Witching Hour
Not really sure where this idea came from but once it got into my head I had to write it. Please review and let me know what you think it would really mean a lot to me! Thank you!
Disclaimer
I don't own anything.
Hermione pulled her dressing gown on and crept silently from the girl dormitories when she was certain everybody was sleeping she was certain the common room would be empty. She stayed up until everyone had gone to bed to ensure it. She had began to think George Weasley was never going to bed even Fred had given up and gone to bed before him.
"Everything alright Georgie?" Fred asked sleepily from a chair.
"Fine, just need to actually do this transfiguration essay or McGonagall is going to give me a weeks detention. She's had it in for me since I lost that bet with you had had to set off those dung pellets in her class," he said with a smirk to his brother.
Fred laughed. "That was worth it! Well night George." Fred said through a yawn as he headed towards the bedroom.
"Night Fred," George said smiling lightly before returning his attention to the parchment infront of him.
Fred stopped at the door turning back to George. "Hey George, if you get some extra time, I've night quite finished...or started my essay yet either..." he hinted with a smirk.
His answer was given when George laughed slightly and threw a pillow at him getting him straight in the face.
"Fine, fine," Fred said laughing as he headed to bed.
The twins relationship was interesting to watch Hermione thought as she headed towards the common room. It was clear beneath all their joking and pranks they really cared about and worried about each other. She thought it was sad that not many people bothered to look beyond their jokes.
She paused as she got to the common room and saw the lights were on. She suppressed a groan. She was trying to work out who could possibly still be up at this time. She suddenly realised as she stood at the door trying to see who was in the room how stupid she was being.
She blushed furiously at her actions. It was stupid that sometimes she waited until everyone was asleep so she could read by the fire in the common room without anyone teasing her. She knew they meant nothing by it but sometimes the light hearted teasing struck a little too close to home for her.
She was about to go back to bed but curiosity got the better of her she wanted to know who else was still awake at this time of night. She moved quietly into the room to try and get a better look.
She let out an involuntary gasp when she saw who it was. "Hermione?" he asked jumping as he made to hide the book he had been holding.
"George? Sorry I thought everyone was sleeping I...you still working on that transfiguration paper?" she asked. He never seemed like he cared that much about his grades. She often had to resist lecturing the twins because she could tell they were smart they just didn't apply themselves. She couldn't understand it but it wasn't her place she had to force herself to remember that.
"No, so you can skip the lecture," he said with a knowing smirk.
"I wasn't actually going to lecture," she said huffily as she made to head back to bed.
"What are you doing up so late?" he asked.
Hermione waited a minute to see if he was going to add a teasing remark to his question but he didn't.
"I just wanted to read down here while it was quiet," she admitted. She blushed a bit and to stop him from teasing her over it she fired his own question back at him. "What are you doing down here?"
"Nothing really, I I'll leave you to it," he said standing quickly causing the item he'd hid behind the cushion to fall to the ground with a loud bang.
"George seriously what are you doing?" she asked suspiciously she didn't trust him he was acting strangely. She almost expected Fred to jump out at her from behind one of the couches. She surreptitiously looked round the room.
"He's not here," he said almost absent mindedly.
"I can see that," she snapped.
"Believe it or not, we are not joined at the hip," he said slightly wearily.
Hermoine looked at him guilt flashed in her eyes. She knew she too was guilty of always thinking of Fred and George as a single unit rather than two individuals.
"What are you doing down here?" Hermione asked still not fully trusting George and she wanted to get away from the awkward territory they were nearing.
"I was reading," he said with a slight edge to his tone.
"Reading?" Hermoine repeated sceptically.
"Yes, something I gather you know rather a lot about," he answered.
"Really you are down here at this time of night to read?" she asked raising her eyebrows slightly still not really believe him.
"Yes. Honestly Hermione for someone who is meant to be smart it's taking you a long time to get this," he said.
"I'm sorry...it just...it just doesn't seem like you," she finally admitted.
"Yeah I know," he said evenly.
"George?" Hermione asked carefully she was really caught off guard by his behaviour.
"What?" he responded.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't know you were much of a reader. What are you reading?" she asked quietly.
He showed her the cover of the book. She opened her eyes a little wider. "I loved that book! What do you think of it? She asked excitedly. It was hard to find someone to talk with books about.
"I'm enjoying it but I don't think it's as good as some of his others, such as Dark Path!" he smiled a bit as he and Hermione said it at the same time.
"What else do you like reading?" she asked. As he told her some of the books he liked she was surprised to find they had similar tastes in books. "Why do you read down here?" she asked at last.
He laughed slightly. "Got a reputation to keep up can you just hear my brothers and friends now?" he pointed out.
Hermoine nodded a bit she had to admit he had a point. "You shouldn't hide who you are George, people who care about you wont care if you like to read or not," she said.
"Maybe, anyway it's getting late. I'm going to bed got to be awake enough to put spells on the pictures in Snape's classroom," he said with a slight smirk.
"That was you?" she asked laughing a bit in spite of herself.
"Of course not," he said with a slight smirk as he headed back to bed. "Maybe you should think about taking your own advice. Night Hermione" he said
"Night George," she said. Before she had a chance to ask him what he meant by that comment he was gone. As she went back to bed she realised how glaringly obvious it was that she didn't really know Fred and George at all.
As he lay in bed that night listening to his brother's deafening snores he supposed Hermione had a point. It was frustrating to always be thought of as a twin and not an individual and not having anyone who really knew you.
Talking to Hermione made him wonder if that would ever change but the fact that she had called him George all night gave him his answer. Fred sighed slightly as he shut his eyes again and went to sleep.