AN: Updated version of chapter two. I hope it seems better. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 2: Step One

I awoke after only three hours of sleep. I had stayed up until the dead of night emailing with Anna to figure out the details of today. I was nervous and giddy. I hadn't pulled a prank in...Well, forever. I could hardly wait for the Muggle Studies today, and for the first time in my life it wasn't for the educational experience that had me on the edge of my seat. Not all the educational experience should I say. No, it was mostly the thought of seeing Hogwarts' prankster Fred Weasley. Anna and I had decided that this prank could go far. How far? That I didn't know. What I did know was that this year wasn't going to be the usual read, study, sleep that was my everyday life. This year was going to be full of stifled laughs, exhilaration, and those odd moments where you begin to laugh and no one can tell why, as I said before life was about to get interesting. That was for sure.

I surprised Ginny by being up before anyone else in the Gryffindor dorm today. She was used to forcing me out of bed every morning. If it hadn't been for the fact that I was on such a high from the excitement of the prank I most likely would have passed out already from exhaustion. With all the extra energy this morning I was scaring Ginny. I hustled her around the room to get dressed faster. I had been ready for the last ten minutes and was becoming restless. I wanted to get breakfast over with and make it to Muggle Studies.

"What has you so hyper this morning, Hermione? It's creepy." The redheaded girl questioned.

"Nothing," I said hurriedly. "Let's get down for breakfast. I'm famished."

"Me too." She replied, making her response sound like a question and looking at me suspiciously.

We met up with Harry and Ron downstairs, and walked to the Great Hall with them. We sat down at the table in our usual spots. The others instantly fell into a Quidditch conversation with Angelina Johnson. I sat quietly in my own thoughts, pretending to be interested in their talk. I didn't notice that my thoughts had started wondering to Fred that much until I busted up laughing. Shocking the other, but myself more than anyone I think. Where did that come from?

"Gosh, Hermione, what's so funny?" Harry asked.

I stumbled with my words, trying helplessly to come up with an excuse. I wouldn't think of anything, and there was no way I was telling them the truth. I could just see how that would go. 'I was simply laughing at my own thoughts. I'm about to pull the biggest prank to ever be played on one of the twins in a few minutes.' That would go perfectly smooth like they would even believe me. Before I could actually say something to weave myself out of this situation a voice spoke up.

"Is that the serious bookworm Granger laughing. I have to know what joke is good enough to make Hermione laugh."

I looked up as the owner of the familiar voice squeezed into the seat beside me. It was Fred himself. At the sight of him I couldn't help but giggle. I must be going mad. The prank hasn't even started and I was laughing at seemingly nothing. People were bound to be calling me insane by the end of the year. Snapping myself out of my thoughts I sucked in a shaky breath, controlling my endless giggles.

"So Granger, what's got you in such a happy mood? Did you finally get laid? I bet that's it, but that only leaves one question. Who did you lay? It couldn't have been Ron because he is ugly and has bad taste in women." Fred teased.

I couldn't help but giggle at his joke through by blush. I had a sense of humor. I have always loved the twins and their amusing jokes (though some were just to idiotic to laugh at). I only keep it to myself. What would my friends think if they knew that their plain and bookish friend laughed at the Weasley twins' jokes? That she found most any joke funny and even had a particular liking for those slightly sexual ones. That I understood what they thought to be jokes only they knew how to laugh at.

"It's nothing really." I said, standing up from my seat next to Fred. "I gotta get to class now. See you guys later."

I speed walk to my first class. I sat down by the empty seat that was Fred's. I was starting to panic now. I was beyond nervous. Fred was a popular person. He didn't associate with people as low as me. It's not how school worked. How life worked. I was smart enough to know that. That's another thing that made me unique compared to the other girls. They all had crushes on Hogwarts' prankster and/or his brother George, but I didn't. They were delusional. Half of them were trash that everyone talked about behind their back. Even if they weren't trash they weren't what looked like to be either of the twins' type. They didn't have a chance, so why try. I sure as heck didn't. It didn't take a genius to understand the difference in status and looks. You had to be pretty for the popular boys to like you, and you had to be popular already. Both something I wasn't. I mean, I'm not ugly, but I'm not what a teenage boy would consider pretty. It was pointless for the girls to fan over Fred and George. I laughed at their hideous attempts to get something they wouldn't get. Sure Fred was gorgeous, but why waste our time on him, knowing it won't happen...?

To calm myself down I read through my old e-mails with Anna from last night on my Kindle Fire. It was the most convenient thing, small enough to carry around everywhere. Plus, I could check my email no matter where I was since Hogwarts had amazing signal besides the dungeons. I flipped from page to page with the slide of my finger. I looked at the time. It was only nine o'clock. Late enough that I could email Anna quickly. It was around three o'clock there so she should be out of school.

Hey,

Class is about to start. I will tell Fred in only a few minutes. I'm panicking. What if he is mean or laughs at me? It doesn't matter I guess. I am still going to go ahead as planned. I'll tell you everything later about what happened. Here he comes.

Bye.

I hit the send button just as Fred's chair scraped across the floor, signaling that he was now sitting beside me. I felt a wave of nervousness and excitement churn by stomach. I was about to go back on my word to Anna and not say anything. I didn't know how to start the conversation. I usually just ignored Fred the best I could during class. I didn't have a clue how to talk to him. My stomach jumped into my throat as his voice whispered into my ear, tickling my neck.

"Are you emailing my girlfriend?"

