Summer 1994 - Moment 1: Notice

Fred was 16 the first time he noticed that she was, well, a girl. She walked into the kitchen at the Burrow during breakfast, in her summer pajamas (a thin white singlet top, with noticeably no bra underneath and a pair of short blue cotton shorts). He noticed that Hermione had managed to get her very bushy hair somewhat tamed into a ponytail. He was sure that he'd seen her wearing some variation of this outfit at least 10,000 times before given that they lived in the same house at school and sometimes Harry and Ron would bring her toast in the common room when she overslept on the weekend. Today was different though; because this was the very first time he had noticed her slender legs and pert breasts. In a single moment, she stopped being his youngest brother's mate and became an actual female in his mind.

His pants slightly felt tight and he couldn't help but fidget somewhat in his seat as he tried to eat his breakfast. He was suddenly pleased he had gotten dressed before coming down to breakfast otherwise it would have made for a very awkward exit from the kitchen. As George shot him a quizzical look, he dropped his head and decided to concentrate entirely on the box of cereal in front of him, and it's corresponding nutritional content.

As Fred pretended to read, and tried to eat the same time, he couldn't help think that something was wrong with him; Hermione one of his little brother's best mates, his sister's friend and she was two years younger than him! That's almost a crime.

As he felt like someone was watching him, he glanced at George and realised that his twin had already finished their standard breakfast (a bowl of cereal, two pieces of toast and whatever fruit he could locate). When Fred paid attention to his meal, he realized that it had taken him almost 10 minutes to eat less than half of it.

In an almost concerned voice, George said "Mate you've gone all pale. You're not trying to read are, you? You know that hurts your brain".

Ginny and Hermione chortled over their toast and look hopefully at the twins. They needed some comedy after the obnoxiousness of Percy taking up the bathroom all morning (which was no doubt why Hermione was still in her pajamas').

Christ! He thought this is going to be a long morning and now I'm the entertainment.

Putting on his trademark, soon to be patented, Weasley smile, Fred quickly glanced to see if his mother was anywhere nearby. "Well given the threat I heard Ginny given Percy this morning I thought that soon we might have an opening for a pretentious, obnoxious sibling, and given that we both know I'm the smartest twin, I thought I start reading up on my general knowledge."

"By reading the cereal box? Fred, do you honestly think you are going to outsmart Perce with your knowledge of 'Witch and Wizard Fibre'?"

"Well, mate if it's nothing else, it's a start. I mean if I need to learn everything, I have to start somewhere, and this certainly seemed more interesting then whatever it is that Percy keeps crapping on about".

Not having noticed his mother's entrance to the room, the whole table seemed to jump when she snorted and said "That will be the day Fred; you are studying to know everything. Maybe you should take a page out of Hermione's book first and apply yourself at school instead of doing so many pranks?"

Hermione had to grace to drop her head, blush and say "Thank you" to Mrs. Weasley, while Fred stood up to wash his bowl. He kissed his mother's cheek on the way past "How about I make that next years goal mother?" before he quickly dashed out of the kitchen just in case she not find it quite as funny as he did.

The next couple of days passed with relatively few outbursts from Percy, and all the boys were getting excited about the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. They were also thrilled about the possibility of finally getting to meet Harry's horrible muggle Aunt and Uncle.

While trying to shove thoughts of Hermione in those short pajamas and her lovely legs out of his mind, Fred decided to focus on the latest experiment he and George were trying to work on as he climbed the stairs two at a time after another breakfast.

When he reached the small second-floor landing, he found Hermione, the subject of the thoughts he had been trying to avoid, leaning against landing outside the bathroom waiting. His entire family (Mum included) had learned pretty quickly this summer to get into the bathroom before Percy, the git.

Fred stopped, raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Is it who I think it is?"

Hermione nodded and sighed impatiently. Fred knew that Hermione and Percy usually got along pretty well. He figured it had been a bookworm thing, but even he could tell that she was well and truly losing her patience with him.

