Fred
Okay I was definitely falling for Hermione. She was sweet and beautiful and compassionate and smart. However, as George had oh so kindly reminded me, I had a girlfriend. I happen to be sitting in the Common Room with her. I think Angela was talking to me but I was busy staring at the corner. Hermione was sitting with my git of a brother who was too lazy to do his own homework.
As I watched Hermione finished with her parchment, held a brief argument with Ron, then rolled her eyes and snatched his parchment. I was halfway out of my seat before I remembered that I was supposed to be listening to Angela. I looked at her to find her glaring at me. I felt the heat rise in my neck and I knew my ears were fire engine red.
"Fred Weasley, when a woman is talking to you, YOU LISTEN!"
"Sorry Ang."
"Oh and maybe you should try to get out of your self-absorbed little mind long enough to notice I haven't been talking for almost ten minutes." By this point Angelina was out of her chair, shaking her finger in my face, her eyes flashing in anger. She turned and stormed out of the portrait hole.
"Ang!" I hurried after her, embarrassed but genuinely sorry. Now that I wasn't focusing on Hermione, I realized how rude I had been to her. I caught up with Angela at the end of the corridor.
"Angelina," I said, grabbing her wrist, "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I swear. I was trying to plan a couple of revenge pranks. I guess I was just trying to pay attention to too many things at the same time."
"Promise? That was all?"
"Promise. I'll even tell you who if you want to know."
She gave a little half smile. "Okay, I'll bite. Who?"
"Guess."
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Snape?"
"No but we need to get him soon. Thanks for the reminder."
Angelina rolled her eyes but she was still smiling so I continued, "Mostly I was planning for Umbridge but I was also planning revenge for Ron, Draco, Pansy, and quite probably Trelawney."
Angelina snorted. "While at least I know you weren't looking at another girl."
On the outside I smiled but inside my heart dropped. I was flooded with guilt because that was exactly what I had been doing.
"Nothing for you to worry about, babe." I leaned down and kissed her. She kissed back, reluctantly at first but then more passionately. I have an amazing girlfriend. No one else could make me feel like this. She was the first to pull away.
"You know," she whispered, "we should find somewhere we won't get caught by Prefect patrols."
"Of course we should." I kissed her one more time then grabbed her hand. I pulled her toward the passage that led to Honeydukes' basement. We giggled as we ran. I lifted the trapdoor at the end to find the basement empty. We snuck upstairs and slipped out of the shop. As we meandered down the main street of Hogsmeade, holding hands, I let my head fall back and grinned.
"What?"
"This is just so perfect," I said turning toward her, "you and me, here, and of course, me."
"You and your ego."
"It's not ego, darlin', it's the truth."
Angelina laughed and leaned in for a kiss. We spent a couple more hours enjoying each other's company before heading back to the school. As soon as we entered the Gryffindor Common Room, George caught my eye and then disappeared up the stairs to the dormitories. I excused myself from Angelina and followed him.
I found him lounging on his bed, his arms crossed.
"Haven't seen much of you today."
"I know I had to patch things up with Angelina."
"Because you won't admit you're in love with Hermione."
"I'm not in love. I'm just… attracted to her. That's all."
"Mhmm."
"Honest!"
"Tomorrow we have to work on the swamp some more. It's still vanishable."
"Sounds good. Oh and we have to come up with a good prank for Snape."
"We haven't pulled anything on him for a while. What do you have in mind?"
"Shampoo."
George grins, "Excellent."
Hermione
I caught Fred staring while I was finishing my Transfiguration essay but I decided last night that I wasn't going to acknowledge any attention from him. I just don't have time for a relationship with anybody right now. The next minute he followed Angelina out of the portrait hole without even glancing my way. I guess I was wrong. He'd rather be with her. Not that I can blame him, they have a lot more in common than we ever will.
I started to go over Ron's essay which was, as usual, a half-hearted attempt that wouldn't earn a T on the O.W.L.s but he was only hurting himself, it gave me something to keep me busy. Besides repetition is retention. I counted this as part of my study time. At least Harry actually tried before he asked me for help. Ron was just so AGRIVATING!
After I finished Ron's essay I headed to the library. I saw Fred and Angelina at the end of the hall. They are perfectly happy together. They deserve each other. I felt disappointed. Come on Hermione! You have more important things to worry about. I turned resolutely on my heel and headed the other way down the corridor. It would take me longer to get to the library but it only seemed polite.
This path to the library took me past the stairs to the Astronomy tower. At the bottom I paused, then mounted the steps. When I reached the top, I found Ron. I don't know how he got there before me, but I wasn't about to stay. I had just turned back when I heard my name.
"Hermione." I sighed and slowly turned around.
"Ron."
"I was just… I was just thinking." He wouldn't meet my eye. My annoyance from fifteen minutes ago vanished.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. I just wish things were different sometimes."
"What things?"
Ron hesitated long enough to make me worry.
"I wish… I wish my best mate wasn't fighting the most evil wizard in history. I wish I was smart enough to pass the O.W.L.s on my own. I wish my family was closer so I wouldn't have to constantly worry that they've been killed. I wish we were just normal teenagers with normal worries. I wish..." Ron stopped abruptly and, in the moonlight, I saw a tear slide down his face.
"Oh, Ron…" I pulled him into a hug. I guess that was that one last straw for him. He started to sob. He fell back against the rough stone wall and slid to the bottom. I sat beside him my hand on his shoulder and just let him cry. I have no idea how long we sat there, but eventually his sobs quieted and he began to talk again.
"All my problems seem so petty compared to defeating You-Know-Who so I can't really talk to Harry and, well, you're a girl, so that doesn't really work."
"Ron, you are one of my best friends. You can tell me anything. You know that. There's no judgment here."
"Thanks Hermione. I'm okay for now but I'll let you know if I ever need to talk. Hopefully before I resort to this again." He gave me a little half smile and moved slowly toward the stairs. He moved stiffly and his shoulders were hunched but he said he was okay. I felt my heart flutter a little bit as he left. You know beneath all his annoying pieces, he really is a sweetheart.
Fred
As I lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling and waiting for sleep to come, I was thinking about my love life. Angelina is the most perfect girlfriend a guy could ask for, but for some reason, Hermione kept invading my thoughts. And those two DEFINITELY did not coexist well in my mind.
Hermione
Ron is sweet and vulnerable. Fred is respectful and interesting. And they are both trouble.
