Halloween Chemistry by Clover Bay and WeasleyForMe
As the Gryffindors partake in Halloween festivities, an unlikely pair is made. But, do they have the right chemistry? Hermione/George
I wrote this story with Clover Bay, and this is our entry for the Twin Exchange Monthly Challenge for October!
Prompt: Jack-o-Lantern, Pairing: George/Hermione, Quote: "Spare me the details", Theme: Halloween
As classes came to a close on Friday, all of the Gryffindor students filed into their common room to find Professor McGonagall standing patiently by the fireplace. The table next to her was piled high with bright orange pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.
Ever so patiently, Professor McGonagall waited for her students to cease their discussions. Ever so loudly, the Weasley twins continued to discuss the four best uses for stink sap and its potential use in prank items. "Can you imagine how long that smell would stay in your hair?" Fred exclaimed excitedly.
As her patience wore thin, the Head of Gryffindor house cleared her throat loudly. "May I please have your attention?"
Fred and George turned to look at her, clearly puzzled that she was in the room, asking for their attention. "Yes, that includes you, Misters Weasley," she confirmed, and the twins stood stick straight, at attention.
"Now, as you all know," she began, keeping an eye on the twins, "Sunday is the Halloween feast, and we have been selected to decorate the castle in celebration of the holiday. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the distinguished house of Godric Gryffindor, and I want every one of you to participate. You'll notice the pile of pumpkins to my left," she told the group, gesturing to the gourds. "I would like each of you to carve a jack-o-lantern, without the use of magic. Once you have completed this task, please find a location within the castle where you can put it on display and illuminate it. You may select your pumpkin."
She was cut off by her students practically lunging for the mound of pumpkins. "Please be careful with the knives!" she called over the commotion.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she watched Harry and Ron each snap up large pumpkins. Honestly, the last thing she wanted to do was get seeds and orange slime on her textbooks, so she headed up to her dorm to put her school items away. By the time she returned, there was only one pumpkin remaining. As she reached for it, a large pair of hands became entangled with hers.
"Excuse me, Hermione, but you're hands are all over my pumpkin."
She quickly turned her gaze upward to find that it was George who had his hands wrapped up with her own.
"Actually," she replied, "this one is going to be mine."
"Au contraire, my dear, it's all mine."
Huffing at him, she quickly launched into lecture mode, "Just because you think it would be funny for me to get into trouble by not participating doesn't mean you can take my pumpkin. Go find yours wherever you hid it and leave me alone. I need to get this finished so I can review the seventeen rudimentary potions and their coordinating antidotes."
"Now, you're not going to like to hear this, but, Hermione, you're wrong. This pumpkin is as much mine as it is yours." George had never really cared to notice Hermione when she got mad - but there was something appealing about the petite witch sparring with him. This was going to be an interesting afternoon, he thought.
Hermione glared up at him, neither releasing their hold. "If I agree to share it with you, are you going to steal it or blow it up or otherwise demolish it?"
"Would I do that?" he asked innocently, wrenching the pumpkin from her hands. "Now let's see what we can do with this." He set it down on a table and started to examine it, and Hermione hurried after him.
"Well I had planned to carve Hogwarts castle into my pumpkin," Hermione informed him as she chewed on her lip. George was barely listening, rather fascinated by her mouth as she spoke. "With the Astronomy Tower all the way to the left and then Hagrid's hut on the right. Maybe even a spooky looking moon near the top."
"What? No, no," George informed her. "We're carving 'W.W.W.' into the side, and charming the pumpkin to change colors."
Hermione stared at him. "Are you joking?"
"Not at all," George informed her with a wink. He continued as he linked his elbow around her neck. "You see, love, this will be a really great advertising opportunity for Fred and I. He's making the same carving in his pumpkin." George pointed across the common room to where Fred sat, furiously cutting the top off of his pumpkin.
"Spare me the details," Hermione growled, pulling his arm from around her. In the process, she noticed just how muscular he was, and a blush tinted her cheeks. "You can just forget about that idea. Now start carving Hogwarts castle!"
She sat down and gingerly cut into the top of their shared pumpkin and proceeded to pull out all of the orange slime. George ended up helping her, and Hermione informed him, "Once we start carving, this half of the pumpkin is mine and that half is yours. No argument."
Hermione sat at the table opposite of George, meticulously drawing her portion of Hogwarts castle. Glancing over the top of the pumpkin, she watched as George, for once, had a serious expression on his face. She continued to stare at him as he carefully finished drawing and began to carve into the pumpkin.
George's voice suddenly broke the silence, startling her and causing her to draw a stray line across the castle, "Are you going to make me carve Big Orange all by myself? I know I'm the handsome twin, but it was your idea to work together."
