Disclaimer: Everything you find that seems even remotely familiar throughout this story is probably the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 1: The one where Hermione starts to feel

Hermione Granger was seated in the far end of Gryffindor common room with her friends Harry and Ron. It was her fifth year and she couldn't feel less prepared for her O.W.L.s if she tried. She has no idea how the other students from her year could be preoccupied with other things right now when all she wanted to do was study.

There was only one reason she couldn't concentrate on her Potions essay, and that was the noise that was coming from the more crowded part of the room. In the middle of the small group, she could make out two very distinct heads of red. The twins Fred and George Weasley were the older brothers of her good friend Ron, and despite the fact that she had spent even summer holidays with their family; it was her duty to stop them. She was a prefect after all, and if nothing else, she didn't fancy the thought of the two of them getting into any sort of trouble on their last year in school. They were a charming pair, no doubt about that, but sometimes she didn't know if they knew how harmful some of their pranks were.

The two of them, along with their friend Lee Jordan, were currently testing their new line of sweets on unsuspecting First Years, and she would rather jump into the lake in a December evening and freeze to death than just stand by and watch.

"Ugh! I can't concentrate now. I'm going to bed." Hermione said after glaring at Ron.

She had just threatened Fred and George that if they didn't stop testing their products on the first years she would tell their mother. The identical looks of bewilderment on their faces somehow satisfied her but she was still angry at their actions. She was even more furious to find a cowering Ron. He was a prefect too, after all and he did nothing to help stop his brothers.

She calmed down a bit and realized that she still had two hats in her bag. She had been hiding them around Gryffindor tower since she got back. They were hats for the house elves and she believed that they needed to be set free. After explaining her actions to Harry and Ron, she gathered her things and slung her bag on her shoulder.

"That's not on. You're trying to trick them into picking up the hats! You're setting them free when they might not want to be free," said Ron. She could hear the accusing tone of his voice and she couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. Then again, she was doing it for the house-elves.

"Of course they want to be free! Don't you dare touch those hats, Ron!" With that, she had marched to the girls dormitories.

When Hermione had finally gotten ready for bed, however, all thoughts of the house-elves had left her and were replaced by the thoughts of the twins. Fred and George Weasley could get so infuriating sometimes and yet she knew that her earlier threat was empty. She would never actually do that to them for the same reason she would never take away those stupid sweets and show them to any professor. It was the twisting sensation at the pit of her stomach, the pounding in her ears but mostly, it was the way her heart somehow misses a step and stumbles every time she was around Fred Weasley.

This was something that she would never admit to anyone though. He was her friend's brother, a seventh year, and one of the most coveted blokes in the school. She did, however allow herself to think freely of him. His defiant nature was something he found attractive somehow. The truth was he was more outspoken than his twin brother. Although Fred was the one who could be harsher at times, she found this trait of his endearing. This was probably the equivalent of fancying a bad boy. Her mother warned her about the type.

"There are two types of men to avoid," her mother had said.

"The type who keeps falling off the swing each time he gets on, the one with a thousand scrapes on his knees, and the kind that keeps pushing the first one off in the first place."

During that time, Hermione had no idea what her mother was talking about. She was thirteen then. Now she realized that Fred Weasley was most definitely the second boy. He wasn't cruel to that extent of course, but he was obviously trouble. Charming as he was to everyone, she knew that the only time of day he would give her was when he absolutely had no choice in the matter.

That night, Hermione fell asleep with Fred Weasley charming his way into her dreams.

It was the summer before Hermione's 5th year and her parents had allowed her to stay over the Weasley's for the summer. Her parents had met Mr. And Mrs. Weasley three summers ago in Diagon Alley and found their family quite remarkable.

That warm summer night, Hermione awoke from a dream. She had gotten up from bed and knew that she had to empty her bladder. She quietly snuck out of Ginny's room and crossed the hall. At the same moment, one of the twins had come out of their room half asleep.

"Fred?" she whispered

"Hermione? How'd you know it was me?" he asked looking down his jumper.

The only light in the hall was coming from a charmed candle and that was the only time she had noticed he was wearing a jumper with a G on it.

Hermione felt confused.

"Oh, you're right. I am Fred. I'm just wearing George's jumper." he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

Hermione just nodded with a yawn.

"Did you have to use the loo?" she asked him.

"Yeah, but go ahead" he smiled at her.

It was a smile. Not the mischievous grin the twins were always sporting. His smile was one that anyone rarely saw without a glint of malice in his eyes.

"Thanks" she had felt her cheeks warm but knew that the dark would not betray her.

When she got out of the loo, Fred was standing by the door of his room, his eyes closed.

"Fred?" she whispered again, nudging him slightly.

"What? Oh- hi Hermione. Done?"

"Yeah, thanks."

She walked back to Ginny's room and shut the door but not before she heard him say a barely audible, "Good night."

From that moment on, Hermione no longer saw Fred and George the Weasley twins. She knew that there was Fred and there was George. And Fred was the one she shared a brief, isolated moment with.

A/N: My first fanfic in years. My first Fred/Hermione story. By the time I've posted this first chapter I've alread finished writing until Chapter 6. :) Thank you to my good friend Michelle for being my oh so patient betareader. :)