It happened in a blink

Chapter 3: Real heroes

A/N: I own nothing except my mistakes. Really sorry for neglecting this story for so long. Actually, I had half of this chapter written out for a long time, but life has been so incredibly hectic lately that I've had zero time to write.

Expecting to see the twins waiting for her in the common room, she was not let down as they grinned at her. "Nice hair." Fred said, "Yes, it fits nicely with that tree over there." George joked as he pointed at the window, where they could see a tree standing on the grounds below.

Hermione glared at them, "Very funny." She walked in front of them and listened as they continued to talk behind her, "I do think that'd be a great addition to our joke shop, Georgie."

"I think so too, Freddie. A bird's nest would surely fit in there nicely. What shall we do with the eggs?"

"I was thinking some explosives. Nice for pranking mothers." Hermione rolled her eyes as she listened to their hideous ideas.

"Not to worry, Hermione, we'll give you full credit!" Fred said, his grin apparent in his voice. "Yeah, we'll even name it after you. How about exploding 'Miones?"

"I see you two have polished up your humour overnight." Hermione said as she allowed them to catch up with her. "Always do." George said with a smug smile and Hermione lightly chuckled.

"Hermione Granger, you tell me what's going on this instant!" Ginny said as soon as they sat down on the bench, the twins sandwiching her once more, and Ginny looking determined in front of her. "You'll have to be a bit more specific, Gin." Hermione said as she reached forward, helping herself to some toast.

"With you and Ron. He's been acting all weird lately, and so have you. And I, as you friend, have the right to know." Ginny's voice showed all the warning signs that if she were to say no, she would personally hex her head off. So, with a sigh Hermione gave in as she chewed on her food.

"The night at Grimmauld Place when Harry arrived, Ron asked me out on a date." She kept her voice low so that nobody could overhear, but it didn't escape her notice that the twins were attentively listening to her conversation with Ginny. Not that they really tried to cover it up either. "And?"

Hermione swallowed the piece of toast as her face scrunched up uncomfortably. "And I said no." Ginny's mouth dropped at that. "You said no? I mean, I get why, I wouldn't date a git like him either, but I thought you liked him?" Hermione winced as Ginny began to talk louder and so she desperately hushed her.

"I do, it's just not the right timing. I can't afford a relationship at the moment with the O.W.L.s coming up." Ginny raised an eyebrow that showed that she wasn't buying any of that rubbish. "Is that really the reason?" Hermione nodded, for she could not see a different reason for why she said no.

"And yesterday when you cried, was it because of him?" Ginny went on and Hermione sighed, nodding curtly. "What did he do?" Ginny eagerly went on, her features turning annoyed and her voice raising slightly in anger. "He just.. said some pretty hurtful things." Hermione said and Ginny raised a threatening eyebrow. "Hermione, don't make me ask again what happened."

The twins were desperately clinging to every word she said as they even leaned closer as to get a better hearing on their conversation. "He just basically implied that I'm an attention-seeking, worthless girl who has never been liked by someone in her entire life. Someone who is unworthy of another one's love." Hermione forced the words out, because it hurt her again as she remembered his meaning behind what he had said.

Ginny by now was shaking with anger, and the twins had seemed to tense up beside her as well. "I swear to Merlin that I will hex that boy so bad that he wished he was never born." And she was serious about that as she stood up, grabbing at her wand.

As quickly as she could, Hermione got up and grabbed Ginny's arm, refraining her from walking away. "Gin, I get that you're mad, believe me, I am too. But leave him be. He's not even worth those hexes." Ginny looked at her in disbelief, "How can you even stand up for him?" That made Hermione drop Ginny's arm as she stared at the red haired woman. "I don't know.." And she honestly didn't. Perhaps she did still care about him after all.

Somehow the bell had a perfect timing over the past few days, as it now decided to ring, leaving Ginny no choice but to go to her classes. Without shooting one glance at the twins, she hurried out of the Great Hall herself and walked the familiar path through the castle to Charms class.

Even though her emotions were pretty unstable, she did manage to get through her classes as she willed herself to remember last night, where she felt so at peace. It was amazing how Fred had seemed to brighten her mood so easily, even though it was terrible not that long before. And truth to be told, that got her craving for more. He had that ability to make someone feel so at peace around him, and cheer them up at the same time.

It was for that reason that she gladly abandoned her school work for once after dinner and listened attentively to Fred and George planning out their products. They made plans to recreate objects, and temper with them as well as just using random objects for their products.

"Hermione?" Fred suddenly asked, snapping her out of her focus on the boys frantically scribbling on a piece of parchment, which he stretched out to her. "I'm sure you happen to know how to make an antidote for this potion." He said and Hermione took the piece of parchment and read the title with a raised eyebrow, "Love potion? Are you insane!"

"I warned you it might be a bad idea to show her the potion." George said and Hermione looked at the twins perplexed. "This stuff can be dangerous if it falls in the wrong hands! Which, I can guarantee you, will be of those who even dream of buying them." Hermione said and Fred beamed a smile at her, "Which is why, dear Hermione, we wish for you to make us the antidote."