"Big Orange?" Hermione asked, stifling a giggle.
"Yeah, I nicknamed the pumpkin," he informed her with a smile. "Now get to work, Granger."
Hermione tried to ignore the handsome twin as she finished her sketch of the castle and picked up a knife. Glancing around the room, she realized that some of her fellow Gryffindors were already finished with their carvings, and she was the only one who hadn't started. Even George was cutting into his side. His tongue was sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he worked with a very steady hand, cutting long jagged strokes into 'Big Orange'. Hermione started to feel a little guilty for giving him such a hard time.
"So, what are you carving?" she asked quietly, as not to disrupt him. "It doesn't look like a 'W' from this side."
"It's not."
"Well what is it?"
"Pushy, pushy," he mock scolded. "You can see what I've made just as soon as you start on your end." George grinned at Hermione; he was clearly infuriating her, and she was clearly adorable looking when she was frustrated with him.
Hermione dug her knife into the pumpkin and got to work. As she carved, she tried her best to ignore George altogether. She removed bits of the pumpkin as her castle started to take shape. After awhile, she tried to grab the side of the pumpkin for leverage, but ended up squeezing George's hand. "Sorry!" she squeaked, trying to pull her left hand away from his, but he held it tight.
"No worries," he told her with a grin. He placed her hand on the pumpkin and then covered it with his own. Mouth agape, Hermione stared at George as he examined his side of the pumpkin and rubbed his fingers along the back of her hand.
Try as she may, she was completely unable to focus on her carving; George worked steadily, seemingly uninterested in her, except for his fingers touching hers. She couldn't concentrate! "Just show me what you're carving!" she demanded.
Startled, George released her hand and spun 'Big Orange' around so Hermione could see his half.
"Oh!" she gasped, barely able to believe what George had done. "Is that the Forbidden Forest?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, I thought it would go better with your castle," George replied with a shrug. Hermione examined the intricate carvings of the spooky trees and a wolf howling at the moon. Apparently George was quite the artist.
"It looks amazing, George, but I thought you were going to make a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes advertisement."
"I hope you're not complaining, because I was only trying to make you happy." His silly half-smile made Hermione break into a grin.
"Thank you," she said sincerely.
Biting her lip, Hermione's determined expression once again consumed her face. George took advantage of her focus on the pumpkin and found himself staring at her. The sprinkling of freckles across her nose and her long eyelashes that seemed to rest on her cheeks had him captivated. And, that lower lip. Didn't she know how much control he had to exert not to capture that full, pouty lip with his own? He shifted loudly in his chair, forcing his mind back to the task at hand.
As Hermione worked to finish the carving of the castle, she could feel George's gaze on her but refused to look up. Hermione let her shoe fall to floor, a sound that was easily absorbed by the noise of the common room; slowly she moved her foot forward under the table, letting it rest next to his. Never taking her eyes from 'Big Orange', she started to rub her foot over the top of his, barely catching the hem of his pants and brushing along the smallest amount of skin.
George had to swallow back a gasp of surprise when her foot came into gentle contact with his leg. His heart was pounding, and he wasn't even certain whether or not Hermione knew she was touching him. Just then, she glanced up with a sly look before returning her knife to the pumpkin and her foot to George's leg.
"Hey, George, do you think you could help me with Hagrid's hut?" she asked casually.
Within a second, George was on the other side of the table in the chair next to Hermione, ready to do anything she wanted, just as long as she would keep touching him. He wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but Hermione's close proximity was getting to him, in a good way. "Where do you need help?" he asked, turning to look into her chocolate brown eyes.
She bit her lip once more, and her cheeks became slightly flushed. Surprised by her own boldness and how quickly George had come to her side, she showed him the spot where she could use his help.
Impeccably, George cut a thatched roof into the pumpkin, making a perfect, miniature likeness to Hagrid's hut. Hermione watched, captivated as he worked; if she had known George wasn't going to be nonsensical, she would have asked him to help her carve the entire thing!
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" George asked. His face was awfully close to Hermione's, and his lips were directly in front of her own. "Anything at all?" His tongue slid out to wet his lips as he cocked an eyebrow, awaiting her response.
"N-No, nothing regarding Big Orange," she managed to say.
George grinned, leaning ever so slightly closer to Hermione. "But there is something you'd like my help with?"
"Maybe," she said in a smaller voice than she normally used.
Licking her own lips and darting her eyes between his and his glistening lips, she continued, "I was just…"
"Attention students!" Professor McGonagall interrupted the pair, and they slowly, reluctantly drifted away from each other. "If you have not completed your pumpkin, now is the time. Please pick out a location to display your jack-o-lantern."
