Hermione Granger sat in the Gryffindor common room comfortably ensconced in a large stuffed chair. Naturally she was reading. She had the common room to herself as it was nearly 11:00 AM on a Spring Sunday and the brilliant sunshine and perfect cerulean skies had tempted most of her fellow Gryffindors outside. Harry and Ron were out on the quidditch field, Harry having promised Ron some solo time on Harry's beloved Firebolt. The absolute glee on Ron's face as they trooped out had made him look eleven instead of fifteen.

Of course the boys had invited her to join them but Hermione had had enough of Quidditch for the week, thank you very much, and preferred to stay in and do some extra-curricular reading. And so she sat, raptly absorbed in a History of the Influence of Pernicious, Untrustworthy, Treacherous and otherwise Loathsome and Evil Wizards of the Wizarding World by Babbette Meleonfleu. The tome was quite fascinating really.

So fascinating, in fact, that Hermione didn't notice when the tall and lanky figure entered the Gryffindor common room. She continued not to notice as he settled down on the edge of the long couch facing the large stuffed chair she was curled in. In fact, she didn't notice him until the third subtle, yet pointed, cough.

Startled, Hermione looked up, blinking a few times to clear thoughts of Grinly Bane, the dark Wizard of Latvia, from her mind. Seeing who it was a smile of welcome appeared on her face. "Oh, hullo, Fred."

Fred Weasley, one half of the famous (in Hogwarts anyway) Weasley twins smiled back, the perennial twinkle of sly mischief that always seemed to be dancing in his eyes present in full force. "Hullo, Hermione. What you reading?"

Hermione told him and was mildly surprised that the glazed look that appeared on most people's faces when she began talking about books, Harry and Ron most definitely included, didn't show up on Fred's smiling face. Instead he actually looked…interested?

"Yeah?" He said. "Sounds pretty cool. Maybe I'll borrow it after you're done?" His sentence lilted up at the end into a question.

"You want to borrow it?" Hermione asked in surprise. The twins had always seemed even less inclined towards academics than their younger brother, instead being much more interested in instigating as much mischief, mayhem and magical pranks as possible. And this year every minute of their time seemed to be spent on preparing for their career as proprietors of Weasley's Wizarding World or something of the sort. She said as much to Fred.

Fred smiled almost sheepishly. "Ah, c'mon Hermione, I can't get into trouble twenty-four hours a day now can I? Gotta have some other hobbies. Besides," he continued when Hermione didn't look convinced. "I could probably get some good ideas from that book. You'd be surprised what good pranks you can adapt from the deeds of evil wizards."

Hermione rolled her eyes. That she could believe. "Well," she eyed the tome consideringly, the thickness of which when closed would have spanned both of her fists held together. "I should be done with this by Friday." She looked up and saw Fred's eyebrows rise in mild astonishment at her statement. "Well," she said defensively. "It's just that I've got a lot of other schoolwork to do too. It wouldn't normally take me that long…" she trailed off as Fred's eyebrows climbed even higher, disappearing beneath the thatch of unruly bangs that covered his forehead. "Uhrm, well anyhow, you're welcome to borrow it after I'm done," she offered with a hesitant smile.

"Brilliant." Fred grinned at her before lapsing back into silence.

Hermione hesitated but when Fred didn't say anything else she mentally shrugged and turned back to her book. A moment later she paused and looked up. Fred was still there. He was just sitting and watching her with a considering expression on his mobile face.

"What?" Hermione asked, starting to feel wary. It was often dangerous to be the object of focused attention from either of the twins. It wasn't that she didn't like Fred and George, the twin terrors of Hogwarts. She liked all of Ron's family. And she certainly spent a significant amount of time around the twins, both at Hogwarts and at the Weasley homestead. But she'd never spent much time with them. Talking to them or spending time with them solo. She was usually in the company of Ron or Harry. And although she admired their cleverness, she rather disapproved of the way they applied it. Considering the silent Gryffindor, Hermione's eyes began to narrow in suspicion. "Fred Weasley, you're not here to play a prank on me are you?"

Fred started indignantly. "I'm not here to prank you!" The wounded outrage in his voice would have made Hermione feel a bit guilty if she hadn't witnessed many times the true excellence of Fred's lying abilities.

"Hmm," Hermione's eyes were still narrowed in consideration. "Alright then, are you here to ask for my help in a prank?" That was the second possibility that had crossed her mind.

Fred rolled his eyes. "NO. I'm not here about a prank Hermione."

"Oh, well then," Hermione's expression went from suspicious to puzzled. "Then why are you here?" she asked curiously. For, really, she couldn't think of another reason he would be. Unless…"Is it about Ron?"

"Oh, well, no, it's, uh, it's not about Ron." Looking momentarily abashed, Fred sank back against the couch cushions. He studied her from his slouched position with such a speculative look that Hermione began to feel a bit nervous again. Then he sat up again, leaning forwards towards her. "Herm?" Fred asked. "How is it you can always tell me and George apart?"

