including Fred. Promise me."
He groaned, but resigned to doing as she asked. "Okay I won't do anything for now, but you need to talk to him and Dumbledore, before you start showing. How far along are you anyways?"
"A little over a month. Our relationship progressed rather, quickly."
Harry did the math over in his head, "So you got together mid-June I'm assuming and by the end of July you were pregnant."
She nodded, before standing and pulling him up with her. "Now let's go to bed, it's much too late for either of us to be up."
He agreed, following her out of the library. Once in the hallway he flipped his invisibility cloak over both of them saying, "I thought it would come in handy."
"Whoever said I was the smart one obviously didn't spend very much time with you." She said jokingly, as they crept up to the Gryffindor Tower.
The common room was fairly empty, a few groups sprinkled sparsely around, winding down after a hectic night. Harry uncovered them when he was sure no one was looking and nudged Hermione, "Look over there."
She followed his gaze to the entryway to the girls dormitory, a very flustered Fred Weasley was searching three first years as if they had some how managed to smuggle Hermione down in their pocket. She rolled her eyes at his antics before seeing George watching on looking very confused.
They could vaguely hear his voice across the room, "How exactly would a couple of fist years hide Hermione? More to the point who cares, it's a right good prank if you think about it. Half the time I'd like to shrink her and stick her somewhere." He said, his grin slightly malicious.
"That. is. not. funny." Fred hissed at his brother, grabbing him by the collar of his dress shirt and shaking him violently. This give the first years a get away and also allowed Hermione to sprint up the stairs quickly before either twin knew what was happening.
"Wha- she- up, there!" George sputtered pointing up the stairs hoping to ease his brothers grip. Fred turned his head in time to see a flash of brown curly hair disappear at the landing.
"Bloody hell." Fred cursed under his breath, releasing his brother, "Sorry about that, you okay mate?"
George nodded, looking at him in wonder.
"Well uh, off to bed I guess, we have to get up early if we want to make any decent sales ya' know."
George followed his brother up the stairs, still not quite sure what was up.