That was all George needed to hear. He quickly grabbed her hand and levitated Big Orange to float a few meters behind them. Once they were outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, George questioned her again. "Are you going to tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Hermione asked, pretending she didn't have the slightest idea as to what he was referring.
George pulled her closer against his body and whispered, "Tell me what I can do for you, Hermione."
"Not here," she whispered in response when she realized many other Gryffindors were trailing out through the portrait hole.
Curiosity and excitement piqued, George took her hand in his once again and led her and Big Orange away from the Fat Lady.
"Where are we going?" Hermione asked, checking to make sure their jack-o-lantern was still following.
"Somewhere we can talk," George told her with a bright smile. He led them to a secret walkway behind an ancient tapestry, and Hermione was shocked to find that it led to the second floor classrooms.
"How did we just do that?" she asked, confusion in her voice. "I could get to my classes much faster!"
George chuckled as he led her down a tunnel behind a coat of arms. "Fred and I know Hogwarts inside and out."
Hermione marveled in adventure as George led her behind portraits, through seemingly solid walls, and down narrow corridors. She was thoroughly turned around and lost by the time she and George came to a small landing at the top of a spiral staircase. She wasn't sure, but she felt like they were near the top floors of the castle.
"How's this spot for Big Orange?" George asked her as he illuminated the jack-o-lantern and let it hover above the banister.
Hermione's brow was scrunched in thought. "Isn't this a little out of the way? I doubt anyone will see it all the way up here."
Grinning, George tucked a strand of Hermione's hair behind her ear, and his hand came to rest on her shoulder. "This is probably true, but you and I could always come back and check on it, to make sure he's not lonely."
Hermione giggled in response; it would be absurd to come all the way here to check on their pumpkin, but it would also mean she could spend more time with George. "We can do that. I'm sure he'll need visitors."
George nodded in agreement before his features became more serious. "Now are you going to tell me what you'd like from me? There's nobody around, so there's absolutely no excuse for you to come up with about how-"
He was immediately silenced as Hermione leaned up and pressed her lips gently against his, taking his breath away. Just as George started to kiss her back, Hermione released his lips and took a step back. "That's what I wanted," she whispered, suddenly shy once again.
"Well I want more," George informed her with a grin. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, gently kissing her once more. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, and George deepened the kiss. His lips moved of their own accord, nibbling on hers and kissing her deeply. Sighing, Hermione pulled him closer. It was an exhilarating feeling, being wrapped up in his arms, and she intended to make it last.
When Hermione wound her fingers into his hair, he slipped his tongue between her lips. Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find that George's kisses were much better than anything she had acquired in her limited experience in the area. As the tip of her tongue found his, George released his entrancing hold on her mouth.
"Sweet Merlin, Hermione, I could kiss you all day!"
Giggling, Hermione asked him, "Then why did you stop?"
George looked past Hermione with a puzzled expression. She turned slightly in his arms to find that he was examining their jack-o-lantern.
The light flickering inside of Big Orange had illuminated their design to move almost magically on the walls surrounding them. But, what caught George's eye was an addition that Hermione had, unbeknownst to him, made to their pumpkin. Tilting his head up slightly, he saw the words Weasley's Wizard Wheezes spanning the ceiling of the alcove where they stood.
Turning back toward Hermione, George opened his mouth to speak but he was too flabbergasted to form a coherent thought.
Hermione smiled brilliantly for him, "Do you like it?"
When George still seemed unable to speak, Hermione's words became more hesitant, "Um, if you don't then I could always . . ."
Hearing the worry in Hermione's voice seemed to snap him out of his trance. She'd somehow managed to carve this for him - without him even knowing! He wasn't sure which he was more impressed with, but he did know how to thank her.
George cut her off by sealing his lips to hers making their previous kisses pale in comparison to this one. Hermione smiled against his kisses and her arms found their way around his neck once more.
"Thank you," he whispered next to her ear. He kissed the side of her neck before pulled his face away from her. "This way, everyone got what they wanted. I got my pumpkin design, and you got me," he told her with a wink.
Hermione smirked up at him, hands on her hips, shaking her head. "Ok, Romeo, that may be so, but it's almost curfew."
George took her hand and started to lead her down the spiral staircase, away from their jack-o-lantern. "You know, Big Orange really might feel abandoned up here… all alone."
"Perhaps tomorrow we can come back up here for a visit."
George winked as they turned down a hidden corridor. "I would absolutely love to visit with you again as soon as possible, Hermione."
Hermione decided to take him up on his offer immediately; they didn't make it back to Gryffindor tower before curfew.
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And remember to read all of the entries for the October Twin Exchange Challenge and vote for your favorite!
-WeasleyForMe and Clover Bay