"Yeah, that way when someone needs to get rid of the effects, they can simply buy the antidote and reverse it." George added and Hermione heaved a sigh, resting her case. She knew there was no possible chance of changing their minds, so that only left her with one choice: make the antidote so she could help out the people in need.

Hermione looked at their hopeful faces and groaned, "Fine, but only for the safety of the victims." They grinned in victory at each other, "We knew you couldn't resist." They chorused and she scoffed at that, "I'll need some time to work on it, though." They nodded in approval, "Just make sure it turns out alright."

Hermione smiled, "I wouldn't be Hermione Granger if I didn't strive for perfection, now would I be?" They nodded in agreement with equal smiles on their faces and continued their brainstorming over new products, once in a while dragging her into it to explain why they chose for a certain object, and how they were planning on using it.

And with that, her spirits were being lifted once more as they used their constant jokes, trying to get a reaction from her which most of the times worked.

At the end of the night, she was more than surprised by their underlying intelligence and her mood was as bright as one could make it. She could even tell that they were trying desperately to work around talking about Ron as they casually chatted about things that came to mind. And she was beyond grateful for that.

Bidding them both goodnight, she gratefully changed into her pajamas and slipped into her bed, silently thanking the twins for brightening her spirits.

Next morning, however, her gratitude was long gone as she jolted awake, falling out of her bed with a loud thud as some explosives went off in their dormitory. Lots of squealing and yelling from the other girls did not help her mood at all, as the high pitched voice of Lavender was protruding her ear canal.

Storming out of the room, she furiously looked at the twins who were wearing broad grins on their faces. "Nice pajamas you got there, Hermione. They truly are white with purple." Fred said in amusement and this riled her up even more, "Not funny!" She said as she hit his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, as much as I like to see my brother getting a beating, I figure you should save that for another brother of mine." George said as he grabbed her arms and pulled her away from his twin brother. Hermione blew a strand of hair out of her face as she heaved a sigh. "How did you manage to even get those in there anyway?" She asked as she calmed down somewhat, wondering about that mystery for she read in Hogwarts: A history that boys are unable to walk up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"A levitation spell did the trick." George grinned and she nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll go ahead and change then." She said and hurriedly left the common room, not wishing for either of them to see her in her pajamas any longer than they had to.

Having changed into her school robes, they went over to breakfast and ate as Hermione conversed with Harry and Ginny as the twins were engaging in a conversation of their own with Lee and Angelina.

As the bell rang, she headed to her least favorite class of the day: Potions. It's not like she didn't enjoy the brewing, because she did, but she entirely detested the teacher: Professor Snape. She wasn't the only one, though. Everyone else at Hogwarts absolutely revolved him.

Taking a place at one of the tables, she watched as Ron reluctantly joined her and Harry, his eyes avoiding her as best as he could. Listening to the instructions of the potions they were going to brew, she waited for Snape to finish talking before she gathered all the necessary ingredients.

"So, how is the week with Fred and George going, 'Mione?" Harry asked halfway through class as more students were conversing with each other. On an acceptable volume, of course. One loud exclamation and Snape would silence them all. "It's going surprisingly well. I mean, I expected it to be complete rubbish, and even though I still don't agree with everything they do, I do admire the effort they put into their work." Hermione replied, a smile forming on her face without her realizing it.

"Really? Never thought I'd see the day." Harry grinned and Hermione chuckled, "That makes two of us." She said as she stirred around in her cauldron. "What is it that you're doing with them, though?" He asked and Hermione shrugged, "Most of the times I just listen to them working on their plans for the joke shop. Or listen to them making up products." Hermione replied and Harry looked up at her with raised eyebrows, "Is that all you do?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, it's not much that we do, but it is rather fun." That wasn't entirely true. But she really did not feel like telling about their little night trips through the castle. At least, not with Ron around anyway.

"Fun? Sounds rather boring to me." Ron scoffed under his breath and Hermione turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "And why would you care?" This was the first time they made eye contact since their last encounter, and the look in his eyes was stone cold. "I don't."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she focused back on her potion, not feeling like going into yet another argument with him. As the end of the class neared, she managed to finish her potion just in time and turned it in by Snape, cleaning their table in a hurried pace as she wanted to be away from Ron as soon as she could.

Luckily for her, she had Runes now and therefore could escape his presence for a good hour. "Hey, Hermione!" A voice yelled out from behind her and she looked over her shoulder, a grinning Fred watching her through the crowd. Slowing her pace so he could catch up with her, she turned to look at him with a questioning face. "Where's George?"

Fred shook his head, "Snogging his girlfriend, probably." Hermione chuckled, "I must admit that it's a bit weird seeing you walking around the castle without your twin by your side." She said as they casually moved through the corridors. "You're not the only one. It feels weird for me as well. Where are you heading off anyway?" He asked and Hermione pointed at the classroom at the end of the corridor. "Ancient Runes, you?"

"Charms. Anyway, I'll see you soon, 'Mione!" Fred said as he turned around the left corner, heading to his own class.

The little chat with him seemed to have brightened her mood greatly as she was easily focused on all her classes, even the ones she shared with Ron. It therefore was all too soon that it was already evening, where she had just finished her rounds and was now once again positioned in the common room with the twins by her side, hanging their heads over their cauldrons as they brewed potions for their joke shop.

