HAPPY BIRTHDAY KERRO LOVEE ~ !

Tugging furiously at her hair, Hermione scowled at her reflection. Her mother had told her that it would grow out of its bushiness, but considering the fact that was now sixteen had her mane hadn't tamed at all, Hermione wasn't sure that her mother had been very accurate with her – apparently non-existent – fortune-telling skills. She wasn't a very vain girl, and to be honest, she felt perfectly comfortable throwing up a messy ponytail in less than five seconds. It was when she couldn't get a brush through her hair without it getting stuck that she got annoyed.

Any other time, she would have called Ginny. However, it appeared that Ginny, desperate to spend time with Harry, had gone to Diagon Alley with him, Ron and Molly. This left… oh, right. The twins. Why Molly felt compelled to leave Fred and George alone in the house was completely beyond Hermione's comprehension. Either way, there was no way she was going to call one of them to help her with her little predicament. They would only laugh at her. Or worse, actually look at her in such a state.

"Oi! Granger!" a voice yelled up the stairs, causing her to bit her lip and pray that they weren't intending on checking on her. "I'm going to the shop for a bit. Fred'll be 'ere though!"

Oh, why couldn't it have been Fred that went to the shop? At least there'd be no chance of him seeing her like this. Not that she cared. Fred was simply Fred – prankster, twin, Weasley, slacker, kind of cute… Wait, no.

After calling back to George, she heard a faint pop of apparation as he left. One twin down, one more to go. She wondered where Fred might be, mindlessly pulling at the still stuck hairbrush. After several more yanks, Hermione came to the conclusion that there was, in fact, no way that she was going to be able to do this without help. The thought of asking Fred was practically taboo though, and she settled with leaning back in her chair and counting the minutes till Ginny would arrive back at the Burrow.

The only thing that she hadn't expected was for Fred to come bursting into the room a few moments later, mumbling something incoherently before staring wide-eyed at her and holding back a smirk. "Need some help, Granger?"

Hermione pursed her lips tightly together, before hesitantly nodding her head. It was mortifying. Yes, she had always known that staying several weeks in the same house with someone that you possibly… uh, enjoy the company of, was a dangerous thing to do. She'd just never realized quite how dangerous it could be.

Wordlessly, Fred made his way across the room and began to attempt to untangle the mess.

"There's not a spell?" Hermione asked miserably, wincing as he pulled a bit too hard once more. "I never learnt about hair spells, you see."

"Wouldn't know," he replied curtly, seemingly completely entranced by the tangled mop of hair on her head. Well, he had to be focused, because since when did Fred Weasley answer in only two words? Heck, even if you asked a yes-or-no question he always seemed to make it at least five words.

"You can leave it if you want," she offered. She didn't really want him to go, but he did seem exceedingly frustrated as he tugged at her locks. "Ginny can do it when she comes back."

"Brilliant, but…" Fred trailed off, wrenching at the offending object suddenly and making her squeal. "Voila!" He grinned at her, waving the brush around triumphantly, ignoring her as she glowered at him, rubbing her head.

"Should've let Ginny do it…" she muttered under her breath before forcing a bright smile onto her face and beaming at him. "Thanks, Fred."

"Anything to help a damsel in distress," he winked at her. "Anything else you need help with?"

Not for the first time, Hermione found her eyes drift unwillingly to his lips. Okay, maybe she fancied him just a little bit. When she realized that she had caused an uneasy silence, she quickly gulped, stuttering, "I'm good, thanks."

He didn't leave the room, like she had expected him to. Instead he cocked his head slightly to the side, and peered at her, almost as if though he was analysing her every move. His obvious scrutiny took its toll on Hermione, and she wrung her hands, biting her lip. She peered up at him, unable to keep still. Eventually, she snatched the hairbrush back, turning to face the mirror once more.

"That's a deadly move," Fred commented, chuckling as she half-heartedly tugged the brush through her hair.

"Well, if anything happens I'm sure you can 'save' me," Hermione retorted drily. "Don't you have to mind the shop?"

"I think George and Verity can handle an hour or two by themselves, don't you?"

"With him I can never tell."

"Touché," Fred grinned, chuckling. "Well, my services have been more than adequate, so I'll be off now."

"Yes, Fred. You're very skilled at pulling a hairbrush out of hair," she teased, shaking her head.

"Downstairs if you need me, Granger."

With that, he disappeared out of the door and was replaced by Ginny a few minutes later. Hermione smiled to herself as her friend chattered mindlessly, and gazed into the mirror for a few moments, contemplating the earlier conversation. He hadn't been flirting, had he? No, that was impossible. But Merlin that wink was… a pleasant gesture to – really heart melting.

Groaning inwardly, Hermione scolded herself. Such thoughts were not healthy, no matter how good looking the bloke was.

…

Damn it.