Hermione blinked in surprise. She certainly hadn't been expecting that question. "Uhm, well," she considered for a moment. "You do have a few different habits…uhmm, like you tend to tug your right earlobe when you're irritated and George tends to run his hands through his hair. And you like to eat chocolate frogs, while George is partial to Limpey's Licorice. Little things like that. But…I think mostly it's the way you carry yourselves."

"The way we carry ourselves?" Fred asked, sounding rather bemused.

Hermione shrugged helplessly, a little irritated with her inability to quantify the twins' differences in a more rational way. "Yes. You just carry yourselves a bit differently. You sit a bit differently. You slouch a bit differently. Just a bit."

"Y'know Herm," Fred looked at Hermione with the same considering stare he'd been giving her earlier. "No one else can tell us apart. Even mum has trouble sometimes." He couldn't help smiling wickedly at that. "That's come in handy loads of times, it has."

Hermione smiled at that even as she shook her head in sympathy for Mrs. Weasley. "How Mrs. Weasley puts up with the seven of you I'll never know. She has my utmost sympathy."

Fred shook his head sadly. "It's true. We are a trial to that woman. But," Fred's face assumed a most earnest expression "really, we keep her young."

Hermione raised an eyebrow skeptically. "She says you're responsible for all the grey hairs she has."

"The grey is a sign of increased youth in wizards." Fred assured her solemnly. "Being from a muggle family you might not have realized that yet." It was said with such a straight face that Hermione couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her.

Grinning in satisfaction at her reaction, Fred continued, "but anyway, don't you think that's a bit odd? That our mother can barely tell us apart? That Harry and Ron can't hardly tell us apart but you always can?"

"Wellll…" Hermione frowned. "I suppose it may be a bit odd but then I am fairly observant."

"Yeah, but d'you think it might…mean something?"

Hermione frowned, considering. "Like what?"

Fred sighed, as if unsure of how to continue. Finally, he shook his head. "Ah, never mind. So d'you want to go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

"I beg your pardon?" Hermione asked blankly, thrown by the seemingly random change in subject.

"I said, do you want to go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend?" Fred said, the question a little louder this time, and more clearly enunciated.

Hermione paused. He couldn't surely mean… "You mean, in a group, right?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "With Harry and Ron and George?"

"Uhm, no actually." Fred's face was going a bit red. "I meant just with me."

"You're asking me out on a date?" Hermione's tone was one part horrified, one part denial and two parts stunned.

"Well, yeah." Fred scowled, mainly hearing the horrified. "I mean, it's not marriage or anything. Just a date. A walk down to Hogsmeade. Some butterbeers. A visit to Honeyduke's. Not a big deal."

There was a lengthy pause.

"So?"

…

"Hermione?"

…

"Hello?"

Fred was considering reaching over and poking the girl, just in case she'd gone into shock when Hermione jumped to her feet and, hands on her hips, managed to loom over Fred in spite of her rather miniature stature. Fred started at her furiously red face and wouldn't have been surprised if steam started puffing out from her ears.

"Frederick Weasley, I can't believe you thought I'd fall for such an obvious prank! What, is George standing outside the fat lady listening?" She sent a fuming look towards the Gryffindor passageway.

"No!" Fred jumped up too, towering over Hermione, his face a picture of wounded outrage. "Hermione, this isn't a joke. I'm asking you out on a date!"

"Right," Hermione snorted derisively. "You just suddenly decide to ask Ron's little friend out on a date. I don't think so." Hermione was truly hurt. She was a bit self-conscious about her looks. Hard not to with Pansy Parkinson and her lot always taunting her about her 'bushy hair' and her 'beaver teeth.' For Fred to pull something like this on her…Well, she'd thought better of him. She really had.

"Actually I've been thinking about it all year!" Fred's face was red with frustration and anger. "I can't believe you think I'd prank you about something like this. I wouldn't do something like that!"

"Oh?" Hermione's own furious gaze met his. "So that wasn't you who got Gloria Featherpeet to agree to a secret love picnic with you last year at which you failed to show up but sixteen lovestruck garden gnomes did, attracted by the scent you slipped in her perfume?"

"That was different!" Fred was really shouting now too. "Gloria Featherpeet was a total prat! She deserved it!"

"Oh!" Hermione seethed, even though at the time she had agreed, that yes, Gloria Featherpeet, a sixth year Slytherin was indeed a cruel and obnoxious prat who deserved to be taken down a peg or ten and that the sight of Gloria fleeing across the courtyard with sixteen garden gnomes in hot pursuit was a secretly cherished memory.

But it proved her point that Fred was asking her as another joke. Why else would he? Boys weren't interested in her. Not with her looks and she knew her manner was somewhat offputting as well. Ron was quick enough to point that out to her frequently. Oh sure, there had been Victor Krum last year but well, Victor Krum wasn't exactly your normal boy now was he?

All of a sudden Hermione felt hot tears welling up behind her eyes as hurt overcame fury. Horrified at the thought that she might cry in front of Fred, she shouted angrily "you should be ashamed of yourself Fred Weasley!" and, pushing past him, she ran up the stairs into the women's dorm not stopping until she had slammed the door shut behind her.

"But I was being serious!"