She had brought her cauldron along with her as well, planning on working on the antidote for the love potion in the meantime. Once in a while, though, she would peek at their work and correct it if necessary, giving tips on how to save ingredients and still get the desired result or just changing their entire recipe to get the potion they wanted.

An occasional bicker between the two twins would catch her attention, allowing her to let out a hearty chuckle as they gave some rather silly arguments, mixed with a couple of jokes and she lightly shook her head. It truly wasn't boring once around them.

Next morning she felt slightly disappointed as the twins were nowhere in sight, having completely grown accustomed to having them waiting for her each morning. Shaking her head, she shrugged it off as she walked down the marble stairs on her own, the silence almost deafening.

Walking into the Great Hall, she took a seat next to Ginny and absentmindedly conversed with her, wondering where the twins were for she still hadn't seem them at all. And it wasn't until the end of breakfast, that they came rushing over to her and apologized frantically. "Sorry for not starting the day with you, 'Mione." Fred started and George took over, "Yeah, our friends needed a bit of help."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and squinted her eyes as she had a hunch that it had something to do with their products. "Do I even want to know?" Sheepish smiles confirmed her suspicion and they shook their heads, earning them a light chuckle from her.

She said her goodbye to the twins as she walked to Herbology on her own considering that Harry was mostly walking with Ron. She didn't blame him, for she could see how difficult it was for him to pick a side with his best friends.

Yet, that didn't mean it didn't hurt that he chose Ron over her the entire time. Take last year, for example, when she was right in the middle between Harry and Ron when they had their little fight at the start of the Tournament. She didn't pick a side back then either, now did she?

Shrugging it off, she concentrated on her next couple of classes, trying to keep an eye out for one of the twins as she switched classes every hour or so, but to no avail. There had been no sign from them since the early morning encounter, and after all her classes she had been too busy studying in the library and doing her rounds at night to actually go ahead and try to find them.

"It's okay, look, we've got it too." A hushed whisper caught her attention as she was doing her rounds, and taking a quick look at her watch, which displayed that it was well past nine – the curfew – she rounded the corner, ready to deduct house points. "Yeah, it's not that bad, it heals over time." Another voice said, and when Hermione came closer to the silhouettes in the distance, she could make out the twins sitting on either side of a first year, who was sobbing as he held his hand.

The boy looked frightened as he saw Hermione approach, and stammered as she came closer. "I-I'm really sorry, I know I-I'm not supposed to be out here." Smiling, she shook her head as she knelt down to her knees in front of him. Shooting a quick glance down at his badge, she saw he was a Ravenclaw. "Don't worry about it, I won't deduct house points. This time."

Sighing, she reached into her pocket of her school robes and took out a soothing cream she had used this afternoon on herself when a pile of books had landed painfully hard on her own hand. "May I?" She spoke, keeping her voice soft as to not alarm any other teachers. They probably wouldn't be so merciful when they saw three students out of bed, and one prefect helping them.

The boy was hesitant, but at last extended his arm with a small nod. "What's your name?" Hermione asked, carefully rubbing the cream on the back of the boy's hand. Shooting a quick glance up, she saw the twins smiling at her, and she offered a quick smile back. "T-Taylor," the boy said in between silent sobs.

"Well, Taylor, I know it might be hard, but please try to be careful around Umbridge, okay? Don't want you to get hurt again." The boy nodded, looking down at his hand. Standing back up again, she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Come on now, back to bed." Taylor gave a few viscous nods, then mumbled a "Thank you" before hurriedly scurrying away.

"You two," Hermione said, turning to the twins, who sighed in unison. "We know, Hermione, we're out of bed.."

".. and we may or may not have sneaked by the kitchens not long ago.."

".. and we might also have thrown some Dungbombs into Filch's office.."

"… but we did something good at the end of the day, that should count, don't you think so, Freddie?"

"I think so too, Georgie."

Hermione rose her eyebrows at the two of them, momentarily taken aback before composing herself again. "I was going to say how sweet it was of you two to be there for the boy." The twins' eyes widened for a second, then Fred scratched behind his head. "Well, in that case, forget everything else we said."

She motioned for them to follow her, then shook her head. She was definitely not going to forget that. "I think Filch will deal with the two of you soon enough." The twins were on either side of her before she could even process it. "Unless, of course, you give a good word for us." Fred began, and Hermione groaned softly as she mentally prepared herself for the endless head turning.

"Yeah, all you have to tell him is that Fred and I were sound asleep."

"Chasing sheep and watering flowers, all safe and sound beneath our covers."

"Real heroes we are. I'm telling you, those flowers wouldn't survive long without our thoughtfulness."

The boys grinned, and Hermione rolled her eyes as she said the password to the Fat Lady, smacking them both on their arm. "You two are unbelievable." She sighed, yet a smile was grazing on her lips. "Good night."

"Good night, Hermione! Don't forget about all the good we do for this world!" Fred and George simultaneously chorused before she headed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, leaving Hermione to wonder when she had started to grow a weak spot for the boys.