That, however, did not prepare him for Hermione leaning forward, smiling and whispering "God forbid his hair is not perfectly styled every single day for his precious Mr. Crouch! Anyone would think they are dating the way he continues to go on about him! Mr. Crouch this, Mr. Crouch that! It almost as bad as…" Hermione trailed off having realised what she was about to say.

Putting on a mocking voice, Fred asked: "Where you about suggest that it is almost as bad as when my dear little sister first met Harry?" Hermione blushed but nodded nevertheless.
Fred couldn't help but smile as he and George had both gotten more than annoyed with Ginny mooning over Harry a couple of years ago.

"I think Percy might be worse," Fred whispered, and he realised that he had never been happier to test out a new product. He put his hand in his pocket and looked Hermione straight in the eye. Fred tried to ignore how little space was between them on the small landing and how thin her singlet top was. Using all of his effort to pull he eyes away from her chest, he put a sly grin on his face, lent towards her and whispered "Run; we were never here" before he pulled out a tiny prototype smoke ball out of his pocket and rolling it under the bathroom door. As he ran for the stairs, he grabbed Hermione, who seemed shocked but had nonetheless turned and started moving towards the stairs.

Fred couldn't help but think that three years with Harry and Ron had taught her precisely the right time to bail on a situation. Nonetheless, he felt that the moment required a little more swiftness than what she was demonstrating so he, without really thinking, grabbed her around the waist on his way passed and pulled her up the next two flights of stairs as quickly as he could.

They had just safely closed the door to George and Fred's room behind them, both gasping for air and trying not to laugh when a cacophony of yelling came from the floors below. The noise started off with Percy yelling about how Mr. Crouch expected him to be well presented at his job. It was closely followed by Ron who was finally awake and screaming at Percy for waking him up, and then Mrs. Weasley, who now had two grumpy teenage boys to attend to.

George, who was laying on his bed playing with some sort of wrapped lolly automatically broke into a grin and looked at Fred and Hermione who were hanging into each other; they were leaning against the door silently laughing and gasping for air. It took a couple of minutes for them to stop laughing and even then it took a very pointed look from George for Fred to realise he was still holding Hermione around her waist but more importantly she was leaning up against him, using him to stand upright.

"I take it I have you to thank for that Hermione? After all, Fred and I got into the bathroom early this… "

George didn't have a chance to finish that sentence before the bedroom door swung open causing Fred and Hermione to go flying across the room, and land heavily in a pile of tangled limbs, with red and very bushy loose hair tangled and two audible grunts. When Fred finally managed to get Hermione's hair out of his eyes (not a small task when there was so much of it, and she appeared to be entirely on top of him which he had to admit felt pretty damn good), he looked towards the door.

By this point, George was howling with laughter at the look on his father's face, which was entirely shocked, with a small amount of concern at finding at a 14-year-old girl in her pajamas lying on top of his 16-year-old son.

Fred sat up, dragging Hermione up with him. Having repositioned himself, and Hermione in the process, she was sitting half on his lap, and his arms naturally were around her. He glared at his Dad who also looked like he had pieced together what had happened and was trying not to laugh himself.

"Oh sorry Fred, sorry Hermione. Are you okay dear? Boys I thought we told you about the no closed door policy in this house when girls are here?"

"No, but you did tell Ron" that response came in unison that caused Hermione to blush so hard Fred could feel the heat coming off her face, from behind her.

Speaking of heat, he was just starting to realise that Hermione was sitting on his lap and she seemed to be very still. He hoped that she couldn't feel the heat he was feeling from his groin because that would require a lot of explaining.

"Yes, well it applies to you both as well. Anyway, your mother sent me up to tell you that smoke balls or anything else that isn't Ministry approved are forbidden in this household".

He didn't even try to look mad; in fact, he was smiling slightly. "Not that I would disagree with your mother but that one might have been a good one boys… Anyway, it's time for me to go to work, so see you tonight boys. Oh and Hermione, before I forget, the bathroom is free now".

Hermione jumped up, glanced slightly at Fred smiled and said "Thanks, Mr. Weasley" before she stood up and strolled out of the room swinging her hips and trying not to smile or laugh too hard.