"What...who's your girlfriend?" I managed to choke out.

"That girl from India... She's my girlfriend."

"You're delusional, Weasley. Though, I did tell her about the questions you asked yesterday."

Thank Merlin the boy started the conversation. I felt my nerves release, leaving me in a high again. I smirked as I saw his expression change from seductive playfulness to utter shock. I was raked with laughter in my head. His expression was priceless. Who would have thought I, Hermione Granger, could leave Fred Weasley shocked.

"You what?" he screamed.

I was unable to contain my laughter now. I was shaking with laughter I had to grip the edge of the table to stay upright. This was already a better reaction than I would have imagined from him.

"What did you say?"

"I told her you were curious and had some questions. Then I let her answer them."

"Seriously?"

"Yup," I said smiling more than I had in forever.

"And?"

"Well, she is seventeen like me. She is quite pretty. Oh, and you can't have her digits, Fred."

Did I just get a thrill from saying his name? No! I must not have. There was no reason for me to; I didn't like Fred. Besides, I was in a perfectly good relationship with Ron. Okay, not particularly perfect. I loved him, but it was more like a friend. There were no sparks between us anymore. He never said, "I love you," and I never said it back. It had been a whole month since we had kissed, and even longer since we have gone on a date. I wanted to end things, I just didn't know how.

"What are we talking about over here?" George said, sauntering over to our desk, leaning his elbows on the table and staring between us.

I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze that flickered back and forth.

"My girlfriend from India: she's Hermione's friend." Fred said in his usual jubilant tone.

"Oi! Mate, we are twins why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Because my friend isn't his real girlfriend, it's his self-proclaimed girlfriend." I answered.

"What's her name?" George asked me this time.

"I don't know, but she is super hot and I have been dating her for a day." Fred grinned.

"Anna Chatterjee," I said when Fred was finished. "And yes, she is very pretty according to her boyfriend, which by the way isn't you"

"Whatever! She is my girlfriend."

"Hmm...sure."

"George Weasley, get in your seat this instant!" Professor Burbage snapped.

Fred laughed and I giggle under my breath, but it wasn't because of George getting hollered at though. It was because step one of the prank had succeeded. It was going to work as long as tomorrow went right. I was practically bouncing on the edge of my seat for the rest of class. Every time I looked at Fred from the corner of my eye I would have to stifle laughter that came in insane amounts. More than once I was unable to hold it in, and all heads would turn to stare, causing me to blush. Let the crazy moments come. As long as I was having this much fun I didn't care if they thought I was crazy for laughing at nothing in their eyes. If only they knew. Oh, how I would be dead. This caused me to smirk.

*Scene Break*

Back in the Gryffindor common room I sit curled up in a plush red armchair. My hair is pulled back in a messy bun and my laptop sits haphazardly on my lap. It's one o'clock and I am alone in the empty common room. The fire is crackling, warming and lighting up the room. My fingers flash furiously across the keyboard has I type up the email that will tell Anna every detail of what happened earlier today. It had been hard to concentrate earlier on my homework as I waited to tell her. I chuckle softly when I get to a particularly good spot. I still haven't stopped smiling. Why was I still grinning like an idiot? It's just a prank. It made no sense, but I liked it, kind of. I was doubled sided about my feelings. It was great to be so giggly and happy constantly, but it was so usually and made me seem obsessive. Maybe this prank wasn't such a good idea. . .

"What are you giggling about?"

I snapped my glaze up to see Fred leaning against the frame of the boy's dorm doorway, scratching the back of his neck. A smirk was plastered on his sleepy face. He was wearing a blue tee-shirt and boxer briefs. I averted my gaze to hide my blush.

"Just...something Anna said."

"You are talking to my girlfriend?"

"She isn't your girlfriend," I said slightly annoyed by his stating of the obvious.

"Yes, she is."

"No. She isn't."

"But she can't resist my abs! I mean look. Tell me that you can't either." he said, lifting his shirt up to reveal a very lean and toned set of abs.

There was no denying that he did have a nice body. Maybe Quidditch wasn't such rubbish. No! Snap out of it. I am not going to fan over Fred like those other ridiculous little girls. Not to mention it was wrong for me to think those thoughts about my boyfriend's older brother. "You are must be beyond sleepy and very delusional." I said, rolling my eyes.

"I think you said that already."

"It's true. That's why I say it." I said, standing up.

"Where are you going?"

"To bed if you must know, Mr. Nosy."

"Tell my girlfriend, Anna, I said goodnight then."

Did he say everything with a seductive smirk? I thought that was Malfoy's thing. "Okay."

"Good night,Granger." Fred said as I climbed the stairs to girl's dorms.

"Good night,Weasley."

With that I disappeared up the stairs. I typed up one more quick e-mail to Anna telling her about my late night encounter with Fred. I fumbled in the darkness to find my iPod. I turned it on and attempted to fall asleep. My attempt failed hopelessly. My mind was racing with thoughts of today. I felt myself smile in the darkness. If anyone would have come in they would have seen four sleeping girls and one smiling girl staring at the ceiling with a lost expression, bobbing her head to the music they couldn't hear. This comical thought made me laugh yet again. I was sure to wake up some girls now. I quickly cast a silencing charm around my bed. I felt it come in waves, the unstoppable laughter. Where was it coming from? This wasn't me. Why couldn't I stop laughing? I truly was going crazy.

"Might as well have fun while I'm at it." I whispered into the night with a slight shrug of the shoulders.